Monaco (2006) | Belize (2008) | |
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Administrative divisions | none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo | 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 15.2% (male 2,539/female 2,417)
15-64 years: 62.1% (male 9,959/female 10,266) 65 years and over: 22.6% (male 3,015/female 4,347) (2006 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 | none | bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments |
Airports | - | 44 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | 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: 40
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 27 (2007) |
Area | total: 1.95 sq km
land: 1.95 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km |
Area - comparative | about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Massachusetts |
Background | The Genoese built a fortress on the site of present-day Monaco in 1215. The current ruling Grimaldi family secured control in the late 13th century, and a principality was established in 1338. Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center. | 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 | 9.19 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 28.34 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $719.2 million
expenditures: $864.1 million; including capital expenditures of $283.1 million (2004) |
revenues: $328.5 million
expenditures: $365 million (2007 est.) |
Capital | name: Monaco
geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
name: Belmopan
geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers | tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) |
Coastline | 4.1 km | 386 km |
Constitution | 17 December 1962 | 21 September 1981 |
Country name | conventional long form: Principality of Monaco
conventional short form: Monaco local long form: Principaute de Monaco local short form: Monaco |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras |
Death rate | 12.91 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 5.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $18 billion (2000 est.) | $1.2 billion (June 2005 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France) under the authority of the US ambassador to France is accredited to Monaco | 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 | Monaco does not have an embassy in the US
consulate(s) general: 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 | $NA | $12.91 million (2005) |
Economy - overview | Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. In 2001, a major construction project extended the pier used by cruise ships in the main harbor. The principality has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting industries. The state has no income tax and low business taxes and thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and offices. The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors, including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas. | 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 | NA kWh | 162.8 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | - | 200 million kWh (2007 est.) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Agel 140 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
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 | French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21% | mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001) | Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005)
head of government: Minister of State Jean-Paul PROUST (since 1 June 2005) cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government |
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 | $656.5 million $NA
note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France |
1,960 bbl/day (2006) |
Exports - commodities | - | sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood |
Exports - partners | - | US 33.9%, UK 33.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 3.7% (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red | 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: 17%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 21.3%
industry: 13.7% services: 65% (2007 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 0.9% (2000 est.) | 3% (2007 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 43 44 N, 7 24 E | 17 15 N, 88 45 W |
Geography - note | second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban | only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean |
Heliports | 1 (2006) | - |
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 | $636.6 million $NA
note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France |
6,754 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | - | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco |
Imports - partners | - | US 35.7%, Mexico 13%, Cuba 7.7%, Guatemala 7.2%, China 4.3% (2006) |
Independence | 1419 (beginning of the rule by the House of Grimaldi) | 21 September 1981 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 0.5% (2007 est.) |
Industries | tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products | garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.35 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 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) | 1.9% (2000) | 2.8% (2007 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO | 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 | 30 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council) | Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) |
Labor force | 41,110
note: includes workers from all foreign countries (2004) |
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: 4.4 km
border countries: France 4.4 km |
total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2005) |
arable land: 3.05%
permanent crops: 1.39% other: 95.56% (2005) |
Languages | French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque | 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 French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | English law |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional representation; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UNAM 21, UND 3 |
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: 79.69 years
male: 75.85 years female: 83.74 years (2006 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: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (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 Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy | Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico |
Map references | Europe | 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 negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | registered in other countries: 77 (Bahamas 17, Barbados 1, Bermuda 2, France 1, Georgia 13, Isle of Man 3, Liberia 10, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 8, Norway 4, Panama 9, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Switzerland 2, unknown 1) (2006) | 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 - note | defense is the responsibility of France; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties (2003) | - |
Military branches | - | Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1.4% (2006) |
National holiday | National Day (Prince of Monaco Holiday), 19 November | Independence Day, 21 September (1981) |
Nationality | noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s)
adjective: Monegasque or Monacan |
noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean |
Natural hazards | NA | frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south) |
Natural resources | none | arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 7.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | National and Democratic Union or UND [Guy MAGNAN]; Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM) | 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 | 32,543 (July 2006 est.) | 294,385 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 33.5% (2002 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.4% (2006 est.) | 2.258% (2007 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998) | AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 90% | 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: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2006 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: modern automatic telephone system
domestic: NA international: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system |
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 | 33,700 (2002) | 33,900 (2006) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 19,300 (2002) | 118,300 (2006) |
Television broadcast stations | 5 (1998) | 5 (2006) |
Terrain | hilly, rugged, rocky | flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south |
Total fertility rate | 1.76 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 3.52 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 22% (1999) | 9.4% (2006) |
Waterways | - | 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007) |