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Compare Belize (2006) - Guyana (2006)

Compare Belize (2006) z Guyana (2006)

 Belize (2006)Guyana (2006)
 BelizeGuyana
Administrative divisions 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo 10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo
Age structure 0-14 years: 39.5% (male 57,923/female 55,678)


15-64 years: 57% (male 82,960/female 81,046)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,888/female 5,235) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 26.2% (male 102,551/female 98,772)


15-64 years: 68.6% (male 265,193/female 260,892)


65 years and over: 5.2% (male 17,043/female 22,794) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments sugarcane, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish, shrimp
Airports 43 (2006) 90 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 2 (2006)
total: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


under 914 m: 6 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 38


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 26 (2006)
total: 81


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 14


under 914 m: 65 (2006)
Area total: 22,966 sq km


land: 22,806 sq km


water: 160 sq km
total: 214,970 sq km


land: 196,850 sq km


water: 18,120 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Massachusetts slightly smaller than Idaho
Background 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. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increasing urban crime. Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Jane JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001.
Birth rate 28.84 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 18.28 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $262 million


expenditures: $329 million; including capital expenditures of $70 million (2005 est.)
revenues: $320.1 million


expenditures: $362.6 million; including capital expenditures of $93.4 million (2005 est.)
Capital name: Belmopan


geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W


time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Georgetown


geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour 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, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)
Coastline 386 km 459 km
Constitution 21 September 1981 6 October 1980
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Belize


former: British Honduras
conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana


conventional short form: Guyana


former: British Guiana
Death rate 5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 8.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $1.362 billion (June 2004 est.) $1.2 billion (2002)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. DIETER


embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane, Belize City


mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Belize City


telephone: [501] 227-7161 through 7163


FAX: [501] 223-0802
chief of mission: Ambassador David M. ROBINSON


embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown


mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170


telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909


FAX: [592] 225-8497
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 Bayney KARRAN


chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900


FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297


consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the largely uninhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; OAS seeks to revive the 2002 failed Belize-Guatemala Differendum that created a small adjustment to land boundary, a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, joint ecological park for disputed Sapodilla Cays, and substantial US-UK financial package all of the area west of the Essequibo (river) is claimed by Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters
Economic aid - recipient $NA $84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997)
Economy - overview In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy the tourism industry is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 5% in 1999-2005. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors. The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02, based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of international organizations. Growth slowed in 2003 and came back gradually in 2004, buoyed largely by increased export earnings; it slowed again in 2005. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public investment. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization. Export earnings from agriculture and mining have fallen sharply, while the import bill has risen, driven by higher energy prices. Guyana's entrance into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in January 2006 might broaden the country's export market, primarily in the raw materials sector.
Electricity - consumption 111.6 million kWh (2003) 724.5 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 120 million kWh (2003) 779 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


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


highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation
Environment - international 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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and mixed 7%
Exchange rates Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001) Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004), 193.88 (2003), 190.67 (2002), 187.32 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17 November 1993)


head of government: Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28 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; 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; prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN and reelected in 2001, and again in 2006


head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since October 1992, except for a period as chief of state after the death of President Cheddi JAGAN on 6 March 1997)


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature


elections: president elected by popular vote as leader of a party list in parliamentary elections, which must be held at least every five years (no term limits); elections last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of vote 54.6%
Exports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
Exports - partners US 30.6%, UK 25%, France 4.8% (2005) Canada 18.9%, US 18.9%, UK 11.7%, Portugal 8.1%, Jamaica 5.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.2% (2005)
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 green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 14.2%


industry: 15.2%


services: 61.2% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 37%


industry: 20.3%


services: 42.7% (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.8% (2005 est.) -3% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 17 15 N, 88 45 W 5 00 N, 59 00 W
Geography - note only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


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


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and offshore sector transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis; rising money laundering related to drug trafficking and human smuggling
Imports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
Imports - partners US 31%, Mexico 11.6%, Russia 8.8%, Cuba 6%, Guatemala 5.6%, China 4.6%, Spain 4.4% (2005) US 26.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 23.9%, Cuba 6.6%, UK 5%, China 4.1% (2005)
Independence 21 September 1981 (from UK) 26 May 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 4.6% (1999) NA%
Industries garment production, food processing, tourism, construction bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
Infant mortality rate total: 24.89 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 28.07 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 21.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: 32.19 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 35.8 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 28.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2005 est.) 6.9% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land 30 sq km (2003) 1,500 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 of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the Judicial Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice
Labor force 90,000


note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2001 est.)
418,000 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 27%


industry: 18%


services: 55% (2001 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries total: 516 km


border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
total: 2,462 km


border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km
Land use arable land: 3.05%


permanent crops: 1.39%


other: 95.56% (2005)
arable land: 2.23%


permanent crops: 0.14%


other: 97.63% (2005)
Languages English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu
Legal system English law based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 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; 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 5 March 2003 (next to be held March 2008)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PUP 21, UDP 8
unicameral National Assembly (65 members elected by popular vote, also not more than four non-elected non-voting ministers and two non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%, AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5, other 2
Life expectancy at birth total population: 68.3 years


male: 66.43 years


female: 70.26 years (2006 est.)
total population: 65.86 years


male: 63.21 years


female: 68.65 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 94.1%


male: 94.1%


female: 94.1% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 98.8%


male: 99.1%


female: 98.5% (2003 est.)
Location Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela
Map references Central America and the Caribbean South America
Maritime claims 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 negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine total: 285 ships (1000 GRT or over) 985,464 GRT/1,322,629 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 36, cargo 203, chemical tanker 7, container 4, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1


foreign-owned: 225 (China 103, Croatia 1, Cyprus 2, Estonia 3, Germany 3, Greece 2, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 2, Indonesia 2, Italy 4, Japan 2, North Korea 2, South Korea 4, Latvia 6, Lithuania 1, Malaysia 1, Mexico 1, Norway 2, Poland 2, Russia 36, Singapore 6, Spain 3, Switzerland 1, Turkey 11, UAE 5, Ukraine 7, US 5) (2006)
total: 7 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,461 GRT/15,155 DWT


by type: cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1


foreign-owned: 1 (Germany 1)


registered in other countries: 4 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, unknown 1) (2006)
Military branches Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard Guyana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Corps (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $19 million (2005 est.) $6.48 million (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.7% (2005 est.) 0.9% (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 21 September (1981) Republic Day, 23 February (1970)
Nationality noun: Belizean(s)


adjective: Belizean
noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)


adjective: Guyanese
Natural hazards frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south) flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons
Natural resources arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -7.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW, party leader; Douglas SINGH, party chairman] Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN and Khemraj RAMJATTAN]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Justice for All Party [C.N. SHARMA]; People's National Congress/Reform or PNC/R [Robert Herman Orlando CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; The Unity Party [Joey JAGAN]; Vision Guyana [Peter RAMSAROOP]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]
Political pressure groups and leaders Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele CATZIM] Amerindian People's Association; Guyana Citizens Initiative; Guyana Bar Association; Guyana Human Rights Association; Guyana Public Service Union or GPSU; Private Sector Commission; Trades Union Congress
Population 287,730 (July 2006 est.) 767,245


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 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.31% (2006 est.) 0.25% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways - total: 187 km


standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge


narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge


note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.)
Religions Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000) Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5%
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: 0.93 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 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: 0.75 male(s)/female


total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 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: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2005)
general assessment: fair system for long-distance service


domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines


international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 33,300 (2005) 110,100 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 93,100 (2005) 281,400 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1997) 3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)
Terrain flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south
Total fertility rate 3.6 children born/woman (2006 est.) 2.04 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 12.9% (2003) 9.1% (understated) (2000)
Waterways 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2005) Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2005)
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