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Compare Belize (2007) - Puerto Rico (2002)

Compare Belize (2007) z Puerto Rico (2002)

 Belize (2007)Puerto Rico (2002)
 BelizePuerto Rico
Administrative divisions 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo none (commonwealth associated with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular - municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas, Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco
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: 23.5% (male 476,726; female 453,782)


15-64 years: 65.8% (male 1,249,850; female 1,353,438)


65 years and over: 10.7% (male 180,053; female 244,139) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock products, chickens
Airports 44 (2007) 30 (2001)
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: 19


over 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 8


under 914 m: 5 (2002)
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: 12


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 10 (2002)
Area total: 22,966 sq km


land: 22,806 sq km


water: 160 sq km
total: 9,104 sq km


land: 8,959 sq km


water: 145 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Massachusetts slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island
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. Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Columbus' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917 and popularly elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self-government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998 voters chose to retain commonwealth status.
Birth rate 28.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 15.04 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $302.6 million


expenditures: $324.9 million (2006 est.)
revenues: $6.7 billion


expenditures: $9.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00)
Capital name: Belmopan


geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W


time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
San Juan
Climate tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline 386 km 501 km
Constitution 21 September 1981 ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Belize


former: British Honduras
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico


conventional short form: Puerto Rico
Currency - US dollar (USD)
Death rate 5.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $1.2 billion (June 2005 est.) $NA
Dependency status - commonwealth associated with the US
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
none (commonwealth associated with the US)
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
none (commonwealth associated with the US)
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) $NA
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. Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 1999. Growth fell off in 2001, largely due to the slowdown in the US economy.
Electricity - consumption 162.8 million kWh (2005) 19.062 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 175 million kWh (2005) 20.497 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 99%


hydro: 1%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages
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
-
Ethnic groups mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9%
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 George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)


head of government: Governor Sila M. CALDERON (since 2 January 2001)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature


elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004)


election results: Sila M. CALDERON (PPD) elected governor; percent of vote - 48.6%


note: residents of Puerto Rico do not vote for US president and vice president
Exports 1,960 bbl/day (2006) $38.5 billion f.o.b. (2000)
Exports - commodities sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment
Exports - partners US 33.9%, UK 33.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 3.7% (2006) US 88% (2000)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March 1 July - 30 June
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 five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center; design initially influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed
GDP - purchasing power parity - $43.9 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 22.5%


industry: 14.8%


services: 62.6% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 1%


industry: 45%


services: 54% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $11,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.5% (2006 est.) 2.2% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 17 15 N, 88 45 W 18 15 N, 66 30 W
Geography - note only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north
Highways - total: 14,400 km


paved: 14,400 km


unpaved: 0 km (1996)
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 $27 billion c.i.f. (2000)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products
Imports - partners US 35.7%, Mexico 13%, Cuba 7.7%, Guatemala 7.2%, China 4.3% (2006) US 60% (2000)
Independence 21 September 1981 (from UK) none (commonwealth associated with the US)
Industrial production growth rate 4.6% (1999) NA%
Industries garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products; tourism
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.)
9.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 4.3% (2006 est.) 5.7% (2000 est.)
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 Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO (associate)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 76 (2000)
Irrigated land 30 sq km (2003) 400 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) Supreme Court; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance composed of two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court (justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate)
Labor force 113,000


note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2006 est.)
1.3 million (2000) (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 22.5%


industry: 15.2%


services: 62.3% (2005 est.)
agriculture 3%, industry 20%, services 77% (2000 est.)
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: 3.72%


permanent crops: 5.07%


other: 91.21% (1998 est.)
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) Spanish, English
Legal system English law based on Spanish civil code and adapted US state 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 Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (28 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPD 19, PNP 8, PIP 1, other 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPD 30, PNP 20, PIP 1


note: Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor, he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - percent of vote by party - PPD 49.3%; seats by party - PPD 1; Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA elected resident commissioner
Life expectancy at birth total population: 68.25 years


male: 66.44 years


female: 70.16 years (2007 est.)
total population: 75.96 years


male: 71.5 years


female: 80.66 years (2002 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: 89%


male: 90%


female: 88% (1980 est.)
Location Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Central America and the Caribbean
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
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 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)
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,046 GRT/22,582 DWT


ships by type: container 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the US
Military branches Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard no regular indigenous military forces; paramilitary National Guard, Police Force
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.4% (2006) -
National holiday Independence Day, 21 September (1981) US Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Nationality noun: Belizean(s)


adjective: Belizean
noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)


adjective: Puerto Rican
Natural hazards frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south) periodic droughts; hurricanes
Natural resources arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -2.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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] National Democratic Party [Celeste BENITEZ]; National Republican Party of Puerto Rico [Luis FERRE]; New Progressive Party or PNP (pro-US statehood) [Carlos PESQUERA]; Popular Democratic Party or PPD (pro-commonwealth) [Sila M. CALDERON]; Puerto Rican Independence Party or PIP (pro-independence) [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez]
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] Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN; Armed Forces of Popular Resistance; Boricua Popular Army (also known as the Macheteros); Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution
Population 294,385 (July 2007 est.) 3,957,988 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line 33.5% (2002 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.258% (2007 est.) 0.51% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors - Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama, Playa de Ponce, San Juan
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006) AM 72, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios - 2.7 million (1997)
Railways - total: 96 km


narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge,


note: rural, narrow-gauge system for hauling sugarcane; no passenger service (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 85%, Protestant and other 15%
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: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


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


65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female


total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
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: modern system, integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability


domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US
Telephones - main lines in use 33,900 (2006) 1.322 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 118,300 (2006) 169,265 (1996)
Television broadcast stations 5 (2006) 18 (plus three stations of the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service) (1997)
Terrain flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south mostly mountains, with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas
Total fertility rate 3.52 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.9 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 9.4% (2006) 9.5% (2000) (2000)
Waterways 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007) none
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