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Compare Equatorial Guinea (2005) - Belize (2008)

Compare Equatorial Guinea (2005) z Belize (2008)

 Equatorial Guinea (2005)Belize (2008)
 Equatorial GuineaBelize
Administrative divisions 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Age structure 0-14 years: 41.7% (male 112,326/female 111,244)


15-64 years: 54.5% (male 140,568/female 151,500)


65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,900/female 11,343) (2005 est.)
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.)
Agriculture - products coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments
Airports 4 (2004 est.) 44 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


less than 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 40


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 12


under 914 m: 27 (2007)
Area total: 28,051 sq km


land: 28,051 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 22,966 sq km


land: 22,806 sq km


water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Background Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country for over two decades since seizing power from his uncle, then President MACIAS, in a 1979 coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 legislative elections - were widely seen as being flawed. The president controls most opposition parties through the judicious use of patronage. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the country's living standards. 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.
Birth rate 36.18 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 28.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $813.2 million


expenditures: $375.3 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $328.5 million


expenditures: $365 million (2007 est.)
Capital Malabo name: Belmopan


geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W


time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; always hot, humid tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
Coastline 296 km 386 km
Constitution approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995 21 September 1981
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea


conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea


local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial


local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial


former: Spanish Guinea
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Belize


former: British Honduras
Death rate 12 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 5.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $248 million (2000 est.) $1.2 billion (June 2005 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Equatorial Guinea (embassy closed September 1995); the US ambassador to Cameroon is accredited to Equatorial Guinea; the US State Department is considering opening a Consulate Agency in Malabo 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
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Teodoro Biyogo NSUE


chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700


FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252
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
Disputes - international in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River, imprecisely defined maritime coordinates in the ICJ decision, and the unresolved Bakasi allocation contribute to the delay in implementation; UN has been pressing Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to pledge to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and create a maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay 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
Economic aid - recipient $33.8 million (1995) $12.91 million (2005)
Economy - overview The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993 because of corruption and mismanagement. No longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil revenues, the government has been unsuccessfully trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth presumably remained strong in 2004, led by oil. 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.
Electricity - consumption 24.82 million kWh (2002) 162.8 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 26.69 million kWh (2002) 200 million kWh (2007 est.)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m
Environment - current issues tap water is not potable; deforestation deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ship Pollution


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, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000) Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup)


head of government: Prime Minister Miguel Abia BITEO BORICO (since 14 June 2004); First Deputy Prime Minister Mercelino Oyono NTUTUMU (since 15 June 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Mangue Obama NFUBEA (since 15 June 2004)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president


election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud
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
Exports NA 1,960 bbl/day (2006)
Exports - commodities petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
Exports - partners US 29.3%, China 22.8%, Spain 16%, Taiwan 14.9%, Canada 6.8% (2004) US 33.9%, UK 33.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 3.7% (2006)
Fiscal year 1 January - 31 December 1 April - 31 March
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice) 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
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3%


industry: 95.7%


services: 1.3% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 21.3%


industry: 13.7%


services: 65% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 20% (2002 est.) 3% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 2 00 N, 10 00 E 17 15 N, 88 45 W
Geography - note insular and continental regions rather widely separated only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
Highways total: 2,880 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 NA 6,754 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities petroleum sector equipment, other equipment machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco
Imports - partners US 26.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 21.4%, Spain 13.6%, France 8.8%, UK 7.8%, Italy 4.4% (2004) US 35.7%, Mexico 13%, Cuba 7.7%, Guatemala 7.2%, China 4.3% (2006)
Independence 12 October 1968 (from Spain) 21 September 1981 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 30% (2002 est.) 0.5% (2007 est.)
Industries petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil
Infant mortality rate total: 85.13 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 91.28 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 78.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 8.5% (2004 est.) 2.8% (2007 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTO (observer) 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
Irrigated land NA sq km 30 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Tribunal Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister)
Labor force NA 113,000


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


industry: 15.2%


services: 62.3% (2005 est.)
Land boundaries total: 539 km


border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km
total: 516 km


border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Land use arable land: 4.63%


permanent crops: 3.57%


other: 91.8% (2001)
arable land: 3.05%


permanent crops: 1.39%


other: 95.56% (2005)
Languages Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo 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)
Legal system partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom English law
Legislative branch unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 98, NA 2


note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president
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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 49.7 years


male: 48.01 years


female: 51.44 years (2005 est.)
total population: 68.25 years


male: 66.44 years


female: 70.16 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 85.7%


male: 93.3%


female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 76.9%


male: 76.7%


female: 77.1% (2000 census)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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
Merchant marine total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,556 GRT/9,704 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2005)
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 Army, Navy, Air Force (2005) Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure $126.2 million (2004) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.5% (2004) 1.4% (2006)
National holiday Independence Day, 12 October (1968) Independence Day, 21 September (1981)
Nationality noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)


adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean
noun: Belizean(s)


adjective: Belizean
Natural hazards violent windstorms, flash floods frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines condensate 37 km; gas 39 km; liquid natural gas 4 km; oil 24 km (2004) -
Political parties and leaders Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP [Andres Moises Bda ADA]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP [Victorino Bolekia BONAY]; Union of Independent Democrats of UDI [Daniel OYONO] 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]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA 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]
Population 535,881 (July 2005 est.) 294,385 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 33.5% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate 2.42% (2005 est.) 2.258% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Malabo -
Radio broadcast stations AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002) AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006)
Religions nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices 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)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal adult 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: poor system with adequate government services


domestic: NA


international: country code - 240; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
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)
Telephones - main lines in use 9,600 (2003) 33,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 41,500 (2003) 118,300 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2002) 5 (2006)
Terrain coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Total fertility rate 4.62 children born/woman (2005 est.) 3.52 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 30% (1998 est.) 9.4% (2006)
Waterways - 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007)
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