gnition
and autonomy.

Belize
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.

Benin
Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West
African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became
a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960,
as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended
in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the
establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles.
A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later,
free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as
president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa
from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by
elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were
alleged. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006
and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and
independent. YAYI has begun a high profile fight against corruption
and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth.

Bermuda
Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English
colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North
American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism
continues to be important to the island's economy, although
international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has
developed into a highly successful offshore financial center.
Although a referendum on independence from the UK was soundly
defeated in 1995, the present government has reopened debate on the
issue.

Bhutan
In 1865, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu,
under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for
ceding some border land to British India. Under British