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Compare Belize (2001) - Bahamas, The (2005)
Compare Belize (2001) z Bahamas, The (2005)
| Belize (2001) | Bahamas, The (2005) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo | 21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay |
| Age structure | 0-14 years:
42.04% (male 54,876; female 52,780) 15-64 years: 54.43% (male 70,534; female 68,837) 65 years and over: 3.53% (male 4,403; female 4,632) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 27.9% (male 42,142/female 42,096)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 97,865/female 101,047) 65 years and over: 6.2% (male 7,616/female 11,024) (2005 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane; lumber; fish, cultured shrimp | citrus, vegetables; poultry |
| Airports | 44 (2000 est.) | 63 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 29
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
40 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 29 (2000 est.) |
total: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) |
| Area | total:
22,966 sq km land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km |
total: 13,940 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km water: 3,870 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Massachusetts | slightly smaller than Connecticut |
| Background | 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 increased urban crime. | Arawak Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US. |
| Birth rate | 31.69 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 17.87 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
$157 million expenditures: $279 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
revenues: $1 billion
expenditures: $1 billion, including capital expenditures of $106.7 million (FY03/04) |
| Capital | Belmopan | Nassau |
| Climate | tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) | tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream |
| Coastline | 386 km | 3,542 km |
| Constitution | 21 September 1981 | 10 July 1973 |
| Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras |
conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas |
| Currency | Belizean dollar (BZD) | - |
| Death rate | 4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.97 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Debt - external | $338 million (1998) | $308.5 million (2002) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Carolyn CURIEL embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Unit 7401, APO AA 34025 telephone: [501] (2) 77161 FAX: [501] (2) 30802 |
chief of mission: Ambassador John D. ROOD
embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370 telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours) FAX: [1] (242) 356-0222 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | 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 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Joshua SEARS
chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York |
| Disputes - international | Guatemala periodically asserts claims to territory in southern Belize; to deter cross-border squatting, both states in 2000 agreed to a "line of adjacency" based on the de facto boundary, which is not recognized by Guatemala | have not been able to agree on the alignment of a maritime boundary with the US; continues to monitor and interdict Haitian refugees fleeing economic privation and political instability |
| Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $9.8 million (1995) |
| Economy - overview | 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 tough austerity program in 1997 resulted in an economic slowdown that continued in 1998. The trade deficit has been growing, mostly as a result of low export prices for sugar and bananas. The tourist and construction sectors strengthened in early 1999, supporting growth of 6% in 1999 and 4% in 2000. Aided by international donors, the government's key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty. | The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but the slowdown in the US economy and the attacks of 11 September 2001 held back growth in these sectors in 2001-03. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy, accounting for about 15% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture together contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector, which depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors. In addition to tourism and banking, the government supports the development of a "third pillar," e-commerce. |
| Electricity - consumption | 172.1 million kWh (1999) | 1.596 billion kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - production | 185 million kWh (1999) | 1.716 billion kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
56.76% hydro: 43.24% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid waste disposal | coral reef decay; solid waste disposal |
| Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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 |
| Ethnic groups | mestizo 43.7%, Creole 29.8%, Maya 10%, Garifuna 6.2%, other 10.3% | black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3% |
| Exchange rates | Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) | Bahamian dollars per US dollar - 1 (2004), 1 (2003), 1 (2002), 1 (2001), 1 (2000) |
| Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG (since 17 November 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Said MUSA (since 27 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; governor general appoints the member of the House of Representatives who is leader of the majority party to be prime minister |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Ivy DUMONT (since NA May 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Perry CHRISTIE (since 3 May 2002) and Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia PRATT (since 7 May 2002) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation 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; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister |
| Exports | $235.7 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | transhipments of 29,000 bbl/day (2003) |
| Exports - commodities | sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood | mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals; fruit and vegetables |
| Exports - partners | US 42%, UK 33%, EU 12%, Caricom 4.8%, Canada 2%, Mexico 1% (1999) | US 40.2%, Poland 13.3%, Spain 11.6%, Germany 5.9%, France 4.3% (2004) |
| Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 July - 30 June |
| Flag description | 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 | three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $790 million (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
18% industry: 24% services: 58% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 3%
industry: 7% services: 90% (2001 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $17,700 (2004 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 4% (2000 est.) | 3% (2004 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 17 15 N, 88 45 W | 24 15 N, 76 00 W |
| Geography - note | only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean | strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited |
| Heliports | - | 1 (2004 est.) |
| Highways | total:
2,872 km paved: 488 km unpaved: 2,384 km (1998 est.) |
total: 2,693 km
paved: 1,546 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: 27% (2000) |
| Illicit drugs | minor transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; minor money-laundering center | transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center |
| Imports | $413 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.) | NA |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and transportation equipment, manufactured goods; food, beverages, tobacco; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals | machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals |
| Imports - partners | US 58%, Mexico 12%, UK 5% EU 5%, Central America 5%, Caricom 4% (1998) | US 22.4%, South Korea 18.9%, Brazil 9.2%, Japan 7.9%, Italy 7.8%, Venezuela 6.6% (2004) |
| Independence | 21 September 1981 (from UK) | 10 July 1973 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 4.6% (1999) | NA |
| Industries | garment production, food processing, tourism, construction | tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe |
| Infant mortality rate | 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 25.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 31.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2% (2000 est.) | 1.2% (year ending September 2004) |
| International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOM, IOC, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 2 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1993 est.) | NA |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; magistrates courts |
| Labor force | 71,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1997 est.) |
156,000 (1999) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 38%, industry 32%, services 30% (1994) | agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (1999 est.) |
| Land boundaries | total:
516 km border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km |
0 km |
| Land use | arable land:
10% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 84% other: 3% (2000 est.) |
arable land: 0.8%
permanent crops: 0.4% other: 98.8% (2001) |
| Languages | English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole | English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants) |
| Legal system | English law | based on English common law |
| Legislative branch | bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (eight members, five appointed on the advice of the prime minister, two on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one by the governor general; 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 27 August 1998 (next to be held by NA August 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 59.2%, UDP 40.8%; seats by party - PUP 26, UDP 3 |
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the parliament and call elections at any time
elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%, independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
71.19 years male: 68.91 years female: 73.57 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 65.54 years
male: 62.11 years female: 69.04 years (2005 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.3% male: 70.3% female: 70.3% (1991 est.) note: other sources list the literacy rate as high as 75% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico | Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Maritime claims | 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 |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Merchant marine | total:
402 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,575,851 GRT/2,241,731 DWT ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 265, chemical tanker 6, combination ore/oil 1, container 14, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 18, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cuba 1, Singapore 1, US 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1,119
by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 183, cargo 259, chemical tanker 54, combination ore/oil 17, container 74, liquefied gas 28, livestock carrier 2, passenger 116, passenger/cargo 40, petroleum tanker 168, refrigerated cargo 130, roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 24 foreign-owned: 968 (Angola 4, Australia 4, Belgium 17, Canada 9, China 3, Croatia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 13, Denmark 18, Estonia 1, Finland 7, France 28, Germany 15, Greece 194, Hong Kong 11, Indonesia 2, Ireland 1, Israel 1, Italy 7, Japan 49, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Latvia 1, Malaysia 12, Monaco 15, Netherlands 24, New Zealand 1, Nigeria 2, Norway 229, Poland 13, Reunion 1, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia 12, Serbia & Montenegro 2, Singapore 11, Slovenia 1, South Korea 1, Spain 6, Sweden 9, Switzerland 4, Thailand 1, Trinidad & Tobago 2, Turkey 7, UAE 12, United Kingdom 55, United States 154, Uruguay 2) registered in other countries: 35 (2005) |
| Military branches | Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard) | Royal Bahamaian Defense Force (naval forces) (2004) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $17 million (FY98/99) | NA |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2.4% (FY98/99) | NA |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
62,698 (2001 est.) |
- |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
37,174 (2001 est.) |
- |
| Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
2,847 (2001 est.) |
- |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 21 September (1981) | Independence Day, 10 July (1973) |
| Nationality | noun:
Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean |
noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian |
| Natural hazards | frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south) | hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage |
| Natural resources | arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower | salt, aragonite, timber, arable land |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean BARROW, Doug SINGH] | Free National Movement or FNM [Tommy TURNQUEST]; Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Diane HAYLOCK]; United Worker's Front | NA |
| Population | 256,062 (July 2001 est.) | 301,790
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 33% (1999 est.) | NA |
| Population growth rate | 2.7% (2001 est.) | 0.67% (2005 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda | Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| Radios | 133,000 (1997) | - |
| Railways | 0 km | - |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 30% (Anglican 12%, Methodist 6%, Mennonite 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Pentecostal 2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6% (1980) | Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census) |
| 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 (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment:
above-average system domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: modern facilities
domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed international: country code - 1-242; tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida; 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (1997) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 31,000 (1997) | 131,700 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 3,023 (1997) | 121,800 (2002) |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | 2 (2004) |
| Terrain | flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south | long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills |
| Total fertility rate | 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.2 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 12.8% (1999) | 10.2% (2004 est.) |
| Waterways | 825 km (river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable) | - |
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