Compare Belize (2008) - Sierra Leone (2002)

Compare Belize (2008) z Sierra Leone (2002)

	Belize (2008)	Sierra Leone (2002)

Administrative divisions	6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo	3 provinces and 1 area; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western
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: 44.7% (male 1,230,530; female 1,280,084) 15-64 years: 52.1% (male 1,397,070; female 1,528,986) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 87,256; female 90,817) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products	bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments	rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Airports	44 (2007)	10 (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: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (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: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Area	total: 22,966 sq km land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km	total: 71,740 sq km land: 71,620 sq km water: 120 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Massachusetts	slightly smaller than South Carolina
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.	Since 1991, civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well over one-third of the population) many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries. After several setbacks, the end to the eleven-year conflict in Sierra Leone may finally be near at hand. With the support of the UN peacekeeping force and contributions from the World Bank and international community, demobilization and disarmament of the RUF and Civil Defense Forces (CDF) combatants has been completed. Reestablishment of government authority throughout the country is slowly proceeding and national elections took place in May 2002.
Birth rate	28.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	44.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	revenues: $328.5 million expenditures: $365 million (2007 est.)	revenues: $96 million expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.)
Capital	name: Belmopan geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Freetown
Climate	tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)	tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Coastline	386 km	402 km
Constitution	21 September 1981	1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras	conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone conventional short form: Sierra Leone
Currency	-	leone (SLL)
Death rate	5.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	18.83 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	$1.2 billion (June 2005 est.)	$1.3 billion (2000)
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 Peter Russell CHAVEAS embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX: [232] (22) 225471
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 Ibrahim M. KAMARA chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
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	ongoing conflict in Sierra Leone has engendered refugee movements into neighboring Guinea and Liberia
Economic aid - recipient	$12.91 million (2005)	$103 million (2001 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.	Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development, following a 10-year civil war. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. There are plans to reopen bauxite and rutile mines shut down during the conflict. The major source of hard currency consists of the mining of diamonds. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad.
Electricity - consumption	162.8 million kWh (2005)	227.85 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	200 million kWh (2007 est.)	245 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Environment - current issues	deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal	rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups	mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%	20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
Exchange rates	Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)	leones per US dollar - 2,212.47 (January 2002), 1,985.89 (2001), 2,092.13 (2000), 1,804.20 (1999), 1,563.62 (1998), 981.48 (1997)
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 Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA 22.4%
Exports	1,960 bbl/day (2006)	$65 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities	sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood	diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Exports - partners	US 33.9%, UK 33.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 3.7% (2006)	NZ 33.7%, Belgium 32.6%, US 7.4%, France 5.1% (2000)
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	three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $2.7 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 21.3% industry: 13.7% services: 65% (2007 est.)	agriculture: 43% industry: 27% services: 30% (2000)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $500 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	3% (2007 est.)	3% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	17 15 N, 88 45 W	8 30 N, 11 30 W
Geography - note	only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean	rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa
Heliports	-	2 (2002)
Highways	-	total: 11,700 km paved: 936 km unpaved: 10,764 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 1% highest 10%: 44% (1989) (1989)
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)	$145 million f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco	foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners	US 35.7%, Mexico 13%, Cuba 7.7%, Guatemala 7.2%, China 4.3% (2006)	Czech Republic 26.7%, UK 26.6%, US 5.1%, Netherlands 4.6% (2000)
Independence	21 September 1981 (from UK)	27 April 1961 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	0.5% (2007 est.)	NA%
Industries	garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil	mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining
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.)	144.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.8% (2007 est.)	15% (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	ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	1 (2001)
Irrigated land	30 sq km (2003)	290 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; Appeals Court; High Court
Labor force	113,000 note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2006 est.)	1.369 million note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985) (1981 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: 958 km border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Land use	arable land: 3.05% permanent crops: 1.39% other: 95.56% (2005)	arable land: 6.76% permanent crops: 0.78% other: 92.46% (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)	English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Legal system	English law	based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; 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 Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held NA May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC 22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 68.25 years male: 66.44 years female: 70.16 years (2007 est.)	total population: 45.96 years male: 43.01 years female: 49.01 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 English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic total population: 31.4% male: 45.4% female: 18.2% (1995 est.)
Location	Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico	Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Africa
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 contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 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)	-
Military branches	Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard	Army (RSLAF)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$10.3 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	1.4% (2006)	1.5% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 1,203,682 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 583,946 (2002 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 21 September (1981)	Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Nationality	noun: Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean	noun: Sierra Leonean(s) adjective: Sierra Leonean
Natural hazards	frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)	dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Natural resources	arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower	diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	6.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: by the end of 1999 refugees from Sierra Leone are assumed to be returning (2002 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]	All People's Congress or APC [Alhaji Sat KOROMA, interim chairman]; Citizens United for Peace and Progress or CUPP [Alfred Musa CONTEH, interim chairman]; Coalition for Progress Party or CPP [Jeridine WILLIAM-SARHO, interim leader]; Democratic Center Party or DCP [Adu Aiah KOROMA]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [George E. L. PALMER]; Democratic Party or DP [Henry BALO, acting chairman]; National Alliance Democratic Party or NADP [Mohamed Yahya SILLAH, chairman]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Amadu M. B. JALLOH]; National People's Party or NPP [Andrew TURAY]; National Republican Party or NRP [Stephen Sahr MAMBU]; National Unity Movement or NUM [Sam LEIGH, interim chairman]; National Unity Party or NUP [John BENJAMINE, interim leader]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; People's Democratic Alliance or PDA [Cpl. (Ret.) Abdul Rahman KAMARA, interim chairman]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Osman KAMARA]; People's National Convention or PNC [Edward John KARGBO]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Abass Chernok BUNDU, chairman]; Revolutionary United Front Party or RUFP [Foday Saybana SANKOH, chairman]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Andrew Victor LUNGAY]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Ahmad Tejan KABBAH, chairman]; United National People's Party or UNPP [John KAREFA-SMART in exile, Raymond KAMARA, acting leader]; Young People's Party or YPP [Cornelius DEVEAUS, interim chairman]
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]	Trade Unions and Student Unions
Population	294,385 (July 2007 est.)	5,614,743 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	33.5% (2002 est.)	68% (1989 est.)
Population growth rate	2.258% (2007 est.)	3.21% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006)	AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999)
Radios	-	1.12 million (1997)
Railways	-	total: 84 km narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge note: Sierra Leone has no common carrier railroads; the existing railroad is private and used on a limited basis while the mine at Marampa is closed (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)	Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
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: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2002 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: marginal telephone and telegraph service domestic: The national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema (April 2001) international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	33,900 (2006)	25,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular	118,300 (2006)	30,000 (2001)
Television broadcast stations	5 (2006)	2 (1999)
Terrain	flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south	coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Total fertility rate	3.52 children born/woman (2007 est.)	5.94 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	9.4% (2006)	NA%
Waterways	825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007)	800 km (of which 600 km navigable year round)

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