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Compare Belize (2007) - Palau (2001)

Compare Belize (2007) z Palau (2001)

 Belize (2007)Palau (2001)
 BelizePalau
Administrative divisions 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo 18 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatobohei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Palau Island, Peleliu, Sonsoral, Tobi
Age structure 0-14 years: 38.9% (male 58,459/female 56,183)


15-64 years: 57.5% (male 85,686/female 83,717)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,979/female 5,361) (2007 est.)
0-14 years:
26.88% (male 2,641; female 2,491)

15-64 years:
68.46% (male 7,128; female 5,943)

65 years and over:
4.66% (male 420; female 469) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes
Airports 44 (2007) 3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
total:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 40


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 12


under 914 m: 27 (2007)
total:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
2 (2000 est.)
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 an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, growing urban crime, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS. 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 independent status 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 their independence.
Birth rate 28.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 19.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $302.6 million


expenditures: $324.9 million (2006 est.)
revenues:
$57.7 million

expenditures:
$80.8 million, including capital expenditures of $17.1 million (FY98/99 est.)
Capital name: Belmopan


geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W


time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Koror; note - a new capital is being built about 20 km northeast of Koror
Climate tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) wet season May to November; hot and humid
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:
Palau District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
Currency - US dollar (USD)
Death rate 5.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 7.23 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $1.2 billion (June 2005 est.) $0 (FY99/00)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. DIETER


embassy: Floral Park Road, Belmopan City, Cayo District


mailing address: 3050 Belize Place, Washington DC 20521-3050


telephone: [501] 822-4011


FAX: [501] 822-4012
chief of mission:
the Ambassador to the Philippines is accredited to Palau; Charge d'Affaires Allen E. NUGENT

embassy:
address NA, Koror

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:
1150 18th Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:
[1] (202) 452-6814

FAX:
[1] (202) 452-6281
Disputes - international annual ministerial meetings under the OAS-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and Caribbean Sea; the Line of Adjacency created under the 2002 Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous international boundary to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; Honduras claims Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays in its constitution but agreed to a joint ecological park under the Differendum none
Economic aid - recipient $NA (2005) $155.8 million (1995); note - the Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, will provide Palau with up to $700 million in US aid over 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities
Economy - overview In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by exports of 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 4% in 1999-2006. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and unsustainable foreign debt. The government in 2006 announced it would seek a restructuring of its sovereign debt and has been negotiating with international creditors to find an acceptable formula for doing so. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors. The economy consists primarily of subsistence agriculture and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. The population enjoys a per capita income of twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific and the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries.
Electricity - consumption 162.8 million kWh (2005) -
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) -
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) -
Electricity - production 175 million kWh (2005) -
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


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

highest point:
Mount Ngerchelchauus 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, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea

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) 70%, Asian (mainly Filipinos, followed by Chinese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese) 28%, white 2% (2000 est.)
Exchange rates Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002) 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 Vildo MARIN (since 5 June 2007)


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) and Vice President Sandra PIERANTOZZI (since 19 January 2001); 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) and Vice President Sandra PIERANTOZZI (since 19 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Cabinet

elections:
president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004)

election results:
Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. elected president; percent of vote - Tommy Esang REMENGESAU Jr. 53%, Peter SUGIYAMA 46%; Sandra PIERANTOZZI elected vice president; percent of vote - Sandra PIERANTOZZI 52%, Alan SEID 45%
Exports 1,960 bbl/day (2006) $14.3 million (f.o.b., 1996)
Exports - commodities sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood trochus (type of shellfish), tuna, copra, handicrafts
Exports - partners US 33.9%, UK 33.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 3.7% (2006) US, Japan
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 - purchasing power parity - $129 million (1998 est.)

note:
GDP numbers reflect US spending
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 22.5%


industry: 14.8%


services: 62.6% (2006 est.)
agriculture:
NA%

industry:
NA%

services:
NA%
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $7,100 (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.5% (2006 est.) -1.4% (1998 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 includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands; archipelago of six island groups totaling over 200 islands in the Caroline chain
Highways - total:
61 km

paved:
36 km

unpaved:
25 km
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, primarily for local consumption; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and offshore sector -
Imports NA bbl/day $126 million (f.o.b., FY99/00)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs
Imports - partners US 35.7%, Mexico 13%, Cuba 7.7%, Guatemala 7.2%, China 4.3% (2006) US
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, oil tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making
Infant mortality rate total: 24.38 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 27.43 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 21.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
16.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 4.3% (2006 est.) NA%
International organization participation ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ACP, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - NA
Irrigated land 30 sq km (2003) NA sq km
Judicial branch Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) Supreme Court; National Court; Court of Common Pleas
Labor force 113,000


note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2006 est.)
8,300 (1999)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 22.5%


industry: 15.2%


services: 62.3% (2005 est.)
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
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:
NA%

permanent crops:
NA%

permanent pastures:
NA%

forests and woodland:
NA%

other:
NA%
Languages Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census) English and Palauan official in all states except Sonsoral (Sonsorolese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official)
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 seats; 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; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - number of seats will increase to 31 next election


elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next to be held in March 2008)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PUP 21, UDP 8
bicameral Parliament or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (16 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 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004); House of Delegates - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; House of Delegates - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
Life expectancy at birth total population: 68.25 years


male: 66.44 years


female: 70.16 years (2007 est.)
total population:
68.89 years

male:
65.77 years

female:
72.19 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 76.9%


male: 76.7%


female: 77.1% (2000 census)
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
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive fishing zone:
12 NM

extended fishing zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
3 NM
Merchant marine total: 261 ships (1000 GRT or over) 940,852 GRT/1,275,111 DWT


by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 36, cargo 190, chemical tanker 5, container 5, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1


foreign-owned: 217 (China 107, Croatia 1, Cyprus 1, Estonia 1, Hong Kong 5, Iceland 1, Italy 4, Japan 2, South Korea 4, Latvia 14, Norway 3, Peru 1, Philippines 1, Russia 39, Singapore 3, Spain 2, Turkey 11, Ukraine 10, UAE 4, US 3) (2007)
none (2000 est.)
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
Military branches Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard NA
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.4% (2006) 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 (2007 est.) 4.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Political parties and leaders National Alliance for Belizean Rights or NABR; National Reform Party or NRP [Cornelius DUECK]; People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW]; Vision Inspired by the People or VIP [Paul MORGAN]; We the People Reform Movement [Hipolito BAUTISTA] Palau Nationalist Party [Johnson TORIBIONG]; Ta Belau Party [Kuniwo NAKAMURA]
Political pressure groups and leaders Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Gustavo PERERA]; Association of Concerned Belizeans or ACB [David VASQUEZ]; National Trade Union Congress of Belize or NTUC/B [Rene GOMEZ] NA
Population 294,385 (July 2007 est.) 19,092 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 33.5% (2002 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.258% (2007 est.) 1.69% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - Koror
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006) AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios - 12,000 (1997)
Railways - 0 km
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 (Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, the Assembly of God, the Liebenzell Mission, and Latter-Day Saints), Modekngei religion (one-third of the population observes this religion which is indigenous to Palau)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.041 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.024 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.929 male(s)/female


total population: 1.027 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.06 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
1.14 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: above-average system; fixed-line teledensity of 12 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 40 per 100 persons


domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay


international: country code - 501; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2007)
general assessment:
NA

domestic:
NA

international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 33,900 (2006) 1,500 (1988)
Telephones - mobile cellular 118,300 (2006) 0 (1988)
Television broadcast stations 5 (2006) 1 (1997)
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 3.52 children born/woman (2007 est.) 2.47 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.4% (2006) 2.3% (2000 est.)
Waterways 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007) none
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