Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. The country remains plagued by high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increasing urban crime.
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Location:
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Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
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Geographic coordinates:
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17 15 N, 88 45 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km
water: 160 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Massachusetts
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Land boundaries:
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total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
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Coastline:
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386 km
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Maritime claims:
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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 negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
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tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
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Terrain:
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flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m
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Natural resources:
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arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
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Land use:
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arable land: 2.85%
permanent crops: 1.71%
other: 95.44% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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30 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
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Population:
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279,457 (July 2005 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 40.1% (male 57,114/female 54,877)
15-64 years: 56.4% (male 79,694/female 77,881)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,768/female 5,123) (2005 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 19.35 years
male: 19.21 years
female: 19.49 years (2005 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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2.33% (2005 est.)
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Birth rate:
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29.34 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Death rate:
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6.04 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 25.69 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 28.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 67.49 years
male: 65.02 years
female: 70.08 years (2005 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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3.68 children born/woman (2005 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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2.4% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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3,600 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 200 (2003 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean
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Ethnic groups:
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mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000)
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Languages:
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English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.1%
male: 94.1%
female: 94.1% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize
former: British Honduras
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy
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Capital:
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Belmopan
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Administrative divisions:
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6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
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Independence:
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21 September 1981 (from UK)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 21 September (1981)
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Constitution:
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21 September 1981
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Legal system:
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English law
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17 November 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28 August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 members appointed by the governor general - six on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; members are appointed for five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next to be held March 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PUP 21, UDP 8
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister)
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Political parties and leaders:
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People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW, party leader; Douglas SINGH, party chairman]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele CATZIM]
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International organization participation:
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ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa M. SHOMAN
chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-9636
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6888
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Russell F. FREEMAN
embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane, Belize City
mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Belize City
telephone: [501] 227-7161 through 7163
FAX: [501] 2-30802
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Flag description:
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blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland
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Economy - overview:
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In this small, essentially private enterprise economy the tourism industry is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 6% in 1999-2004. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $1.778 billion (2004 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.5% (2004 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $6,500 (2004 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 17.7%
industry: 15%
services: 67.3% (2003 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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33.6% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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33% (1999 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.9% (2004 est.)
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Labor force:
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90,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2001 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 27%, industry 18%, services 55% (2001 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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12.9% (2003)
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Budget:
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revenues: $244.5 million
expenditures: $300 million, including capital expenditures of $70 million (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments
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Industries:
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garment production, food processing, tourism, construction
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Industrial production growth rate:
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4.6% (1999)
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Electricity - production:
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117 million kWh (2002)
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Electricity - consumption:
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108.8 million kWh (2002)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2002)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2002)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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5,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA
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Oil - imports:
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NA
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Current account balance:
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$-115 million (2004 est.)
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Exports:
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$401.4 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
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Exports - partners:
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US 38.9%, UK 24.9%, France 3.8% (2003)
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Imports:
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$579.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco
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Imports - partners:
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US 41.4%, Mexico 12.2%, UK 5.9%, Cuba 5.5% (2003)
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$111.1 million (2004 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$1.362 billion (June 2004 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA
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Currency:
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Belizean dollar (BZD)
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Currency code:
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BZD
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Exchange rates:
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Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000)
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
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Highways:
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total: 2,872 km
paved: 488 km
unpaved: 2,384 km (1999 est.)
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Waterways:
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825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2004)
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Ports and harbors:
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Belize City, Big Creek, Corozal, Punta Gorda
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Merchant marine:
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total: 295 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,015,270 GRT/1,336,890 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 207, chemical tanker 9, container 6, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 17, roll on/roll off 5
foreign-owned: 142 (Australia 2, Belgium 1, China 50, Cuba 1, Cyprus 1, Estonia 9, Germany 4, Hong Kong 6, Indonesia 3, Italy 2, Japan 5, Latvia 4, Malaysia 1, Nigeria 1, Pakistan 1, Poland 2, Russia 23, Singapore 5, South Korea 6, Spain 3, Switzerland 1, Turkey 2, Ukraine 4, UAE 3, United States 2) (2005)
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Airports:
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43 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.)
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This page was last updated on 17 May, 2005
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