Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Guatemala and Belize plan to hold a simultaneous referendum, tentatively set for October 2013, to determine if this dispute will go before the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include the country's heavy foreign debt burden, high unemployment, growing involvement in the Mexican and South American drug trade, high crime rates, and one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS in Central America.

Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico

17 15 N, 88 45 W

Central America and the Caribbean

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

386 km

tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)

flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south

arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower

40 sq km (2003)

18.6 cu km (2000)

frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)

deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal

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

mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% (2000 census)

Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census)

Roman Catholic 39.3%, Pentacostal 8.3%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.3%, Anglican 4.5%, Mennonite 3.7%, Baptist 3.5%, Methodist 2.8%, Nazarene 2.8%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.6%, other 9.9% (includes Bahai Faith, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Mormon), other (unknown) 3.1%, none 15.2% (2010 census)

Migration continues to transform Belize's population. About 16% of Belizeans live abroad, while immigrants constitute approximately 15% of Belize's population. Belizeans seeking job and educational opportunities have preferred to emigrate to the United States rather than former colonizer Great Britain because of the United States' closer proximity and stronger trade ties with Belize. Belizeans also emigrate to Canada, Mexico, and English-speaking Caribbean countries. The emigration of a large share of Creoles (Afro-Belizeans) and the influx of Central American immigrants, mainly Guatemalans, Salvadorans, and Hondurans, has changed Belize's ethnic composition. Mestizos have become the largest ethnic group, and Belize now has more native Spanish speakers than English or Creole speakers, despite English being the official language. In addition, Central American immigrants are establishing new communities in rural areas, which contrasts with the urbanization trend seen in neighboring countries. Recently, Chinese, European, and North American immigrants have become more frequent.

Immigration accounts for an increasing share of Belize's population growth rate, which is steadily falling due to fertility decline. Belize's declining birth rate and its increased life expectancy are creating an aging population. As the elderly population grows and nuclear families replace extended households, Belize's government will be challenged to balance a rising demand for pensions, social services, and healthcare for its senior citizens with the need to reduce poverty and social inequality and to improve sanitation.

327,719 (July 2012 est.)

2.011% (2012 est.)

26.02 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

5.91 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

BELMOPAN (capital) 20,000 (2009)

53 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

3.15 children born/woman (2012 est.)

3.3% of GDP (2009)

0.828 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

1.1 beds/1,000 population (2009)

urban: 93% of population

rural: 86% of population

total: 90% of population

urban: 7% of population

rural: 14% of population

total: 10% of population

2.3% (2009 est.)

4,800 (2009 est.)

fewer than 500 (2009 est.)

4.9% (2006)

5.7% of GDP (2008)

parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo

21 September 1981 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 21 September (1981)

21 September 1981

English common law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 6 on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 1 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; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (31 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal; Privy Council in the UK; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ); Summary Jurisdiction Courts (criminal) and District Courts (civil jurisdiction)

National Alliance for Belizean Rights or NABR; National Reform Party or NRP [Cornelius DUECK]; People's National Party or PNP [Wil MAHEIA]; People's United Party or PUP [John BRICENO]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW]; Vision Inspired by the People or VIP [Paul MORGAN]; We the People Reform Movement or WTP [Hipolito BAUTISTA]

Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Nicole HAYLOCK]; Association of Concerned Belizeans or ACB [David VASQUEZ]; National Trade Union Congress of Belize or NTUC/B [Rene GOMEZ]

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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 of 50 mahogany leaves; the colors are those of the two main political parties: blue for the PUP and red for the UDP; various elements of the coat of arms - the figures, the tools, the mahogany tree, and the garland of leaves - recall the logging industry that led to British settlement of Belize

Baird's tapir (a large, browsing, forest-dwelling mammal); keel-billed toucan

Tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner in this small economy, followed by exports of marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to GDP growth averaging nearly 4% in 1999-2007. Oil discoveries in 2006 bolstered this growth. Exploration efforts have continued and production has increased a small amount. Growth slipped to 0% in 2009, and has remained at just over 2% per year during 2010-12, as a result of the global slowdown, natural disasters, and a temporary drop in the price of oil. With weak economic growth and a large public debt burden, fiscal spending is likely to be tight. In September 2012, the government defaulted on a $23 million payment on its global bond and is in talks with international bondholders to restructure the debt. The $544 million global bond due in 2029 - called the superbond because it was the product in 2007 of a debt consolidation - represents one-half of the country's public debt. A key government objective remains the reduction of poverty and inequality with the help of international donors. Although Belize has the second highest per capita income in Central America, the average income figure masks a huge income disparity between rich and poor. The 2010 Poverty Assessment shows that more than 4 out of 10 people live in poverty. The sizable trade deficit and heavy foreign debt burden continue to be major concerns.

$2.896 billion (2012 est.)

$2.831 billion (2011 est.)

$2.776 billion (2010 est.)

$1.52 billion (2012 est.)

2.3% (2012 est.)

2% (2011 est.)

2.7% (2010 est.)

$8,400 (2012 est.)

$8,400 (2011 est.)

$8,400 (2010 est.)

120,500

13.1% (2009)

8.2% (2008)

43% (2010 est.)

26.4% of GDP (2012 est.)

29.6% of GDP (2012 est.)

0% of GDP (2012 est.)

90.8% of GDP (2012 est.)

88.5% of GDP (2011 est.)

2.8% (2012 est.)

-2.5% (2011 est.)

18% (31 December 2010 est.)

12% (31 December 2009 est.)

13.7% (31 December 2012 est.)

13.36% (31 December 2011 est.)

$426.4 million (31 December 2012 est.)

$419.6 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.263 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$1.101 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.1 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$968 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$NA

bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber

1.4% (2010 est.)

-$59.5 million (2012 est.)

-$31.3 million (2011 est.)

$555.8 million (2012 est.)

$603.3 million (2011 est.)

sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood, crude oil

US 38.1%, UK 16.5%, Costa Rica 10%, Nigeria 4.4% (2011)

$770.1 million (2012 est.)

$773.9 million (2011 est.)

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco

US 38.2%, Mexico 10.2%, Cuba 9.2%, Guatemala 5.4%, China 5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.1% (2011)

$238.9 million (31 December 2012 est.)

$237.1 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.457 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$1.398 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Belizean dollars (BZD) per US dollar -

2 (2012 est.)

2 (2011 est.)

2 (2010 est.)

2 (2009)

2 (2008)

1 April - 31 March

307.2 million kWh (2009 est.)

285.7 million kWh (2009 est.)

0 kWh (2010 est.)

0 kWh (2010 est.)

102,100 kW (2009 est.)

33.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

37.2% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

29.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

4,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

6.7 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

7,044 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

3,553 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 cu m (2010 est.)

0 cu m (2010 est.)

0 cu m (2010 est.)

0 cu m (2010 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

980,500 Mt (2010 est.)

28,800 (2011)

222,000 (2011)

8 privately-owned TV stations; multi-channel cable TV provides access to foreign stations; about 25 radio stations broadcasting on roughly 50 different frequencies; state-run radio was privatized in 1998 (2007)

.bz

3,392 (2012)

36,000 (2009)

43 (2012)

825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2011)

Belize City, Big Creek

Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, BDF Air Wing (includes Special Boat Unit), BDF Volunteer Guard (2011)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1; initial service obligation 12 years (2012)

1.4% of GDP (2009)

Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize, but agrees to the Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior; both countries agreed in April 2012 to hold simultaneous referenda, scheduled for 6 October 2013, to decide whether to refer the dispute to the ICJ for binding resolution; Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty

transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis, primarily for local consumption; offshore sector money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and other crimes (2008)