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Compare Belize (2006) - Palau (2007)

Compare Belize (2006) z Palau (2007)

 Belize (2006)Palau (2007)
 BelizePalau
Administrative divisions 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo 16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol
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% (male 2,796/female 2,633)


15-64 years: 69.2% (male 7,767/female 6,665)


65 years and over: 4.7% (male 465/female 516) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; fish
Airports 43 (2006) 3 (2007)
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: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
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: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)
Area total: 22,966 sq km


land: 22,806 sq km


water: 160 sq km
total: 458 sq km


land: 458 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Massachusetts slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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. After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year, when the islands gained independence.
Birth rate 28.84 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 17.7 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $262 million


expenditures: $329 million; including capital expenditures of $70 million (2005 est.)
revenues: $72.07 million


expenditures: $72.43 million (FY04/05 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: Melekeok


geographic coordinates: 7 29 N, 134 38 E


time difference: UTC+9 (14 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 and humid; wet season May to November
Coastline 386 km 1,519 km
Constitution 21 September 1981 1 January 1981
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Belize


former: British Honduras
conventional long form: Republic of Palau


conventional short form: Palau


local long form: Beluu er a Belau


local short form: Belau


former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Palau District
Death rate 5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 6.77 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $1.362 billion (June 2004 est.) $0 (FY99/00)
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: Charge d'Affaires Mark BEZNER


embassy: Koror (no street address)


mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940


telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990


FAX: [680] 488-2911
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 Hersey KYOTA


chancery: 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006


telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814


FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281


consulate(s) general: Honolulu


consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam)
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 maritime delineation negotiations continue with Philippines, Indonesia
Economic aid - recipient $NA $23.46 million; note - the Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provides Palau with up to $700 million in US aid over 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities (2005)
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 economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 63,000 in 2003. The population enjoys a per capita income roughly 50% higher than that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development.
Electricity - consumption 111.6 million kWh (2003) -
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) -
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) -
Electricity - production 120 million kWh (2003) -
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


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


highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing
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, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling


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% Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.2% (2000 census)
Exchange rates Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001) the US dollar is used
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 Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001); Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001); Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005)


cabinet: NA


elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008)


election results: Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. reelected president; percent of vote - Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. 64%, Polycarp BASILIUS 33%; Elias Camsek CHIN elected vice president; percent of vote - Elias Camsek CHIN 70%, Sandra PIERANTOZZI 29%
Exports NA bbl/day $5.882 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood shellfish, tuna, copra, garments
Exports - partners US 30.6%, UK 25%, France 4.8% (2005) US, Japan, Singapore (2006)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March 1 October - 30 September
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 light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 14.2%


industry: 15.2%


services: 61.2% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 6.2%


industry: 12%


services: 81.8% (2003)
GDP - real growth rate 3.8% (2005 est.) 5.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 17 15 N, 88 45 W 7 30 N, 134 30 E
Geography - note only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands
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 -
Imports NA bbl/day $107.3 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs
Imports - partners US 31%, Mexico 11.6%, Russia 8.8%, Cuba 6%, Guatemala 5.6%, China 4.6%, Spain 4.4% (2005) US, Singapore, Japan, South Korea (2006)
Independence 21 September 1981 (from UK) 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
Industrial production growth rate 4.6% (1999) NA%
Industries garment production, food processing, tourism, construction tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making
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: 14.07 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 15.78 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 12.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2005 est.) 2.7% (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, AsDB, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, IPU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO
Irrigated land 30 sq km (2003) 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 Common Pleas; Land Court
Labor force 90,000


note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2001 est.)
9,777 (2005)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 27%


industry: 18%


services: 55% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 20%


industry: NA%


services: NA% (1990)
Land boundaries total: 516 km


border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 3.05%


permanent crops: 1.39%


other: 95.56% (2005)
arable land: 8.7%


permanent crops: 4.35%


other: 86.95% (2005)
Languages English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)
Legal system English law based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
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
bicameral National Congress or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008); House of Delegates - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008)


election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9; House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 16
Life expectancy at birth total population: 68.3 years


male: 66.43 years


female: 70.26 years (2006 est.)
total population: 70.71 years


male: 67.54 years


female: 74.06 years (2007 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 can read and write


total population: 92%


male: 93%


female: 90% (1980 est.)
Location Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Oceania
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: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
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)
-
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years, but no military forces are stationed there (2005)
Military branches Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard no regular military forces; Palau National Police (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $19 million (2005 est.) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.7% (2005 est.) NA
National holiday Independence Day, 21 September (1981) Constitution Day, 9 July (1979)
Nationality noun: Belizean(s)


adjective: Belizean
noun: Palauan(s)


adjective: Palauan
Natural hazards frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south) typhoons (June to December)
Natural resources arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 1.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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] none
Political pressure groups and leaders Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele CATZIM] NA
Population 287,730 (July 2006 est.) 20,842 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.31% (2006 est.) 1.233% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)
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) Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (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: 0.93 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.062 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.165 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.901 male(s)/female


total population: 1.124 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: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2005)
general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 33,300 (2005) 6,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 93,100 (2005) 1,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1997) 1 (cable) (2005)
Terrain flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs
Total fertility rate 3.6 children born/woman (2006 est.) 2.46 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 12.9% (2003) 4.2% (2005 est.)
Waterways 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2005) -
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