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Compare Belize (2001) - Sierra Leone (2008)

Compare Belize (2001) z Sierra Leone (2008)

 Belize (2001)Sierra Leone (2008)
 BelizeSierra Leone
Administrative divisions 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
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: 44.8% (male 1,349,878/female 1,400,297)


15-64 years: 52% (male 1,531,763/female 1,664,996)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 92,360/female 105,268) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane; lumber; fish, cultured shrimp rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Airports 44 (2000 est.) 10 (2007)
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: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
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: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area total:
22,966 sq km

land:
22,806 sq km

water:
160 sq km
total: 71,740 sq km


land: 71,620 sq km


water: 120 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Massachusetts slightly smaller than South Carolina
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. Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The military, which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 presidential election, but still look to the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.
Birth rate 31.69 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 45.41 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues:
$157 million

expenditures:
$279 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
revenues: $96 million


expenditures: $351 million (2000 est.)
Capital Belmopan name: Freetown


geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Coastline 386 km 402 km
Constitution 21 September 1981 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Country name conventional long form:
none

conventional short form:
Belize

former:
British Honduras
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone


conventional short form: Sierra Leone


local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone


local short form: Sierra Leone
Currency Belizean dollar (BZD) -
Death rate 4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 22.64 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $338 million (1998) $1.61 billion (2003 est.)
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 Thomas N. HULL


embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [232] (22) 515 000 or [232] (76) 515 000


FAX: [232] (22) 225471
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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Hassan M. CONTECH


chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263


FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
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 as domestic fighting among disparate ethnic groups, rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone gradually abate, the number of refugees in border areas has begun to slowly dwindle; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone considers excessive Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands including the hamlet of Yenga occupied since 1998
Economic aid - recipient $NA $343.4 million (2005 est.)
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. Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its physical and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. Nearly half of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings accounting for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. The IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation. A recent increase in political stability has led to a revival of economic activity such as the rehabilitation of bauxite and rutile mining.
Electricity - consumption 172.1 million kWh (1999) 227.9 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 185 million kWh (1999) 245 million kWh (2005)
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: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid waste disposal rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleted natural resources; overfishing
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, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups mestizo 43.7%, Creole 29.8%, Maya 10%, Garifuna 6.2%, other 10.3% 20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
Exchange rates Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) leones per US dollar - NA (2007), 2,961.7 (2006), 2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003)
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 Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007)


cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 August 2007 and 8 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)


election results: second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4%
Exports $235.7 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) 431.1 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Exports - partners US 42%, UK 33%, EU 12%, Caricom 4.8%, Canada 2%, Mexico 1% (1999) Belgium 52.1%, US 19.1%, Netherlands 6.8% (2006)
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 three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
GDP purchasing power parity - $790 million (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
18%

industry:
24%

services:
58% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 49%


industry: 31%


services: 21% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 4% (2000 est.) 6.8% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 17 15 N, 88 45 W 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Geography - note only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa
Heliports - 2 (2007)
Highways total:
2,872 km

paved:
488 km

unpaved:
2,384 km (1998 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: 0.5%


highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
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.) 8,864 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and transportation equipment, manufactured goods; food, beverages, tobacco; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners US 58%, Mexico 12%, UK 5% EU 5%, Central America 5%, Caricom 4% (1998) Cote d'Ivoire 9.3%, US 7.7%, China 7.7%, Brazil 6.9%, UK 6.7%, Netherlands 5.5%, South Africa 4.5%, India 4.3%, France 4.2% (2006)
Independence 21 September 1981 (from UK) 27 April 1961 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 4.6% (1999) NA%
Industries garment production, food processing, tourism, construction diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair
Infant mortality rate 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 158.27 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 175.39 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 140.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2000 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
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, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 2 (2000) -
Irrigated land 20 sq km (1993 est.) 300 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
Labor force 71,000

note:
shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1997 est.)
1.369 million (1981 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 38%, industry 32%, services 30% (1994) agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries total:
516 km

border countries:
Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
total: 958 km


border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Land use arable land:
10%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
2%

forests and woodland:
84%

other:
3% (2000 est.)
arable land: 7.95%


permanent crops: 1.05%


other: 91% (2005)
Languages English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Legal system English law based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10
Life expectancy at birth total population:
71.19 years

male:
68.91 years

female:
73.57 years (2001 est.)
total population: 40.58 years


male: 38.36 years


female: 42.87 years (2007 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 English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic


total population: 35.1%


male: 46.9%


female: 24.4% (2004 est.)
Location Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
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


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 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: 113 ships (1000 GRT or over) 314,549 GRT/419,409 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 85, chemical tanker 4, combination ore/oil 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 4


foreign-owned: 47 (Belgium 1, China 8, Greece 1, Romania 2, Russia 5, Syria 8, Turkey 7, Ukraine 8, UAE 7) (2007)
Military branches Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard) Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Air Wing, Navy (Maritime Wing)) (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $17 million (FY98/99) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.4% (FY98/99) 2.3% (2006)
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, 27 April (1961)
Nationality noun:
Belizean(s)

adjective:
Belizean
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)


adjective: Sierra Leonean
Natural hazards frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south) dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Natural resources arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean BARROW, Doug SINGH] All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON]; People's Movement for Democratic Change or PMDC [Charles MARGAI]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Solomon BEREWA]; numerous others
Political pressure groups and leaders Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Diane HAYLOCK]; United Worker's Front trade unions and student unions
Population 256,062 (July 2001 est.) 6,144,562 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (1999 est.) 70.2% (2004)
Population growth rate 2.7% (2001 est.) 2.292% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2001)
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) Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
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: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 0.964 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.877 male(s)/female


total population: 0.938 male(s)/female (2007 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: marginal telephone service


domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema


international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use 31,000 (1997) 24,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 3,023 (1997) 113,200 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1997) 2 (1999)
Terrain flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Total fertility rate 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.) 6.01 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 12.8% (1999) NA%
Waterways 825 km (river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable) 800 km (600 km year round) (2005)
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