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Compare Belize (2001) - Solomon Islands (2004)

Compare Belize (2001) z Solomon Islands (2004)

 Belize (2001)Solomon Islands (2004)
 BelizeSolomon Islands
Administrative divisions 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, 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: 42.4% (male 113,183; female 108,816)


15-64 years: 54.4% (male 144,157; female 140,769)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 8,058; female 8,634) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane; lumber; fish, cultured shrimp cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish
Airports 44 (2000 est.) 33 (2003 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: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 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: 31


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Area total:
22,966 sq km

land:
22,806 sq km

water:
160 sq km
total: 28,450 sq km


land: 27,540 sq km


water: 910 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Massachusetts slightly smaller than Maryland
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 UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on these islands. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society. In June 2003, Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been very effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.
Birth rate 31.69 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 31.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues:
$157 million

expenditures:
$279 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
revenues: $38 million


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001)
Capital Belmopan Honiara
Climate tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Coastline 386 km 5,313 km
Constitution 21 September 1981 7 July 1978
Country name conventional long form:
none

conventional short form:
Belize

former:
British Honduras
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Solomon Islands


former: British Solomon Islands
Currency Belizean dollar (BZD) Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)
Death rate 4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 4.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $338 million (1998) $162.5 million (2001 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
the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Robert W. FITTS, is accredited to the Solomon Islands
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 Collin David BECK


chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017


telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193


FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925
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 Australian defense personnel are dispatched at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to restore law and order on the islands and reinforce regional security
Economic aid - recipient $NA $28 million annually, mainly from Australia (2001 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. The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of their livelihood. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. However, severe ethnic violence, the closing of key business enterprises, and an empty government treasury have led to serious economic disarray, indeed near collapse. Tanker deliveries of crucial fuel supplies (including those for electrical generation) have become sporadic due to the government's inability to pay and attacks against ships. Telecommunications are threatened by the nonpayment of bills and by the lack of technical and maintenance staff many of whom have left the country. The disintegration of law and order left the economy in tatters by mid-2003, and on 24 July 2003 more than 2000 Australian soldiers entered the Solomon Islands to restore order and to facilitate the restoration of basic services.
Electricity - consumption 172.1 million kWh (1999) 29.76 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 185 million kWh (1999) 32 million kWh (2001)
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: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid waste disposal deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying
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, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling


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% Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
Exchange rates Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001), 5.0889 (2000), 4.8381 (1999)
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 Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July 2004)


head of government: Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA (since 17 December 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder RINI (since 17 December 2001)


cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament
Exports $235.7 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
Exports - partners US 42%, UK 33%, EU 12%, Caricom 4.8%, Canada 2%, Mexico 1% (1999) China 25.2%, South Korea 17.6%, Japan 13.4%, Philippines 8.4%, Singapore 5.9%, Thailand 5.9% (2003)
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 divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green
GDP purchasing power parity - $790 million (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
18%

industry:
24%

services:
58% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 42%


industry: 11%


services: 47% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4% (2000 est.) -10% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 17 15 N, 88 45 W 8 00 S, 159 00 E
Geography - note only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea
Government - note - June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003
Highways total:
2,872 km

paved:
488 km

unpaved:
2,384 km (1998 est.)
total: 1,360 km


paved: 34 km


unpaved: 1,326 km (1999 est.)
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 food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners US 58%, Mexico 12%, UK 5% EU 5%, Central America 5%, Caricom 4% (1998) Australia 29.7%, Singapore 21.9%, Fiji 4.7%, New Zealand 4.7% (2003)
Independence 21 September 1981 (from UK) 7 July 1978 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 4.6% (1999) NA
Industries garment production, food processing, tourism, construction fish (tuna), mining, timber
Infant mortality rate 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 22.09 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 18.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2000 est.) 9% (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, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 2 (2000) -
Irrigated land 20 sq km (1993 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) Court of Appeal
Labor force 71,000

note:
shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1997 est.)
26,840 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 38%, industry 32%, services 30% (1994) agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 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: 0.64%


permanent crops: 2%


other: 97.36% (2001)
Languages English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population


note: 120 indigenous languages
Legal system English law English common law, which is widely disregarded
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 National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held not later than December 2005)


election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 40%, SIACC 40%, PPP 20%; seats by party - PAP 16, SIACC 13, PPP 2, SILP 1, independents 18
Life expectancy at birth total population:
71.19 years

male:
68.91 years

female:
73.57 years (2001 est.)
total population: 72.38 years


male: 69.9 years


female: 74.98 years (2004 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: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Location Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Oceania
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
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines


territorial sea: 12 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.)
none
Military branches Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard) no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)
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, 7 July (1978)
Nationality noun:
Belizean(s)

adjective:
Belizean
noun: Solomon Islander(s)


adjective: Solomon Islander
Natural hazards frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south) typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
Natural resources arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean BARROW, Doug SINGH] Association of Independents [Snyder RINI]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Allan KEMAKEZA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Alliance for Change Coalition or SIACC [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]


note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
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.) 523,617 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (1999 est.) NA
Population growth rate 2.7% (2001 est.) 2.76% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
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) Anglican 45%, Roman Catholic 18%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 12%, Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, other Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs 4%
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: 1.04 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 (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 21 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: NA


domestic: NA


international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 31,000 (1997) 6,600 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 3,023 (1997) 1,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1997) 0 (1997)
Terrain flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Total fertility rate 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.) 4.19 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 12.8% (1999) NA
Waterways 825 km (river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable) -
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