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Compare Sierra Leone (2001) - Belize (2001)
Compare Sierra Leone (2001) z Belize (2001)
| Sierra Leone (2001) | Belize (2001) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* | 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo |
| Age structure | 0-14 years:
44.73% (male 1,190,207; female 1,237,326) 15-64 years: 52.12% (male 1,351,455; female 1,477,155) 65 years and over: 3.15% (male 84,364; female 86,111) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years:
42.04% (male 54,876; female 52,780) 15-64 years: 54.43% (male 70,534; female 68,837) 65 years and over: 3.53% (male 4,403; female 4,632) (2001 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish | bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane; lumber; fish, cultured shrimp |
| Airports | 11 (2000 est.) | 44 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total:
4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
10 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
total:
40 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 29 (2000 est.) |
| Area | total:
71,740 sq km land: 71,620 sq km water: 120 sq km |
total:
22,966 sq km land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than South Carolina | slightly smaller than Massachusetts |
| Background | Since 1991, civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well over one-third of the population) many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries. A peace agreement, signed in July 1999, collapsed in May 2000 after the RUF took over 500 UN peacekeepers hostage. The RUF stepped up attacks on Guinea in December 2000, despite a cease-fire that it signed with the Freetown government one month earlier. As of late 2000, up to 13,000 UN peacekeepers were protecting the capital and key towns in the south. A UK force of 750 was helping to reinforce security and train the Sierra Leone army. | 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 | 45.11 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 31.69 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Budget | revenues:
$96 million expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues:
$157 million expenditures: $279 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
| Capital | Freetown | Belmopan |
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April) | tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) |
| Coastline | 402 km | 386 km |
| Constitution | 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times | 21 September 1981 |
| Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Sierra Leone conventional short form: Sierra Leone |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras |
| Currency | leone (SLL) | Belizean dollar (BZD) |
| Death rate | 19.19 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Debt - external | $1.28 billion (1999) | $338 million (1998) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Joseph H. MELROSE, Jr. embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX: [232] (22) 225471 |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Carolyn CURIEL embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Unit 7401, APO AA 34025 telephone: [501] (2) 77161 FAX: [501] (2) 30802 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador John Ernest LEIGH chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793 |
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 | civil war has engendered massive refugee movements into neighboring Guinea and Liberia | Guatemala periodically asserts claims to territory in southern Belize; to deter cross-border squatting, both states in 2000 agreed to a "line of adjacency" based on the de facto boundary, which is not recognized by Guatemala |
| Economic aid - recipient | $203.7 million (1995) | $NA |
| Economy - overview | Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Bauxite and rutile mines have been shut down by civil strife. The major source of hard currency is found in the mining of diamonds, the large majority of which are smuggled out of the country. The resurgence of internal warfare in 1999 brought another substantial drop in GDP, with GNP recovering part of the way in 2000. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad. | The small, essentially private enterprise economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming greater importance. Sugar, the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of exports, while the banana industry is the country's largest employer. The government's tough austerity program in 1997 resulted in an economic slowdown that continued in 1998. The trade deficit has been growing, mostly as a result of low export prices for sugar and bananas. The tourist and construction sectors strengthened in early 1999, supporting growth of 6% in 1999 and 4% in 2000. Aided by international donors, the government's key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty. |
| Electricity - consumption | 223.2 million kWh (1999) | 172.1 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production | 240 million kWh (1999) | 185 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel:
56.76% hydro: 43.24% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m |
| Environment - current issues | rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing | deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid waste disposal |
| Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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 | 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians | mestizo 43.7%, Creole 29.8%, Maya 10%, Garifuna 6.2%, other 10.3% |
| Exchange rates | leones per US dollar - 1,653.39 (January 2001), 2,092.13 (2000), 1,804.20 (1999), 1,563.62 (1998), 981.48 (1997), 920.73 (1996) | Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) |
| Executive branch | chief of state:
President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election held 26-27 February and 15 March 1996 (next to be held NA September 2001); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH elected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 59.5%, John KAREFA-SMART (UNPP) 40.5% |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG (since 17 November 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Said MUSA (since 27 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; governor general appoints the member of the House of Representatives who is leader of the majority party to be prime minister |
| Exports | $65 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $235.7 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Exports - commodities | diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish | sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood |
| Exports - partners | Belgium 38%, US 6%, Italy 4%, UK 4% (1999) | US 42%, UK 33%, EU 12%, Caricom 4.8%, Canada 2%, Mexico 1% (1999) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue | 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 - $2.7 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $790 million (2000 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
43% industry: 26% services: 31% (1999) |
agriculture:
18% industry: 24% services: 58% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $510 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2000 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 4.2% (2000 est.) | 4% (2000 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 8 30 N, 11 30 W | 17 15 N, 88 45 W |
| Geography - note | - | only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean |
| Heliports | 1 (2000 est.) | - |
| Highways | total:
11,300 km paved: 904 km unpaved: 10,396 km (1997) |
total:
2,872 km paved: 488 km unpaved: 2,384 km (1998 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
0.5% highest 10%: 43.6% (1989) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Illicit drugs | - | minor transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; minor money-laundering center |
| Imports | $145 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $413 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.) |
| Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals | machinery and transportation equipment, manufactured goods; food, beverages, tobacco; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals |
| Imports - partners | UK 34%, US 8%, Italy 7%, Nigeria 5% (1999) | US 58%, Mexico 12%, UK 5% EU 5%, Central America 5%, Caricom 4% (1998) |
| Independence | 27 April 1961 (from UK) | 21 September 1981 (from UK) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 4.6% (1999) |
| Industries | mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining | garment production, food processing, tourism, construction |
| Infant mortality rate | 146.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 15% (2000 est.) | 2% (2000 est.) |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | 2 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | 290 sq km (1993 est.) | 20 sq km (1993 est.) |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court | Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister) |
| Labor force | 1.369 million (1981 est.)
note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985) |
71,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1997 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | agriculture 38%, industry 32%, services 30% (1994) |
| Land boundaries | total:
958 km border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km |
total:
516 km border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km |
| Land use | arable land:
7% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 31% forests and woodland: 28% other: 33% (1993 est.) |
arable land:
10% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 84% other: 3% (2000 est.) |
| Languages | English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) | English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole |
| Legal system | based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | English law |
| Legislative branch | unicameral House of Representatives (80 seats - 68 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held NA 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 36.1%, UNPP 21.6%, PDP 15.3%, APC 5.7%, NUP 5.3%, DCP 4.8%, other 11.2%; seats by party - SLPP 27, UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5, NUP 4, DCP 3; note - first elections since the former House of Representatives was shut down by the military coup of 29 April 1992 |
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (eight members, five appointed on the advice of the prime minister, two on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one by the governor general; 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 27 August 1998 (next to be held by NA August 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 59.2%, UDP 40.8%; seats by party - PUP 26, UDP 3 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
45.6 years male: 42.69 years female: 48.61 years (2001 est.) |
total population:
71.19 years male: 68.91 years female: 73.57 years (2001 est.) |
| Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic total population: 31.4% male: 45.4% female: 18.2% (1995 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.3% male: 70.3% female: 70.3% (1991 est.) note: other sources list the literacy rate as high as 75% |
| Location | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia | Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico |
| Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea:
200 NM continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
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 the negotiation of a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala |
| Merchant marine | total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,057 GRT/3,498 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.) |
total:
402 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,575,851 GRT/2,241,731 DWT ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 265, chemical tanker 6, combination ore/oil 1, container 14, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 18, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cuba 1, Singapore 1, US 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military branches | Army | Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $46 million (FY96/97) | $17 million (FY98/99) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2% (FY96/97) | 2.4% (FY98/99) |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
1,161,790 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49:
62,698 (2001 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
563,631 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49:
37,174 (2001 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
2,847 (2001 est.) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 27 April (1961) | Independence Day, 21 September (1981) |
| Nationality | noun:
Sierra Leonean(s) adjective: Sierra Leonean |
noun:
Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean |
| Natural hazards | dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms | frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south) |
| Natural resources | diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite | arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower |
| Net migration rate | 10.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: by the end of 1999 refugees from Sierra Leone are assumed to be returning |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | All People's Congress or APC [Edward Mohammed TURAY, chairman]; Democratic Centre Party or DCP [Adu Aiah KOROMA]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Amadu M. B. JALLOH]; National Republican Party or NRP [Sahr Stephen MAMBU]; National Unity Party or NUP [Dr. John KARIMU, chairman]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Thaimu BANGURA, chairman]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Abass Chernok BUNDU, chairman]; Revolutionary United Front Party or RUFP [Foday SANKOH, chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH, chairman]; United National People's Party or UNPP [John KARIFA-SMART in exile, Raymond KAMARA, acting leader] | People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean BARROW, Doug SINGH] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | Trade Unions and Student Unions | Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Diane HAYLOCK]; United Worker's Front |
| Population | 5,426,618 (July 2001 est.) | 256,062 (July 2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 68% (1989 est.) | 33% (1999 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 3.61% (2001 est.) | 2.7% (2001 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel | Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999) | AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios | 1.12 million (1997) | 133,000 (1997) |
| Railways | total:
84 km used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge |
0 km |
| Religions | Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% | Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 30% (Anglican 12%, Methodist 6%, Mennonite 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Pentecostal 2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6% (1980) |
| Sex ratio | at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 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: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment:
marginal telephone and telegraph service domestic: national microwave radio relay trunk system, made unserviceable by military activities, is now operating from Freetown to Bo and Kenema (April 2001) international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment:
above-average system domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 17,000 (1997) | 31,000 (1997) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 650 (1999) | 3,023 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations | 2 (1999) | 2 (1997) |
| Terrain | coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east | flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south |
| Total fertility rate | 6.01 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 4.05 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | NA% | 12.8% (1999) |
| Waterways | 800 km (of which 600 km navigable year round) | 825 km (river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable) |
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