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Compare Belize (2008) - Solomon Islands (2004)
Compare Belize (2008) z Solomon Islands (2004)
| Belize (2008) | Solomon Islands (2004) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo | 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, 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: 42.4% (male 113,183; female 108,816)
15-64 years: 54.4% (male 144,157; female 140,769) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 8,058; female 8,634) (2004 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments | cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish |
| Airports | 44 (2007) | 33 (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: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (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: 31
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.) |
| Area | total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km |
total: 28,450 sq km
land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Massachusetts | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| 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 UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on these islands. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society. In June 2003, Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been very effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions. |
| Birth rate | 28.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 31.6 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $328.5 million
expenditures: $365 million (2007 est.) |
revenues: $38 million
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA (2001) |
| Capital | name: Belmopan
geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Honiara |
| Climate | tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) | tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather |
| Coastline | 386 km | 5,313 km |
| Constitution | 21 September 1981 | 7 July 1978 |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands |
| Currency | - | Solomon Islands dollar (SBD) |
| Death rate | 5.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 4.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Debt - external | $1.2 billion (June 2005 est.) | $162.5 million (2001 est.) |
| 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 Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Robert W. FITTS, is accredited to the Solomon Islands |
| 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 Collin David BECK
chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925 |
| 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 | Australian defense personnel are dispatched at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to restore law and order on the islands and reinforce regional security |
| Economic aid - recipient | $12.91 million (2005) | $28 million annually, mainly from Australia (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. | The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of their livelihood. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. However, severe ethnic violence, the closing of key business enterprises, and an empty government treasury have led to serious economic disarray, indeed near collapse. Tanker deliveries of crucial fuel supplies (including those for electrical generation) have become sporadic due to the government's inability to pay and attacks against ships. Telecommunications are threatened by the nonpayment of bills and by the lack of technical and maintenance staff many of whom have left the country. The disintegration of law and order left the economy in tatters by mid-2003, and on 24 July 2003 more than 2000 Australian soldiers entered the Solomon Islands to restore order and to facilitate the restoration of basic services. |
| Electricity - consumption | 162.8 million kWh (2005) | 29.76 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.) | 32 million kWh (2001) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal | deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying |
| 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, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, 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% | Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4% |
| Exchange rates | Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003) | Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - NA (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001), 5.0889 (2000), 4.8381 (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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA (since 17 December 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder RINI (since 17 December 2001) cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament |
| Exports | 1,960 bbl/day (2006) | NA (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood | timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa |
| Exports - partners | US 33.9%, UK 33.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 3.7% (2006) | China 25.2%, South Korea 17.6%, Japan 13.4%, Philippines 8.4%, Singapore 5.9%, Thailand 5.9% (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 | divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green |
| GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 21.3%
industry: 13.7% services: 65% (2007 est.) |
agriculture: 42%
industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 3% (2007 est.) | -10% (2001 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 17 15 N, 88 45 W | 8 00 S, 159 00 E |
| Geography - note | only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean | strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea |
| Government - note | - | June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003 |
| Highways | - | total: 1,360 km
paved: 34 km unpaved: 1,326 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 | - |
| Imports | 6,754 bbl/day (2004) | NA (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco | food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals |
| Imports - partners | US 35.7%, Mexico 13%, Cuba 7.7%, Guatemala 7.2%, China 4.3% (2006) | Australia 29.7%, Singapore 21.9%, Fiji 4.7%, New Zealand 4.7% (2003) |
| Independence | 21 September 1981 (from UK) | 7 July 1978 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 0.5% (2007 est.) | NA |
| Industries | garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil | fish (tuna), mining, timber |
| 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: 22.09 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.8% (2007 est.) | 9% (2002 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, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO |
| Irrigated land | 30 sq km (2003) | NA sq km |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) | Court of Appeal |
| Labor force | 113,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2006 est.) |
26,840 (1999) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 22.5%
industry: 15.2% services: 62.3% (2005 est.) |
agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (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: 0.64%
permanent crops: 2% other: 97.36% (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) | Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population
note: 120 indigenous languages |
| Legal system | English law | English common law, which is widely disregarded |
| 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 Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held not later than December 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 40%, SIACC 40%, PPP 20%; seats by party - PAP 16, SIACC 13, PPP 2, SILP 1, independents 18 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 68.25 years
male: 66.44 years female: 70.16 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 72.38 years
male: 69.9 years female: 74.98 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: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
| Location | Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Oceania |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 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) |
none |
| Military branches | Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard | no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | NA |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.4% (2006) | NA |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 21 September (1981) | Independence Day, 7 July (1978) |
| Nationality | noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean |
noun: Solomon Islander(s)
adjective: Solomon Islander |
| Natural hazards | frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south) | typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity |
| Natural resources | arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower | fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 0 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] | Association of Independents [Snyder RINI]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Allan KEMAKEZA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Alliance for Change Coalition or SIACC [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]
note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions |
| 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.) | 523,617 (July 2004 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 33.5% (2002 est.) | NA |
| Population growth rate | 2.258% (2007 est.) | 2.76% (2004 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | - | Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006) | AM 3, FM 0, 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) | Anglican 45%, Roman Catholic 18%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 12%, Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, other Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs 4% |
| 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: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 21 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: above-average system; fixed-line teledensity of 12 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 40 per 100 persons
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay international: country code - 501; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2007) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 33,900 (2006) | 6,600 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 118,300 (2006) | 1,000 (2002) |
| Television broadcast stations | 5 (2006) | 0 (1997) |
| Terrain | flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south | mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls |
| Total fertility rate | 3.52 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 4.19 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 9.4% (2006) | NA |
| Waterways | 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007) | - |
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