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 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include the country's heavy foreign debt burden, high unemployment, growing involvement in the Mexican and South American drug trade, high crime rates, and one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Central America.

Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico

17 15 N, 88 45 W

Central America and the Caribbean

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

386 km

tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)

flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south

highest point: Doyle's Delight 1,160 m

arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower

arable land 3.3%; permanent crops 1.4%; permanent pasture 2.2%

35 sq km (2012)

approximately 25 to 30% of the population lives in the former capital, Belize City; over half of the overall population is rural; population density is slightly higher in the north and east

frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)

deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal

only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean

353,858 (July 2016 est.)

mestizo 52.9%, Creole 25.9%, Maya 11.3%, Garifuna 6.1%, East Indian 3.9%, Mennonite 3.6%, white 1.2%, Asian 1%, other 1.2%, unknown 0.3%

English 62.9% (official), Spanish 56.6%, Creole 44.6%, Maya 10.5%, German 3.2%, Garifuna 2.9%, other 1.8%, unknown 0.3%, none 0.2% (cannot speak)

Roman Catholic 40.1%, Protestant 31.5% (includes Pentecostal 8.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.4%, Anglican 4.7%, Mennonite 3.7%, Baptist 3.6%, Methodist 2.9%, Nazarene 2.8%), Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, other 10.5% (includes Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, Morman, Muslim, Rastafarian), unknown 0.6%, none 15.5% (2010 est.)

Migration continues to transform Belize's population. About 16% of Belizeans live abroad, while immigrants constitute approximately 15% of Belize's population. Belizeans seeking job and educational opportunities have preferred to emigrate to the United States rather than former colonizer Great Britain because of the United States' closer proximity and stronger trade ties with Belize. Belizeans also emigrate to Canada, Mexico, and English-speaking Caribbean countries. The emigration of a large share of Creoles (Afro-Belizeans) and the influx of Central American immigrants, mainly Guatemalans, Salvadorans, and Hondurans, has changed Belize's ethnic composition. Mestizos have become the largest ethnic group, and Belize now has more native Spanish speakers than English or Creole speakers, despite English being the official language. In addition, Central American immigrants are establishing new communities in rural areas, which contrasts with the urbanization trend seen in neighboring countries. Recently, Chinese, European, and North American immigrants have become more frequent.

Immigration accounts for an increasing share of Belize's population growth rate, which is steadily falling due to fertility decline. Belize's declining birth rate and its increased life expectancy are creating an aging population. As the elderly population grows and nuclear families replace extended households, Belize's government will be challenged to balance a rising demand for pensions, social services, and healthcare for its senior citizens with the need to reduce poverty and social inequality and to improve sanitation.

1.84% (2016 est.)

24.3 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

6 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

approximately 25 to 30% of the population lives in the former capital, Belize City; over half of the overall population is rural; population density is slightly higher in the north and east

BELMOPAN (capital) 17,000 (2014)

28 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

2.9 children born/woman (2016 est.)

55.2% (2011)

5.8% of GDP (2014)

0.83 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

1.1 beds/1,000 population (2012)

urban: 98.9% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 99.5% of population

urban: 1.1% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0.5% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 93.5% of population

rural: 88.2% of population

total: 90.5% of population

urban: 6.5% of population

rural: 11.8% of population

total: 9.5% of population (2015 est.)

1.52% (2015 est.)

3,600 (2015 est.)

100 (2015 est.)

20.6% (2014)

6.2% (2011)

6.2% of GDP (2013)

parliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo

21 September 1981 (from the UK)

Battle of St. George's Caye Day (National Day), September 10, 1798; Independence Day, 21 September (1981)

previous 1954, 1963 (preindependence); latest signed and entered into force 21 September 1981; amended several times, last in 2012 (2016)

English common law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Belize Progressive Party or BPP [Patrick ROGERS] (formed in 2015 from a merger of the People's National Party, elements of the VIP, and other smaller political groups)

People's United Party or PUP [vacant]

United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean Oliver BARROW]

National Trade Union Congress of Belize or NTUC/B [Marvin MORA]

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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 of 50 mahogany leaves; the colors are those of the two main political parties: blue for the PUP and red for the UDP; various elements of the coat of arms - the figures, the tools, the mahogany tree, and the garland of leaves - recall the logging industry that led to British settlement of Belize

Baird's tapir (a large, browsing, forest-dwelling mammal), keel-billed toucan, Black Orchid; national colors: red, blue

Tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner in this small economy, followed by exports of crude oil, marine products, sugar, citrus, and bananas.

The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to GDP growth averaging nearly 4% in 1999-2007. Oil discoveries in 2006 bolstered this growth and oil exploration continues, but production has fallen in recent years and future oil revenues remain uncertain. Growth slipped to 0% in 2009, due to the global economic slowdown, natural disasters, and a temporary drop in the price of oil, but growth grew to 2.2% in 2015.

Although Belize has the third highest per capita income in Central America, the average income figure masks a huge income disparity between rich and poor, and a key government objective remains reducing poverty and inequality with the help of international donors. High unemployment, a growing trade deficit and heavy foreign debt burden continue to be major concerns.

$3.049 billion (2015 est.)

$3.005 billion (2014 est.)

$2.901 billion (2013 est.)

$1.763 billion (2015 est.)

1.5% (2015 est.)

3.6% (2014 est.)

1.5% (2013 est.)

$8,400 (2015 est.)

$8,400 (2014 est.)

$8,300 (2013 est.)

10.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

13% of GDP (2014 est.)

13.7% of GDP (2013 est.)

bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber

garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil

0.4% (2015 est.)

120,500

12.9% (2014 est.)

14.1% (2013 est.)

41% (2013 est.)

28.4% of GDP (2015 est.)

-8.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

82.4% of GDP (2015 est.)

76.5% of GDP (2014 est.)

1 April - 31 March

-0.9% (2015 est.)

1.2% (2014 est.)

18% (31 December 2010)

12% (31 December 2009)

10.32% (31 December 2015 est.)

10.82% (31 December 2014 est.)

$764.3 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$656.9 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.539 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.336 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.174 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$979.5 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$NA

-$181 million (2015 est.)

-$130 million (2014 est.)

$537.9 million (2015 est.)

$588.6 million (2014 est.)

sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood, crude oil

UK 30.8%, US 18.7%, Nigeria 6.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.8%, Ireland 4.2%, Jamaica 4.2% (2015)

$961.3 million (2015 est.)

$925.5 million (2014 est.)

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco

US 26.6%, Mexico 11.7%, Cuba 10.2%, Guatemala 9%, China 7.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.6% (2015)

$437.2 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$486.9 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.309 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.288 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Belizean dollars (BZD) per US dollar -

2 (2015 est.)

2 (2014 est.)

2 (2013 est.)

2 (2012 est.)

2 (2011 est.)

300 million kWh (2014 est.)

400 million kWh (2014 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

200 million kWh (2014 est.)

200,000 kW (2014 est.)

46.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

27.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

25.8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

2,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)

3,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

6.7 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)

33.05 bbl/day (2013 est.)

3,700 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

3,638 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)

700,000 Mt (2013 est.)

8 privately owned TV stations; multi-channel cable TV provides access to foreign stations; about 25 radio stations broadcasting on roughly 50 different frequencies; state-run radio was privatized in 1998 (2007)

.bz

V3 (2016)

47 (2013)

825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2011)

Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, BDF Air Wing (includes Special Boat Unit), BDF Volunteer Guard (2011)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1; initial service obligation 12 years (2012)

NA% (2012)

1.08% of GDP (2011)

NA% (2010)

Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize, but agrees to the Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior; both countries agreed in April 2012 to hold simultaneous referenda, scheduled for 6 October 2013, to decide whether to refer the dispute to the ICJ for binding resolution, but this vote was suspended indefinitely; Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty

transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis, primarily for local consumption; offshore sector money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and other crimes (2008)