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Compare West Bank (2006) - Belize (2002)

Compare West Bank (2006) z Belize (2002)

 West Bank (2006)Belize (2002)
 West BankBelize
Administrative divisions - 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Age structure 0-14 years: 42.9% (male 541,110/female 515,202)


15-64 years: 53.7% (male 676,427/female 644,347)


65 years and over: 3.4% (male 35,440/female 47,966) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 41.6% (male 55,716; female 53,581)


15-64 years: 54.9% (male 73,068; female 71,368)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,511; female 4,755) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane; lumber; fish, cultured shrimp
Airports 3 (2006) 44 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
total: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 38


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 27 (2002)
Area total: 5,860 sq km


land: 5,640 sq km


water: 220 sq km


note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
total: 22,966 sq km


land: 22,806 sq km


water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Delaware slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Background The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provided that Israel would retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but were derailed by a second intifada that broke out in September 2000. In April 2003 the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement has been postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides have not followed through on their commitments. Longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT died in November 2004 and Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA President in January 2005, bringing hope of a turning point in the conflict. Israel and the PA agreed in February 2005 to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments, focused on security issues, in an effort to move the peace process forward. Progress has been slow because of different interpretations of the verbal agreement by the two sides. 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 31.67 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 31.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $964 million


expenditures: $1.34 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA; note - these budget data include Gaza Strip (2004)
revenues: $186 million


expenditures: $253 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.)
Capital - Belmopan
Climate temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 386 km
Constitution - 21 September 1981
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: West Bank
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Belize


former: British Honduras
Currency - Belizean dollar (BZD)
Death rate 3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 4.6 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $0; note - includes Gaza Strip (2002) $500 million (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US - chief of mission: Ambassador Russell F. FREEMAN


embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City


mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Unit 7401, APO AA 34025


telephone: [501] 227-7161


FAX: [501] 230-802
Diplomatic representation in the US - 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 West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region the "Line of Adjacency" established in 2000 as an agreed limit to check squatters settling in Belize, remains in place while the Organization of American States (OAS) assists states to resolve Guatemalan territorial claims in Belize and Guatemalan maritime access to the Caribbean Sea; Honduras claims the Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize
Economic aid - recipient $1.14 billion; note - includes Gaza Strip (2004 est.) $NA
Economy - overview The West Bank - the larger of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA)- has experienced a general decline in economic growth and a degradation in economic conditions made worse since the second intifadah began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely the result of the Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted labor and commodity market relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the Gaza Strip, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israeli settlements, or in joint industrial zones, have lost their jobs. International aid of $2 billion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. In 2005, high unemployment and limited trade opportunities, due to continued closures both within the West Bank and externally, stymied growth. 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 expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to GDP growth of 6.4% in 1999 and 10.5% in 2000. Growth decelerated in 2001 to 3% due to the global slowdown and severe hurricane damage to agriculture, fishing, and tourism. Major concerns continue to be the rapidly expanding trade deficit and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 178.56 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports NA kWh 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants 192 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 58%


hydro: 42%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m


highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m
Environment - current issues adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal
Environment - international 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 Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17% mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%
Exchange rates new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001) Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar)
Executive branch - 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 $270 million f.o.b.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) $239.6 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
Exports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004) EU 45% (UK 33%), US 42%, Caricom 6%, Canada 1% (1999)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description - 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 - $830 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 9%


industry: 28%


services: 63%


note: includes Gaza Strip (2002 est.)
agriculture: 18%


industry: 24%


services: 58% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $3,250 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.2% (2004 est.) 3% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 32 00 N, 35 15 E 17 15 N, 88 45 W
Geography - note landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 242 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August 2005 est.) only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
Highways - total: 2,880 km


paved: 490 km


unpaved: 2,390 km (1998 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; some money-laundering activity related to offshore sector
Imports $1.952 billion c.i.f.; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) $505 million c.i.f. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities food, consumer goods, construction materials machinery and transportation equipment, manufactured goods; food, beverages, tobacco; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2004) US 51%, Mexico 12%, Central America 5%, UK 4% (1999)
Independence - 21 September 1981 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 4.6% (1999) (1999)
Industries generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers garment production, food processing, tourism, construction
Infant mortality rate total: 19.15 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.12 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
24.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7% (includes Gaza Strip) (2003 est.) 1.7% (2001 est.)
International organization participation - ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 2 (2000)
Irrigated land 150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003) 30 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister)
Labor force 614,000 (April-June 2005) 90,000


note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 18.4%


industry: 24%


services: 57.6% (April-June 2005)
agriculture 27%, industry 18%, services 55% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries total: 404 km


border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
total: 516 km


border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Land use arable land: 16.9%


permanent crops: 18.97%


other: 64.13% (2001)
arable land: 2.81%


permanent crops: 1.1%


other: 96.09% (1998 est.)
Languages Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood) English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole
Legal system - English law
Legislative branch - 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: 73.27 years


male: 71.5 years


female: 75.15 years (2006 est.)
total population: 71.46 years


male: 69.17 years


female: 73.87 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 91.9%


male: 96.3%


female: 87.4% (2003 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 Middle East, west of Jordan Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
Map references Middle East Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims none (landlocked) 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: 315 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,240,551 GRT/1,761,168 DWT


ships by type: bulk 26, cargo 204, chemical tanker 6, combination ore/oil 1, container 12, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 39, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Albania 2, Belgium 3, British Virgin Islands 6, Cambodia 1, China 38, Cyprus 1, Ecuador 1, Egypt 1, Equatorial Guinea 1, Eritrea 1, Estonia 7, Germany 3, Greece 4, Grenada 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 20, Indonesia 6, Italy 2, Japan 4, Jordan 1, Lebanon 1, Liberia 5, Malaysia 3, Malta 2, Man, Isle of 1, Marshall Islands 13, Mexico 1, Netherlands 1, Nigeria 1, Panama 12, Philippines 4, Portugal 1, Romania 1, Russia 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 22, South Korea 10, Spain 4, Switzerland 1, Taiwan 1, Thailand 6, Tunisia 1, Turkey 1, Ukraine 3, United Arab Emirates 9, United Kingdom 2, United States 4, Virgin Islands (UK) 6, Yemen 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches - Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA $7.7 million (FY00/01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 1.87% (FY00/01)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 64,909 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 38,472 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 2,847 (2002 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 21 September (1981)
Nationality noun: NA


adjective: NA
noun: Belizean(s)


adjective: Belizean
Natural hazards droughts frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Natural resources arable land arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Net migration rate 2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Political parties and leaders - 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 - Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Adele CATZIM]
Population 2,460,492


note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.)
262,999 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line 46% including Gaza Strip (2004 est.) 33% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 3.06% (2006 est.) 2.65% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors - Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 0 (2005) AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios - 133,000 (1997)
Railways - 0 km
Religions Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8% 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: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.74 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: 0.95 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage - 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services in the Gaza Strip; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services


international: country code - 970
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 357,300 (includes Gaza Strip) (2004) 31,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1.095 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2005) 3,023 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 8 (2005) 2 (1997)
Terrain mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Total fertility rate 4.28 children born/woman (2006 est.) 3.96 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 19.9% (includes Gaza Strip) (January-September 2005) 11.5% (2000) (2000)
Waterways - 825 km (river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable)
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