Compare Marshall Islands (2006) - Belize (2005)

Compare Marshall Islands (2006) z Belize (2005)

	Marshall Islands (2006)	Belize (2005)

Administrative divisions	33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje	6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Age structure	0-14 years: 38.1% (male 11,720/female 11,295) 15-64 years: 59.2% (male 18,305/female 17,445) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 801/female 856) (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 40.1% (male 57,114/female 54,877) 15-64 years: 56.4% (male 79,694/female 77,881) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,768/female 5,123) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens	bananas, coca, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments
Airports	15 (2006)	43 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)	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: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 1 (2006)	total: 38 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 11,854.3 sq km land: 181.3 sq km water: 11,673 sq km (note - lagoon waters) note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik	total: 22,966 sq km land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative	about the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Background	After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network.	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 increasing urban crime.
Birth rate	33.05 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	29.34 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $42 million expenditures: $40 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)	revenues: $244.5 million expenditures: $300 million, including capital expenditures of $70 million (2004 est.)
Capital	name: Majuro geographic coordinates: 7 05 N, 171 08 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Belmopan
Climate	tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border typhoon belt	tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
Coastline	370.4 km	386 km
Constitution	1 May 1979	21 September 1981
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands conventional short form: Marshall Islands local long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands local short form: Marshall Islands abbreviation: RMI former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Marshall Islands District	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras
Death rate	4.78 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	6.04 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$86.5 million (FY99/00 est.)	$1.362 billion (June 2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Greta N. MORRIS embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379 telephone: [692] 247-4011 FAX: [692] 247-4012	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 Banny DE BRUM chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236 consulate(s) general: Honolulu	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	claims US territory of Wake Island	Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the largely uninhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; OAS is attempting to revive the 2002 failed 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	$51.1 million more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002	NA
Economy - overview	US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production, primarily subsistence, is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Amended Compact of Free Association, the US will provide millions of dollars per year to the Marshall Islands (RMI) through 2023, at which time a Trust Fund made up of US and RMI contributions will begin perpetual annual payouts. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade.	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 6% in 1999-2004. 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	-	108.8 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	-	117 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m
Environment - current issues	inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels	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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, 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	Micronesian	mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of the legislature elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held November 2007) election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100%	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	$9.1 million f.o.b. (2000)	NA
Exports - commodities	copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish	sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
Exports - partners	US, Japan, Australia, China (2004)	US 37.2%, UK 26.8%, Jamaica 4.6% (2004)
Fiscal year	1 October - 30 September	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes	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: 31.7% industry: 14.9% services: 53.4% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 17.7% industry: 15% services: 67.3% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $6,500 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	3.5% (2005 est.)	3.5% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	9 00 N, 168 00 E	17 15 N, 88 45 W
Geography - note	Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is used as a US missile test range; island city of Ebeye is the second largest settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and one of the most densely populated locations in the Pacific	only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
Highways	-	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	$54.7 million f.o.b. (2000)	NA
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco	machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco
Imports - partners	US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2004)	US 30.1%, Mexico 12%, Guatemala 7.4%, Cuba 7.2%, China 4.2%, Japan 4.1% (2004)
Independence	21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)	21 September 1981 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	4.6% (1999)
Industries	copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items from seashells, wood, and pearls	garment production, food processing, tourism, construction
Infant mortality rate	total: 28.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	total: 25.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.97 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3% (2005 est.)	2.9% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO	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
Irrigated land	0 sq km	30 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court; High Court; Traditional Rights Court	Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister)
Labor force	14,680 (2000)	90,000 note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 21.4% industry: 20.9% services: 57.7%	agriculture 27%, industry 18%, services 55% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 516 km border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Land use	arable land: 11.11% permanent crops: 44.44% other: 44.45% (2005)	arable land: 2.85% permanent crops: 1.71% other: 95.44% (2001)
Languages	Marshallese 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census) note: English widely spoken as a second language; both Marshallese and English are official languages	English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole
Legal system	based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws	English law
Legislative branch	unicameral legislature or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held by November 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: the Council of Chiefs or Ironij is a 12-member body comprised of tribal chiefs that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice	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 March 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PUP 21, UDP 8
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 70.31 years male: 68.33 years female: 72.39 years (2006 est.)	total population: 68.44 years male: 66.54 years female: 70.44 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.7% male: 93.6% female: 93.7% (1999)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.1% male: 94.1% female: 94.1% (2003 est.)
Location	Oceania, two archipelagic island chains of 29 atolls, each made up of many small islets, and five single islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia	Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
Map references	Oceania	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 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: 795 ships (1000 GRT or over) 30,772,611 GRT/50,987,293 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 178, cargo 53, chemical tanker 133, container 147, liquefied gas 25, passenger 7, petroleum tanker 234, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 730 (Australia 2, Bermuda 4, Brazil 1, Canada 6, Chile 1, Croatia 2, Cyprus 15, Denmark 1, Finland 2, Germany 194, Greece 199, Hong Kong 7, Isle of Man 1, Italy 1, Japan 7, South Korea 1, Latvia 7, Monaco 8, Netherlands 1, Norway 65, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 6, Slovenia 3, Spain 3, Switzerland 13, Turkey 20, UAE 3, UK 12, US 143) registered in other countries: 1 (North Korea 1) (2006)	total: 295 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,015,270 GRT/1,336,890 DWT by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 207, chemical tanker 9, container 6, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 17, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 142 (Australia 2, Belgium 1, China 50, Cuba 1, Cyprus 1, Estonia 9, Germany 4, Hong Kong 6, Indonesia 3, Italy 2, Japan 5, Latvia 4, Malaysia 1, Nigeria 1, Pakistan 1, Poland 2, Russia 23, Singapore 5, South Korea 6, Spain 3, Switzerland 1, Turkey 2, Ukraine 4, UAE 3, United States 2) (2005)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the US	-
Military branches	no regular military forces; Marshall Islands Police	Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure	NA	$18 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	2% (2003)
National holiday	Constitution Day, 1 May (1979)	Independence Day, 21 September (1981)
Nationality	noun: Marshallese (singular and plural) adjective: Marshallese	noun: Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean
Natural hazards	infrequent typhoons	frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Natural resources	coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals	arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Net migration rate	-5.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders	traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Aelon Kein Ad Party [Michael KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING]	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	60,422 (July 2006 est.)	279,457 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	33% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate	2.25% (2006 est.)	2.33% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Belize City
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 note: additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein (2005)	AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none 1.5% (1999 census)	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: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 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 (2005 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) and mini-satellite telephones international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001)	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	5,510 (2004)	33,300 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	1,198 (2004)	60,400 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	2 (both are US military stations) note: Marshalls Broadcasting Service (cable company) operates on Majuro (2005)	2 (1997)
Terrain	low coral limestone and sand islands	flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Total fertility rate	3.85 children born/woman (2006 est.)	3.68 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	30.9% (2000 est.)	12.9% (2003)
Waterways	-	825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2004)

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