Kuwait (2001) | Belize (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Farwaniyah, Al 'Asimah, Al Jahra', Hawalli | 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
28.76% (male 299,080; female 288,125) 15-64 years: 68.82% (male 897,839; female 507,527) 65 years and over: 2.42% (male 31,843; female 17,547) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 40.6% (male 56,530; female 54,322)
15-64 years: 55.8% (male 77,118; female 75,309) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,674; female 4,992) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | practically no crops; fish | bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments |
Airports | 8 (2000 est.) | 43 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
total: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.) |
Area | total:
17,820 sq km land: 17,820 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 New Jersey | slightly smaller than Massachusetts |
Background | Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that completely liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait has spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91. | Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. The country remains plagued by high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increased urban crime. |
Birth rate | 21.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 29.89 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$11.5 billion expenditures: $17.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY01/02) |
revenues: $222 million
expenditures: $300 million, including capital expenditures of $70 million (2003 est.) |
Capital | Kuwait | Belmopan |
Climate | dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters | tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) |
Coastline | 499 km | 386 km |
Constitution | approved and promulgated 11 November 1962 | 21 September 1981 |
Country name | conventional long form:
State of Kuwait conventional short form: Kuwait local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt local short form: Al Kuwayt |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras |
Currency | Kuwaiti dinar (KWD) | Belizean dollar (BZD) |
Death rate | 2.45 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.04 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $6.9 billion (2000 est.) | $475 million (2001 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador James A. LAROCCO embassy: Bayan, near the Bayan palace, Kuwait City mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat, 13001 Safat, Kuwait Unit 69000, APO AE 09880-9000 telephone: [965] 539-5307 FAX: [965] 538-0282 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Russell F. FREEMAN
embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane, Belize City mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Belize City telephone: [501] 227-7161 through 7163 FAX: [501] 2-30802 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517 |
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 November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been spelled out in Security Council Resolutions 687 (1991), 773 (1993), and 883 (1993); this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands | Guatemalan squatters continue to settle along the border region; an OAS brokered Differendum in 2002 created a small adjustment to the land boundary, a large Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, a joint ecological park for disputed Sapodilla Cays, and a substantial US-UK financial package, but agreement was not brought to popular referendum leaving Guatemala to continue to claim the southern half of Belize |
Economic aid - recipient | $27.6 million (1995) | NA |
Economy - overview | Kuwait is a small, relatively open economy with proved crude oil reserves of about 94 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 90% of export revenues, and 75% of government income. Kuwait's climate limits agricultural development. Consequently, with the exception of fish, it depends almost wholly on food imports. About 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported. Higher oil prices put the FY99/00 budget into a $2 billion surplus. The FY00/01 budget covers only nine months because of a change in the fiscal year. The budget for FY01/02, which begins 1 April, contains higher expenditures for salaries, construction, and other general categories. Kuwait continues its discussions with foreign oil companies to develop fields in the northern part of the country. | In this small, essentially private enterprise economy the tourism industry is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by cane sugar, citrus, marine products, bananas, and garments. The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to GDP growth of 6.5% in 1999, 10.8% in 2000, 4.6% in 2001, and 3.7% in 2002. 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 | 29.357 billion kWh (1999) | 185.5 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 31.567 billion kWh (1999) | 199.5 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed location 306 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m |
Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification | deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping |
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 | Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7% | mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% |
Exchange rates | Kuwaiti dinars per US dollar - 0.3057 (January 2001), 0.3067 (2000), 0.3044 (1999), 0.3047 (1998), 0.3033 (1997), 0.2994 (1996) | Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000), 2 (1999) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Amir JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 31 December 1977) head of government: Prime Minister and Crown Prince SAAD al-Abdallah al-Salim Al Sabah (since 8 February 1978); First Deputy Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 17 October 1992); Deputy Prime Ministers JABIR MUBARAK al-Hamud Al Sabah (since NA) and MUHAMMAD KHALID al-Hamed Al Sabah (since NA) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the monarch |
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 | $23.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | oil and refined products, fertilizers | sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood |
Exports - partners | Japan 23%, US 12%, Singapore 8%, Netherlands 7% (1999) | US 39.1%, UK 25%, France 4% (2003) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist 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 - $29.3 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1.28 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
0% industry: 55% services: 45% (1996) |
agriculture: 22.7%
industry: 24.5% services: 52.8% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $4,900 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 6% (2000 est.) | 3.7% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 29 30 N, 45 45 E | 17 15 N, 88 45 W |
Geography - note | strategic location at head of Persian Gulf | only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean |
Heliports | 3 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
4,450 km paved: 3,590 km unpaved: 860 km (1999 est.) |
total: 2,872 km
paved: 488 km unpaved: 2,384 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | - | major 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 | $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco |
Imports - partners | US 15%, Japan 10%, UK 7%, Germany 7% (1999) | US 41.9%, Mexico 12.4%, UK 5.9%, Cuba 5.5% (2003) |
Independence | 19 June 1961 (from UK) | 21 September 1981 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 1% (1997 est.) | 4.6% (1999) |
Industries | petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, construction materials | garment production, food processing, tourism, construction |
Infant mortality rate | 11.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 26.37 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 29.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3% (2000) | 2.6% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, 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 |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 3 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1993 est.) | 30 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | High Court of Appeal | Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) |
Labor force | 1.3 million (1998 est.)
note: 68% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.) |
90,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2001 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | agriculture 27%, industry 18%, services 55% (2001 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
464 km border countries: Iraq 242 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km |
total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km |
Land use | arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 8% forests and woodland: 0% other: 92% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 2.85%
permanent crops: 1.71% other: 95.44% (2001) |
Languages | Arabic (official), English widely spoken | English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole |
Legal system | civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | English law |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 July 1999 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 50; note - all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National Assembly |
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 members appointed by the governor general - six on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one 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 NA March 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PUP 21, UDP 8 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
76.27 years male: 75.42 years female: 77.15 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 67.43 years
male: 65.11 years female: 69.86 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 78.6% male: 82.2% female: 74.9% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.1% male: 94.1% female: 94.1% (2003 est.) |
Location | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia | Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico |
Map references | Middle East | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | 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 the negotiation of a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,461,072 GRT/3,966,645 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 6, container 6, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 20 (2000 est.) |
total: 336 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,015,270 GRT/1,336,890 DWT
by type: bulk 13, cargo 240, chemical tanker 11, combination bulk 4, combination ore/oil 1, container 10, multi-functional large load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 27, refrigerated cargo 18, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: Bahamas 2, Belgium 1, British Virgin Islands 11, Cambodia 6, China 67, Cuba 2, Cyprus 1, Ecuador 1, Estonia 8, Germany 5, Greece 2, Grenada 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 27, Indonesia 4, Italy 2, Japan 5, Jordan 1, South Korea 13, Latvia 5, Liberia 2, Malaysia 4, Malta 1, Isle of Man 1, Marshall Islands 16, Mexico 1, Netherlands 1, Nigeria 2, Panama 15, Philippines 4, Portugal 1, Russia 9, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Singapore 9, Spain 6, Switzerland 2, Taiwan 1, Thailand 3, Tunisia 1, Turkey 2, Ukraine 3, United Kingdom 1, United States 3, Yemen 1 registered in other countries: 25 (2004 est.) |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard, Coast Guard | Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.9 billion (FY00/01) | $18 million (2003) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 8.7% (FY00/01) | 2% (2003) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
780,559 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 68,518 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
466,521 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 40,619 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
18,309 (2001 est.) |
males: 3,122 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | National Day, 25 February (1950) | Independence Day, 21 September (1981) |
Nationality | noun:
Kuwaiti(s) adjective: Kuwaiti |
noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean |
Natural hazards | sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April; they bring inordinate amounts of rain which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August | frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south) |
Natural resources | petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas | arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 14.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 877 km; petroleum products 40 km; natural gas 165 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | none; formation of political parties is illegal | 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 | several political groups act as de facto parties: Bedouins, merchants, Sunni and Shi'a activists, and secular leftists and nationalists | Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele CATZIM] |
Population | 2,041,961
note: includes 1,159,913 non-nationals (July 2001 est.) |
272,945 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 33% (1999 est.) |
Population growth rate | 3.38% (2001 est.)
note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates |
2.39% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Kuwait, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' Su'ud | Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 1.175 million (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | - |
Religions | Muslim 85% (Sunni 45%, Shi'a 40%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15% | Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Anglican 5.3%, Methodist 3.5%, Mennonite 4.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Pentecostal 7.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), none 9.4%, other 14% (2000) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.77 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.51 male(s)/female (2001 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: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | adult males who have been naturalized for 30 years or more or have resided in Kuwait since before 1920 and their male descendants at age 21
note: only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote; in 1996, naturalized citizens who do not meet the pre-1920 qualification but have been naturalized for 30 years were eligible to vote for the first time |
18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
the quality of service is excellent domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, open wire, and fiber-optic cable; a cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones international: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 2 Arabsat |
general assessment: above-average system
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay international: country code - 501; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 412,000 (1997) | 33,300 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 210,000 (1997) | 60,400 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | flat to slightly undulating desert plain | flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south |
Total fertility rate | 3.2 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 3.77 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 1.8% (official 1996 est.) | 9.1% (2002) |
Waterways | none | 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2004) |