Compare Belize (2008) - Guyana (2004)

Compare Belize (2008) z Guyana (2004)

	Belize (2008)	Guyana (2004)

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: 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: 26.5% (male 95,431; female 91,806) 15-64 years: 68.3% (male 243,224; female 239,047) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 16,000; female 20,295) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments	sugar, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish (shrimp)
Airports	44 (2007)	49 (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 (2007)	total: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (2004 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: 41 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 32 (2004 est.)
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 an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, growing urban crime, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.	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, but until the early 1990s it was 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. Upon his death five years later, he was succeeded by his wife Janet, who resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001.
Birth rate	28.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	17.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $328.5 million expenditures: $365 million (2007 est.)	revenues: $263.4 million expenditures: $326.7 million, including capital expenditures of $93.4 million (2003)
Capital	name: Belmopan geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Georgetown
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 mid-August, mid-November to mid-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: Co-operative Republic of Guyana conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana
Currency	-	Guyanese dollar (GYD)
Death rate	5.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	9.71 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$1.2 billion (June 2005 est.)	$1.2 billion (2002)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. DIETER embassy: Floral Park Road, Belmopan City, Cayo District mailing address: P.O. Box 497, Belmopan City, Cayo District, Belize telephone: [501] 822-4011 FAX: [501] 822-4012	chief of mission: Ambassador Roland BULLEN embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909 FAX: [592] 225-8497
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) 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	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	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 UNCLOS arbitration to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters
Economic aid - recipient	$12.91 million (2005)	$84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997) (2000 est.)
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 1999-2007. Oil discoveries in 2006 bolstered the economic growth in 2006 and 2007. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and unsustainable foreign debt. In February 2007, the government restructured nearly all of its public external commercial debt, which will reduce interest payments and create the liquidity relief needed for an increase in public spending in the run-up to the March 2008 elections. 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 then slowed in 2003. 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 by restructuring and partial privatization.
Electricity - consumption	162.8 million kWh (2005)	792.4 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	200 million kWh (2007 est.)	852 million kWh (2001)
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, Whaling 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 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)	Guyanese dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 190.665 (2002), 187.321 (2001), 182.43 (2000), 177.995 (1999)
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 Dean BARROW (since 8 February 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar VEGA (since 12 February 2008) 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 head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since NA December 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature elections: president elected by the majority party in the National Assembly following legislative elections, which must be held at least every five years; elections last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held by March 2006); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of legislative vote - NA
Exports	1,960 bbl/day (2006)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood	sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber
Exports - partners	US 33.9%, UK 33.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 3.7% (2006)	Canada 23.2%, US 21.8%, UK 13.5%, Portugal 6.7%, Belgium 6.5%, Jamaica 6.1% (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	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	-	purchasing power parity - $2.797 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 21.3% industry: 13.7% services: 65% (2007 est.)	agriculture: 37.2% industry: 22.7% services: 40.1% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $4,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	3% (2007 est.)	0.5% (2003 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
Highways	-	total: 7,970 km paved: 590 km unpaved: 7,380 km (1999 est.)
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	transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis
Imports	6,754 bbl/day (2004)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco	manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food
Imports - partners	US 35.7%, Mexico 13%, Cuba 7.7%, Guatemala 7.2%, China 4.3% (2006)	US 22.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 19.2%, Italy 11.2%, UK 7.2%, Cuba 5.2% (2003)
Independence	21 September 1981 (from UK)	26 May 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	0.5% (2007 est.)	7.1% (1997 est.)
Industries	garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil	bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining
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.)	total: 37.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 41.28 deaths/1,000 live births female: 32.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.8% (2007 est.)	5.7% (2003 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	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, 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 (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister)	Supreme Court of Judicature; Judicial Court of Appeal; High Court
Labor force	113,000 note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2006 est.)	418,000 (2001 est.)
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	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: 2.44% permanent crops: 0.15% other: 97.41% (2001)
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, 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 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 (31 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 6 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDP 25, PUP 6	unicameral National Assembly (68 seats, 65 elected by popular vote, 1 elected Speaker of the National Assembly, and 2 nonvoting members appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPP/C 34, PNC 27, GAP and WPA 2, ROAR 1, TUF 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 68.25 years male: 66.44 years female: 70.16 years (2007 est.)	total population: 62.43 years male: 60.12 years female: 64.84 years (2004 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 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: 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: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,475 GRT/8,758 DWT by type: cargo 3, container 1, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: Barbados 1, Panama 1 registered in other countries: 8 (2004 est.)
Military branches	Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard	Guyana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Corps; Guyana People's Militia
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$6.5 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	1.4% (2006)	0.8% (2003)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 209,545 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 157,264 (2004 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 (2007 est.)	-2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders	National Alliance for Belizean Rights or NABR; National Reform Party or NRP [Cornelius DUECK]; People's National Party or PNP [Wil MAHEIA]; 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 or WTP [Hipolito BAUTISTA]	Alliance for Guyana or AFG (includes Guyana Labor Party or GLP and Working People's Alliance or WPA) [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Guyana Labor Party or GLP [leader NA]; People's National Congress 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]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]
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]	Civil Liberties Action Committee or CLAC; Guyana Council of Indian Organizations or GCIO; Trades Union Congress or TUC note: the GCIO and the CLAC are small and active but not well organized
Population	294,385 (July 2007 est.)	705,803 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 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	33.5% (2002 est.)	NA
Population growth rate	2.258% (2007 est.)	0.61% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Bartica, Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam, Parika
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006)	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: 1.041 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: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 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: fair system for long-distance calling 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	33,900 (2006)	80,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	118,300 (2006)	87,300 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	5 (2006)	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	3.52 children born/woman (2007 est.)	2.06 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	9.4% (2006)	9.1% (understated) (2000)
Waterways	825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007)	1,077 km note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2004)

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