Belize (2008) | San Marino (2008) | |
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Administrative divisions | 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo | 9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello); Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino, San Marino Citta, Serravalle |
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: 16.8% (male 2,573/female 2,404)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 9,388/female 10,178) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 2,190/female 2,882) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments | wheat, grapes, corn, olives; cattle, pigs, horses, beef, cheese, hides |
Airports | 44 (2007) | - |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
- |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 40
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 27 (2007) |
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Area | total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km |
total: 61.2 sq km
land: 61.2 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Massachusetts | about 0.3 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. | The third smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco), San Marino also claims to be the world's oldest republic. According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marino in A.D. 301. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of Italy; social and political trends in the republic also track closely with those of its larger neighbor. |
Birth rate | 28.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 9.89 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $328.5 million
expenditures: $365 million (2007 est.) |
revenues: $709.6 million
expenditures: $672.3 million (2004) |
Capital | name: Belmopan
geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
name: San Marino
geographic coordinates: 43 56 N, 12 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Climate | tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) | Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers |
Coastline | 386 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 21 September 1981 | 8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions of a constitution |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras |
conventional long form: Republic of San Marino
conventional short form: San Marino local long form: Repubblica di San Marino local short form: San Marino |
Death rate | 5.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.2 billion (June 2005 est.) | $NA |
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 |
the US does not have an embassy in San Marino; the ambassador to Italy is accredited to San Marino |
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 |
San Marino does not have an embassy in the US
honorary consulate(s) general: New York, Washington, DC honorary consulate(s): Detroit, Honolulu |
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 | $12.91 million (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 1999-2007. 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 tourist sector contributes over 50% of GDP. In 2006 more than 2.1 million tourists visited San Marino. The key industries are banking, clothing and apparel, electronics, and ceramics. Main agricultural products are wine and cheeses. The per capita level of output and standard of living are comparable to those of the most prosperous regions of Italy, which supplies much of its food. |
Electricity - consumption | 162.8 million kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - production | 200 million kWh (2007 est.) | - |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m |
lowest point: Torrente Ausa 55 m
highest point: Monte Titano 755 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal | NA |
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, Desertification, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution |
Ethnic groups | mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% | Sammarinese, Italian |
Exchange rates | Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003) | euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003) |
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: Co-chiefs of State Captain Regent Mirko TOMASSONI and Captain Regent Alberto SELVA (for the period 1 October 2007-31 March 2008)
head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs Fiorenzo STOLFI (since 27 July 2006) cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term elections: co-chiefs of state (captains regent) elected by the Great and General Council for a six-month term; election last held in September 2007 (next to be held in March 2008); secretary of state for foreign and political affairs elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term; election last held 27 July 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: Mirko TOMASSONI and Alberto SELVA elected captains regent; percent of legislative vote - NA; Fiorenzo STOLFI elected secretary of state for foreign and political affairs; percent of legislative vote - NA note: the popularly elected parliament (Grand and General Council) selects two of its members to serve as the Captains Regent (co-chiefs of state) for a six-month period; they preside over meetings of the Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress of State), which has 10 other members, all selected by the Grand and General Council; assisting the captains regent are 10 secretaries of state; the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has assumed some prime ministerial roles |
Exports | 1,960 bbl/day (2006) | $1.291 billion (2004) |
Exports - commodities | sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood | building stone, lime, wood, chestnuts, wheat, wine, baked goods, hides, ceramics |
Exports - partners | US 33.9%, UK 33.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 3.7% (2006) | - |
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 | two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat of arms has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) flanked by a wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 21.3%
industry: 13.7% services: 65% (2007 est.) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - real growth rate | 3% (2007 est.) | 4.6% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 17 15 N, 88 45 W | 43 46 N, 12 25 E |
Geography - note | only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean | landlocked; smallest independent state in Europe after the Holy See and Monaco; dominated by the Apennines |
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 | 6,754 bbl/day (2004) | $2.035 billion (2004) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco | wide variety of consumer manufactures, food |
Imports - partners | US 35.7%, Mexico 13%, Cuba 7.7%, Guatemala 7.2%, China 4.3% (2006) | - |
Independence | 21 September 1981 (from UK) | 3 September AD 301 |
Industrial production growth rate | 0.5% (2007 est.) | 5.6% (2005 est.) |
Industries | garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil | tourism, banking, textiles, electronics, ceramics, cement, wine |
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: 5.53 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.8% (2007 est.) | -1.5% (2006) |
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 | CE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO |
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) | Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII |
Labor force | 113,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2006 est.) |
20,470 (2004) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 22.5%
industry: 15.2% services: 62.3% (2005 est.) |
agriculture: 0.2%
industry: 40.1% services: 59.7% (2006 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km |
total: 39 km
border countries: Italy 39 km |
Land use | arable land: 3.05%
permanent crops: 1.39% other: 95.56% (2005) |
arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 0% other: 83.33% (2005) |
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) | Italian |
Legal system | English law | based on civil law system with Italian law influences; 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 Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande e Generale (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PDCS 32.9%, Party of Socialists and Democrats 31.9%, AP 11.9%, United Left 8.7%, New Socialist Party 5.4%, other parties 9.2%; seats by party - PDCS 21, Party of Socialists and Democrats 20, AP 7, United Left 5, New Socialist Party 3, others 4; note - following a government reshuffle on 28 NOvember 2007, a splinter party of the PDCS joined the center-left coalition formed by the Party of Socialists and Democrats, the APDS, and the United Left strengthening the government's parliamentary majority to 36 seats out of 60 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 68.25 years
male: 66.44 years female: 70.16 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 81.8 years
male: 78.33 years female: 85.57 years (2007 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 10 and over can read and write
total population: 96% male: 97% female: 95% |
Location | Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico | Southern Europe, an enclave in central Italy |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Europe |
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 |
none (landlocked) |
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) |
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Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of Italy |
Military branches | Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard | no regular military forces; Voluntary Military Force (Corpi Militari Voluntar) performs ceremonial duties and limited police functions (2006) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.4% (2006) | NA |
National holiday | Independence Day, 21 September (1981) | Founding of the Republic, 3 September (AD 301) |
Nationality | noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean |
noun: Sammarinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Sammarinese |
Natural hazards | frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south) | NA |
Natural resources | arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower | building stone |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 10.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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] | Communist Refoundation or RC [Ivan FOSHI]; Ideas in Movement or IM [Alessandro ROSSI]; National Alliance or AN [Glauco SANSOVINI]; New Socialist Party [Augusto CASALI]; Party of Socialists and Democrats [Claudio FELICI]; San Marino Christian Democratic Party or PDCS [Pier Marino MENICUCCI]; San Marino Popular Alliance of Democrats or AP [Roberto GIORGETTI]; San Marino Socialist Party or PSS [Alberto CECCHETTI]; Socialists for Reform or SR [Renzo GIARDI]; United Left |
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.) | 29,615 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 33.5% (2002 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.258% (2007 est.) | 1.219% (2007 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006) | AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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 |
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: 1.09 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.922 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.915 male(s)/female (2007 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: adequate connections
domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated into Italian system; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 130 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 378; connected to Italian international network |
Telephones - main lines in use | 33,900 (2006) | 21,000 (2006) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 118,300 (2006) | 17,390 (2006) |
Television broadcast stations | 5 (2006) | 1 (San Marino residents also receive broadcasts from Italy) (1997) |
Terrain | flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south | rugged mountains |
Total fertility rate | 3.52 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 1.34 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 9.4% (2006) | 3.8% (2004) |
Waterways | 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007) | - |