Official Name: Belize
Population (2008 est.): 301,022 (growth rate: 2.2%); birth rate: 27.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 23.7/1000; life expectancy: 68.1; density per sq mi: 13 - 25 persons per square kilometer
Labor Force: approximately 90,000
Land Area: 22,923 square kilometers or 8,867 square miles
Total area: 8,867 sq mi (22,966 sq km)
Form of Government: Democratic - Bicameral Legislature
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II
Governor-General: Sir Colville N. Young Sr.
Head of Government: Prime Minister, Hon. Said W. Musa
Major International Airport: Phillip S W Goldson International, 8 miles WNW of Belize City.
Business Hours: Usual business hours are 8:00 am - Noon, 1:00 pm - 5:00pm
Location: East Coast of Central America, bounded on the North by Mexico, on the South and West by Guatemala, and on the East by the Caribbean Sea
Capital and Major Cities & Towns: (Capital) Belmopan; (City) Belize City, (Towns) San Ignacio, Corozal, Orange Walk, Dangriga, Punta Gorda, San Pedro and Benque Viejo del Carmen
Climate: Subtropical (dry and rainy season)
Rainfall: Annual rainfall ranges from 60 inches in the North to 200 inches in the South
Nationality: Belizean
Official Language: English is the official language of the country.
Spanish and a Creole dialect are widely spoken as second languages. There are also a number of indigenous languages e.g. Creole, Garifuna, Mopan and Kechi.
Independence Day: September 21, 1981
Time Zone: EST -1; GMT -6
Country Code: 501
Communications: <
Telephones: main lines in use: 33,300 (2003); mobile cellular: 60,400 (2003).
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998).
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997).
Internet hosts: 2,613 (2003).
Internet users: 30,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: 0 km.
Highways: total: 2,872 km; paved: 488 km; unpaved: 2,384 km (1999 est.).
Waterways: 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2004).
Ports and harbors: Belize City.
Airports: 43 (2004 est.).
Literacy rate: 94% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $1.778 billion; per capita $6,800.
Real growth rate: 3.8%.
Inflation: 3%.
Unemployment: 12.9% (2003).
Arable land: 3.05%.
Agriculture: bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments.
Labor force: 90,000; note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel; agriculture 27%, industry 18%, services 55% (2001 est.).
Industries: garment production, food processing, tourism, construction.
Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower.
Exports: $349.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood.
Imports: $622.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco.
Major trading partners: U.S., UK, Jamaica , Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, China, Japan (2004).
Ethnicity/race: mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%
Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7%, Anglican 5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Mennonite 4%, Methodist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%), none 9%, other 14% (2000)
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>>Belize boasts the largest coral reef formations in the Western hemisphere
>>Belize is an English speaking British Commonwealth country
>>Belize has a longstanding democratic tradition and independent judiciary.
>>There is a fixed exchange rate. US$1=BZ$2.
>>Belize is the only English speaking country in Central America.
>>Belize protects 60% of its tropical forests with over 500 species of birds.
>>Belize has the second largest barrier reef in the world.
>>Belize was once a center of the ancient Mayan world.
>>The Belize Government offers retirement advantages.
Want to take the next step? Find out Why Belize is the place for you.
