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Compare Jamaica (2002) - Belize (2008)

Compare Jamaica (2002) z Belize (2008)

 Jamaica (2002)Belize (2008)
 JamaicaBelize
Administrative divisions 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Age structure 0-14 years: 29.1% (male 399,249; female 380,864)


15-64 years: 64.1% (male 858,433; female 859,174)


65 years and over: 6.8% (male 81,321; female 100,988) (2002 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 sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments
Airports 35 (2001) 44 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 5 (2002)
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: 24


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 22 (2002)
total: 40


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 12


under 914 m: 27 (2007)
Area total: 10,991 sq km


land: 10,831 sq km


water: 160 sq km
total: 22,966 sq km


land: 22,806 sq km


water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Connecticut slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Background Jamaica gained full independence within the British Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence and a dropoff in tourism. Elections in 1980 saw the democratic socialists voted out of office. Subsequent governments have been open market oriented. Political violence marred elections during the 1990s. 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 17.74 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 28.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $2.23 billion


expenditures: $2.56 billion, including capital expenditures of $232.5 million
revenues: $328.5 million


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


geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W


time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
Coastline 1,022 km 386 km
Constitution 6 August 1962 21 September 1981
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Jamaica
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Belize


former: British Honduras
Currency Jamaican dollar (JMD) -
Death rate 5.45 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 5.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $5.2 billion (2001 est.) $1.2 billion (June 2005 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Sue McCourt COBB


embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston 5


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [1] (876) 929-4850 through 4859


FAX: [1] (876) 926-6743
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 Seymour MULLINGS


chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036


telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660


FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081


consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
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 none 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 $102.7 million (1995) (1995) $12.91 million (2005)
Economy - overview The economy, which depends heavily on tourism and bauxite, has been stagnant since 1995. After five years of recession, the economy grew 0.8% in 2000 and 1.1% in 2001, but the global economic slowdown, particularly in the United States after the 11 September terrorist attacks, has stunted the economic recovery. Serious problems include: high interest rates; increased foreign competition; a pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a widening merchandise trade deficit; and a growing internal debt, the result of government bailouts to various ailing sectors of the economy, particularly the financial sector. Depressed economic conditions have led to increased civil unrest, including a mounting crime rate. Jamaica's medium-term prospects will depend upon encouraging investment, maintaining a competitive exchange rate, selling off reacquired firms, and implementing proper fiscal and monetary policies. 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 6.27 billion kWh (2000) 162.8 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 6.74 billion kWh (2000) 200 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 89%


hydro: 3%


nuclear: 0%


other: 7% (2000)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m
Environment - current issues heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions 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, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


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 black 90.9%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.1% mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%
Exchange rates Jamaican dollars per US dollar - 47.277 (December 2001), 45.996 (2001), 42.701 (2000), 39.044 (1999), 36.550 (1998), 35.404 (1997) Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991)


head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993)


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 on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime minister
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 $1.6 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) 1,960 bbl/day (2006)
Exports - commodities alumina, bauxite; sugar, bananas, rum sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
Exports - partners US 35.7%, EU (excluding UK) 15.9%, UK 13%, Canada 10.5% (1999) US 33.9%, UK 33.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 3.7% (2006)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March 1 April - 31 March
Flag description diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side) 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 purchasing power parity - $9.8 billion (2001 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 7%


industry: 28%


services: 65% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 21.3%


industry: 13.7%


services: 65% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2001 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 1.1% (2001 est.) 3% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 15 N, 77 30 W 17 15 N, 88 45 W
Geography - note strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
Highways total: 19,000 km


paved: 13,433 km


unpaved: 5,567 km (1997)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3%


highest 10%: 29% (1996) (1996)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs major transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions 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 $3.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) 6,754 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals, fertilizers machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco
Imports - partners US 47.8%, Caricom countries 12.4%, Latin America 7.2%, EU (excluding UK) 4.7% (1999) US 35.7%, Mexico 13%, Cuba 7.7%, Guatemala 7.2%, China 4.3% (2006)
Independence 6 August 1962 (from UK) 21 September 1981 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate -2% (2000 est.) 0.5% (2007 est.)
Industries tourism, bauxite, textiles, food processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil
Infant mortality rate 13.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 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) 6.9% (2001 est.) 2.8% (2007 est.)
International organization participation ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO 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
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 21 (2000) -
Irrigated land 250 sq km (1998 est.) 30 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister)
Labor force 1.13 million (1998) (1998) 113,000


note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation services 60%, agriculture 21%, industry 19% (1998) (1998) agriculture: 22.5%


industry: 15.2%


services: 62.3% (2005 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 516 km


border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Land use arable land: 16.07%


permanent crops: 9.23%


other: 74.7% (1998 est.)
arable land: 3.05%


permanent crops: 1.39%


other: 95.56% (2005)
Languages English, patois English 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 based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction English law
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated eight seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%; seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26
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: 75.64 years


male: 73.65 years


female: 77.73 years (2002 est.)
total population: 68.25 years


male: 66.44 years


female: 70.16 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 85%


male: 80.8%


female: 89.1% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 76.9%


male: 76.7%


female: 77.1% (2000 census)
Location Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims measured from claimed archipelagic baselines


contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to edge of the continental margin


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 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) totaling 21,954 GRT/25,250 DWT


ships by type: petroleum tanker 1, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Latvia 2, United States 2 (2002 est.)
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 Jamaica Defense Force (including Ground Forces, Coast Guard, and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure $30 million (FY95/96 est.) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 1.4% (2006)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 747,043 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 523,550 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 27,729 (2002 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, first Monday in August (1962) Independence Day, 21 September (1981)
Nationality noun: Jamaican(s)


adjective: Jamaican
noun: Belizean(s)


adjective: Belizean
Natural hazards hurricanes (especially July to November) frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Natural resources bauxite, gypsum, limestone arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Net migration rate -6.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines petroleum products 10 km -
Political parties and leaders Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Edward SEAGA]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Party or PNP [Percival James PATTERSON] 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 New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists) 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 2,680,029 (July 2002 est.) 294,385 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 34% (1992 est.) 33.5% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate 0.56% (2002 est.) 2.258% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Port Esquivel (Longswharf) -
Radio broadcast stations AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006)
Radios 1.215 million (1997) -
Railways total: 272 km


standard gauge: 272 km 1.435-m gauge; note - 207 km, belonging to the Jamaica Railway Corporation, were in common carrier service but are no longer operational; the remaining track is privately owned and used to transport bauxite (2000)
-
Religions Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other, including some spiritual cults 34.7% 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: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 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 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network


domestic: NA


international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
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 353,000 (1996) 33,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 54,640 (1996) 118,300 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 7 (1997) 5 (2006)
Terrain mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Total fertility rate 2.05 children born/woman (2002 est.) 3.52 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 16% (2000 est.) 9.4% (2006)
Waterways none 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007)
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