Country Facts - Belize

The People

Nationality Belizean(s)

Ethnic Composition

Mestizo	43.7%
Creole	24.9%
Maya	10.6%
Garifuna	6.1%
Other	9.7%

Religious Composition

Roman Catholic	49.6%
Protestant	27%
Anglican	5.3%
Methodist	3.5%
Mennonite	4.1%
Seventh-Day Adventist	5.2%
Pentacostal	7.4%
Jehovah's Witness	1.5%
None	9.4%
Other	14%

(2000)

Nationality

Belizean

Languages Spoken

English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole

Education and Literacy

The adult literacy rate stands at 70.3 percent among both males and females.

Labor Force

Total: 90,000
By occupation:

Agriculture	27%
Industry	18%
Services	55%

(2001)
Note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1997)

Geography

Land Mass Total

8,864 sq mi (22,960 sq km)

Land

8,803 sq mi (22,800 sq km)

Water

61 sq mi (160 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 320 mi (516 km)

Border countries: Guatemala 165 mi (266 km), Mexico 155 mi (250 km)

Coastline

239 mi (386 km)

Maritime claim

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south

Note: From the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for the negotiation of a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala.

Climate/Weather

Tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season lasts from May to February.

Terrain

Flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Caribbean Sea 0 ft (m)
Highest: Victoria Peak 3,805 ft (1,160 m)

Natural Resources

Arable land, timber, fish, hydropower.

Land use

Arable land	3%
Permanent crops	1%
Other	96%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Frequent and possibly devastating hurricanes (September to December); coastal flooding, especially in southern region.

Environment - current issues

Deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid waste disposal.

Geography Note

Belize is the only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean.

Demographics

Population

262,999 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	41.6%	Male: 55,716	Female: 53,581
15-64 years:	54.9%	Male: 73,068	Female: 71,368
65 years and over:	3.5%	Male: 4,511	Female: 4,755

(2002)

Growth Rate

2.65% (2002)

Life Expectancy

71.46 years (2002)
female: 73.87 years
male: 69.17 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$3,250 (2001)

Infant Mortality

24.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.95 male(s)/female
Total population:	1.03 male(s)/female

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

The small, essentially private enterprise economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming greater importance. Sugar, the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of exports, while the banana industry is the country's largest employer. The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to GDP growth of 6.4 percent in 1999 and 10.5 percent in 2000. Growth decelerated in 2001 to 3 percent due to the global slowdown and severe hurricane damage to agriculture, fishing, and tourism. Major concerns continue to be the rapidly expanding trade deficit and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors. Unemployment dropped to 9.1 percent in 2002 from a dismal 11 percent in 2001, with further decreases projected for 2003. GDP growth in 2002 was 4 percent plus, led mostly by the tourism and services sector but with aid from transport and communications.

Unemployment

11.5% (2000)

Inflation Rate

1.7% (2001)

Industries

Garment production, food processing, tourism, construction.

Exports

US$239.6 million (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$505 million (c.i.f., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$830 million (2001)

Top Export Partners

EU 45% (UK 33%), US 42%, Caricom 6%, Canada 1% (1999)

Top Import Partners

US 51%, Mexico 12%, Central America 5%, UK 4% (1999)

Top Exports

Sugar, bananas, citrus fruits, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood.

Top Imports

Machinery and transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals.

Debt - external

US$500 million (2000)

Economic aid

US$23.4 million (1995)

Fiscal Year:

April 1 to March 31

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	8a.m. to 6p.m.	Closed
Retail	9a.m. to 8p.m. In the north, shops often close at noon for siesta.	Saturdays 9a.m. to 1p.m.
Banks	10a.m. to 3p.m. Hours vary according to city and season.	Closed
Government	Winter: 8a.m. to 5p.m. Summer: 7a.m. to 4p.m.	Closed

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Carnival¹	February 26 to March 12	February 18 to 24	February 5 to 8
Baron Bliss Day	March 9	March 9	March 9
Good Friday	April 18	April 9	March 25
Easter²	April 20	April 11	March 27
Labor Day	May 1	May 1	May 1
Commonwealth Day (Emancipation Day)	May 24	May 24	May 24
St. George's Caye Day	September 10	September 10	September 10
Independence Day	September 21	September 21	September 21
Garifuna Day	November 19	November 19	November 19
Bank Holiday	December 1	December 1	December 1
Christmas Day³	December 25	December 25	December 25
Boxing Day	December 26	December 26	December 26

¹	Carnival takes place one week before the beginning of Lent. Mainly a Catholic observance.
²	Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.
³	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press