Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
Jah-Jah.pl / Index countries / Belize (2001) - Reunion (2003) / Compare countries
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Belize (2001) - Reunion (2003)

Compare Belize (2001) z Reunion (2003)

 Belize (2001)Reunion (2003)
 BelizeReunion
Administrative divisions 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons
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: 31.3% (male 121,119; female 115,501)


15-64 years: 62.8% (male 233,607; female 240,502)


65 years and over: 5.9% (male 18,036; female 26,406) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane; lumber; fish, cultured shrimp sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn
Airports 44 (2000 est.) 2 (2002)
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: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
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.)
-
Area total:
22,966 sq km

land:
22,806 sq km

water:
160 sq km
total: 2,517 sq km


land: 2,507 sq km


water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Massachusetts slightly smaller than Rhode Island
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. The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route.
Birth rate 31.69 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 20.17 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues:
$157 million

expenditures:
$279 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
revenues: $1.26 billion


expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998)
Capital Belmopan Saint-Denis
Climate tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April
Coastline 386 km 207 km
Constitution 21 September 1981 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name conventional long form:
none

conventional short form:
Belize

former:
British Honduras
conventional long form: Department of Reunion


conventional short form: Reunion


local long form: none


local short form: Ile de la Reunion


former: Bourbon Island
Currency Belizean dollar (BZD) euro (EUR)
Death rate 4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $338 million (1998) $NA
Dependency status - overseas department of France
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
none (overseas department of France)
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
none (overseas department of France)
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 none
Economic aid - recipient $NA $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France
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 economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France.
Electricity - consumption 172.1 million kWh (1999) 1.005 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 185 million kWh (1999) 1.08 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
56.76%

hydro:
43.24%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
fossil fuel: 55.5%


hydro: 44.5%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point:
Victoria Peak 1,160 m
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid waste disposal NA
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
-
Ethnic groups mestizo 43.7%, Creole 29.8%, Maya 10%, Garifuna 6.2%, other 10.3% French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian
Exchange rates Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) euros per US dollar - 1.06 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998)
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: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Gonthier FRIEDERICI (since NA)


head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993)


cabinet: NA


elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils
Exports $235.7 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993)
Exports - partners US 42%, UK 33%, EU 12%, Caricom 4.8%, Canada 2%, Mexico 1% (1999) France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March calendar year
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 the flag of France is used
GDP purchasing power parity - $790 million (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $4.174 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
18%

industry:
24%

services:
58% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 8%


industry: 19%


services: 73% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4% (2000 est.) 2.5% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 17 15 N, 88 45 W 21 06 S, 55 36 E
Geography - note only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean
Highways total:
2,872 km

paved:
488 km

unpaved:
2,384 km (1998 est.)
total: 2,724 km


paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road)


unpaved: 1,424 km (1994)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs minor transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; minor money-laundering center -
Imports $413 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and transportation equipment, manufactured goods; food, beverages, tobacco; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products
Imports - partners US 58%, Mexico 12%, UK 5% EU 5%, Central America 5%, Caricom 4% (1998) France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000)
Independence 21 September 1981 (from UK) none (overseas department of France)
Industrial production growth rate 4.6% (1999) NA%
Industries garment production, food processing, tourism, construction sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction
Infant mortality rate 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 8.13 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 8.89 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 7.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2000 est.) NA%
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 FZ, InOC, WFTU
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 2 (2000) 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 20 sq km (1993 est.) 120 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel
Labor force 71,000

note:
shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1997 est.)
309,900 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 38%, industry 32%, services 30% (1994) agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000)
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: 13.2%


permanent crops: 2%


other: 84.8% (1998 est.)
Languages English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole French (official), Creole widely used
Legal system English law French 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
unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms)


elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004)


election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PCR 19, UDF 9, RPR 8, various right-wing candidates 4, various left-wing candidates 5


note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1, PCR 1
Life expectancy at birth total population:
71.19 years

male:
68.91 years

female:
73.57 years (2001 est.)
total population: 73.43 years


male: 70.03 years


female: 77 years (2003 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: 88.9%


male: 87%


female: 90.8% (2003 est.)
Location Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Map references Central America and the Caribbean World
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
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 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.)
-
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard) no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $17 million (FY98/99) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.4% (FY98/99) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
62,698 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 198,341 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
37,174 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 101,116 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
2,847 (2001 est.)
males: 6,795 (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 21 September (1981) Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Nationality noun:
Belizean(s)

adjective:
Belizean
noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)


adjective: Reunionese
Natural hazards frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south) periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano
Natural resources arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower fish, arable land, hydropower
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Political parties and leaders People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean BARROW, Doug SINGH] Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]
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.) 755,171 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.7% (2001 est.) 1.47% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda Le Port, Pointe des Galets
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001)
Radios 133,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km 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) Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995)
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: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 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: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis


domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network


international: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 31,000 (1997) 268,500 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular 3,023 (1997) 197,000 (September 2000)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1997) 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001)
Terrain flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Total fertility rate 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.) 2.53 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 12.8% (1999) 36% (1999 est.)
Waterways 825 km (river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable) none
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.