lve the dispute have
begun
Climate:
tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to February)
Terrain:
flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Natural resources:
arable land potential, timber, fish
Land use:
arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and
woodland 44%; other 52%, includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
frequent devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding
(especially in south); deforestation
Note:
national capital moved 80 km inland from Belize City to Belmopan because of
hurricanes; only country in Central America without a coastline on the North
Pacific Ocean

:Belize People

Population:
229,143 (July 1992), growth rate 3.0% (1992)
Birth rate:
31 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
30 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
67 years male, 73 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
3.8 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Belizean(s); adjective - Belizean
Ethnic divisions:
Creole 39.7%, Mestizo 33.1%, Maya 9.5%, Garifuna 7.6%, East Indian 2.1%,
other 8.0%
Religions:
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%, unknown 3%, other 3% (1980)
Languages:
English (official), Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib)
Literacy:
91% (male 91%, female 91%) age 15 and over having ever attended school
(1970)
Labor force:
51,500; agriculture 30.0%, services 16.0%, government 15.4%, commerce 11.2%,
manufacturing 10.3%; shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical
personnel (1985)
Organized labor:
12% of labor force; 7 unions currently active

:Belize Government

Long-form name:
none
Type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Belmopan
Administrative divisions:
6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Independence:
21 September 1981 (from UK; formerly British Honduras)
Constitution:
21 September 1981
Legal system:
English law
National holiday:
Independence Day, 21 September
Executive branch:
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
Cabinet
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