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Compare Equatorial Guinea (2006) - Belize (2006)

Compare Equatorial Guinea (2006) z Belize (2006)

 Equatorial Guinea (2006)Belize (2006)
 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 113,083/female 111,989)


15-64 years: 54.5% (male 141,914/female 152,645)


65 years and over: 3.8% (male 8,886/female 11,592) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 39.5% (male 57,923/female 55,678)


15-64 years: 57% (male 82,960/female 81,046)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,888/female 5,235) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments
Airports 4 (2006) 43 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
total: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
total: 38


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 26 (2006)
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 Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 and 2004 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. 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 population'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 high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increasing urban crime.
Birth rate 35.59 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 28.84 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $1.973 billion


expenditures: $711.5 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $262 million


expenditures: $329 million; including capital expenditures of $70 million (2005 est.)
Capital name: Malabo


geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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/Republique de Guinee equatoriale


local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee equatoriale


former: Spanish Guinea
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Belize


former: British Honduras
Death rate 15.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $353 million (2005 est.) $1.362 billion (June 2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: the US ambassador to Cameroon is accredited to Equatorial Guinea


embassy: adjacent to the golf course at the base of Mont Febe; note - relocated embassy is opened for limited functions; inquiries should continue to be directed to the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon


mailing address: B.P. 817, Yaounde, Cameroon; US Embassy Yaounde, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520


telephone: [237] 220 15 00


FAX: [237] 220 16 20
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. DIETER


embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane, Belize City


mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Belize City


telephone: [501] 227-7161 through 7163


FAX: [501] 223-0802
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Purificacion ANGUE ONDO


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


telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700


FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252
chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa M. SHOMAN


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 Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the largely uninhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; OAS seeks to revive the 2002 failed Belize-Guatemala Differendum that created a small adjustment to land boundary, a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, joint ecological park for disputed Sapodilla Cays, and substantial US-UK financial package
Economic aid - recipient $33.8 million $NA $NA
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 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 remained strong in 2005, led by oil. Equatorial Guinea now has the second highest per capita income in the world, after Luxembourg. In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy the tourism industry is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by 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 5% in 1999-2005. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors.
Electricity - consumption 27.37 million kWh (2003) 111.6 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 29.43 million kWh (2003) 120 million kWh (2003)
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


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 - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001)
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 Ricardo Mangue Obama NFUBEA (since 14 August 2006); First Deputy Prime Minister Mercelino Oyono NTUTUMU (since 15 June 2004)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); 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 Said Wilbert MUSA (since 28 August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1 September 1998)


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 bbl/day NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
Exports - partners US 25.8%, China 22.9%, Spain 11.4%, Canada 7.7%, Taiwan 7.5%, Portugal 5.7%, Netherlands 5.5%, France 4.2% (2005) US 30.6%, UK 25%, France 4.8% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year 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: 90.6%


services: 6.2% (2005 est.)
agriculture: 14.2%


industry: 15.2%


services: 61.2% (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 18.6% (2005 est.) 3.8% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 2 00 N, 10 00 E 17 15 N, 88 45 W
Geography - note insular and continental regions widely separated only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
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 for the international drug trade; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and offshore sector
Imports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities petroleum sector equipment, other equipment machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco
Imports - partners US 24.6%, Italy 20.7%, France 12.1%, Spain 10.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.7%, UK 7% (2005) US 31%, Mexico 11.6%, Russia 8.8%, Cuba 6%, Guatemala 5.6%, China 4.6%, Spain 4.4% (2005)
Independence 12 October 1968 (from Spain) 21 September 1981 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 30% (2002 est.) 4.6% (1999)
Industries petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas garment production, food processing, tourism, construction
Infant mortality rate total: 89.21 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 95.22 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 83.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: 24.89 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 28.07 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 21.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 5% (2005 est.) 3% (2005 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), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTO (observer) ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land NA 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 90,000


note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: 27%


industry: 18%


services: 55% (2001 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% (2005)
arable land: 3.05%


permanent crops: 1.39%


other: 95.56% (2005)
Languages Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole
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 (100 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


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


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


note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 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; members are appointed for five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next to be held March 2008)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PUP 21, UDP 8
Life expectancy at birth total population: 49.54 years


male: 48 years


female: 51.13 years (2006 est.)
total population: 68.3 years


male: 66.43 years


female: 70.26 years (2006 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: 94.1%


male: 94.1%


female: 94.1% (2003 est.)
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 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,745 GRT/3,434 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2006)
total: 285 ships (1000 GRT or over) 985,464 GRT/1,322,629 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 36, cargo 203, chemical tanker 7, container 4, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1


foreign-owned: 225 (China 103, Croatia 1, Cyprus 2, Estonia 3, Germany 3, Greece 2, Hong Kong 8, Iceland 2, Indonesia 2, Italy 4, Japan 2, North Korea 2, South Korea 4, Latvia 6, Lithuania 1, Malaysia 1, Mexico 1, Norway 2, Poland 2, Russia 36, Singapore 6, Spain 3, Switzerland 1, Turkey 11, UAE 5, Ukraine 7, US 5) (2006)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force (2005) Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure $152.2 million (2005 est.) $19 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.1% (2005 est.) 1.7% (2005 est.)
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 (2006 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines condensate 46 km; condensate/gas 5 km; gas 47 km; oil 31 km (2006) -
Political parties and leaders Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO] (ruling party); 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] People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW, party leader; Douglas SINGH, party chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele CATZIM]
Population 540,109 (July 2006 est.) 287,730 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 33% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 2.05% (2006 est.) 2.31% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002) AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
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: 0.77 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 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 (2006 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


domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay


international: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2005)
Telephones - main lines in use 10,000 (2005) 33,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 96,900 (2005) 93,100 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2002) 2 (1997)
Terrain coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Total fertility rate 4.55 children born/woman (2006 est.) 3.6 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 30% (1998 est.) 12.9% (2003)
Waterways - 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2005)
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