Bureau of Western Hemisphere
Affairs
July
2007
Background Note:
Belize
Boys maneuver boat past pier
and
toward beach of Caye Caulker,
Belize.
December 28, 2005. [© AP
Images]
Flag of Belize is 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.
PROFILE
OFFICIAL
NAME:
Belize
Geography
Area: 22,966 sq. km. (8,867 sq. mi.); slightly larger than
Massachusetts.
Cities: Capital--Belmopan (2005 pop.
est. 13,500) Other cities
and
towns--Belize City (60,800), Corozal (8,800), Orange Walk (15,300),
San
Ignacio & Santa Elena (16,800),
Dangriga (10,800), Punta Gorda (5,000), and
San Pedro
(8,400).
Terrain: Flat and swampy coastline, low mountains in
interior.
Climate: Subtropical (dry and wet seasons). Hot and humid. Rainfall
ranges
from 60 inches in the north to 200 inches in the
south
annually.
People
Nationality: Noun and
adjective--Belizean(s).
Population (2006 est.):
299,766.
Annual growth rate (2006):
3.4%.
Ethnic groups: Creole, Garifuna, Mestizo,
Mayan.
Religions: Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, other Protestant,
Muslim,
Hindu, and
Buddhist.
Languages: English (official), Creole, Spanish, Garifuna,
Mayan.
Education: Years compulsory--9. (2005 est.):
Attendance--60%.
Literacy--76.5%.
Health: (2003): Infant mortality rate--14.8/1,000. Life
expectancy--67.4
years.
Work force (April 2006, 112,806): Services--60%. Agriculture,
hunting,
forestry, and
fishing--22%. Industry and
commerce--16%.
Government
Type: Parliamentary
democracy
Independence: September 21,
1981.
Constitution: September 21,
1981.
Branches: Executive--British monarch (head of state), represented by
a
governor general; prime
minister (head of government, 5-year
term).
Legislative--bicameral National Assembly. Judicial--Supreme Court, Court
of
Appeal, district
magistrates.
Subdivisions: Six
districts.
Political parties: People's United Party (PUP), United Democratic
Party
(UDP), National Alliance for
Belizean Rights (NABR). National Reform Party
(NRP),
Vision Inspired By the People (VIP), People's National Party (PNP), We
the People
(WTP).
Suffrage: Universal
adult.
Economy
GDP (2005): $1.79
billion.
Annual growth rate (2005): 5.1%; (2004):
9.2%.
Per capita income (2005):
$3,650.
Avg. inflation rate (2006):
4.3%.
Natural resources: Arable land, timber, seafood,
minerals.
Primary sectors (13.1% of GDP, 2005): Agriculture, forestry, fishing,
and
mining.
Secondary sectors (14.7% of GDP, 2005): Manufacturing, electricity
and water
supply, and
construction.
Tertiary sectors (63.2% of GDP, 2005): Hotels and restaurants,
financial
intermediation, and transport and
communication.
Trade: Exports (2005)--$212.83 million: cane sugar, clothing,
citrus
concentrate,
lobster, fish, banana, and farmed shrimp. Major markets--U.S.
(52.2%), U.K., CARICOM. Imports (2005)--$518.83 million: food,
consumer
goods, machinery, mineral
fuels and lubricants. Major suppliers--U.S. (39%),
Mexico,
U.K.
Official exchange rate: Since 1976 Belizean banks have bought U.S.
dollars at
the rate of 2.0175 and sold them at 1.9825, making for an
effective fixed
rate of Belize $2=U.S.
$1.
PEOPLE
Belize is the most sparsely populated nation in Central America. It
is larger
than El Salvador and compares in size to the State of
Massachusetts. Slightly
more than half of the population lives in
rural areas. About one-fourth live
in Belize City, the principal
port, commercial center, and former capital.
Most Belizeans are of multiracial descent. About 48.7% of the
population is
of mixed Mayan and European descent (Mestizo);
24.9% are of African and
Afro-European
(Creole) ancestry; about 10.6% are Mayan; and about 6.1% are
Afro-Amerindian (Garifuna). The remainder, about 9.7%, includes
European,
East Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and
North American
groups.
English, the official language, is spoken by virtually all except
the
refugees who arrived
during the past decade. Spanish is the native tongue of
about 50% of
the people and is spoken as a second language by another 20%.
The various Mayan groups still speak their indigenous languages, and
an
English Creole dialect similar to
the Creole dialects of the English-speaking
Caribbean Islands is
spoken by most. The rate of functional literacy is 76%.
About 50% of
the population is Roman Catholic; the Anglican Church and other
Protestant Christian groups account for most of the remaining 50%. Mennonite
settlers number about
8,500.
HISTORY
The Mayan civilization spread into the area of Belize between 1500 BC
and AD
300 and flourished until about AD 1200. Several major
archeological
sites--notably Caracol, Lamanai, Lubaantun, Altun Ha,
and
Xunantunich--reflect the advanced civilization and much denser
population of
that period. European contact began in 1502 when
Christopher Columbus sailed
along the coast. The first recorded
European settlement was established by
shipwrecked
English seamen in 1638. Over the next 150 years, more English
settlements were established. This period also was marked by
piracy,
indiscriminate logging, and sporadic attacks by Indians and
neighboring
Spanish
settlements.
Great Britain first sent an official representative to the area in
the late
18th century, but Belize was not formally termed the
"Colony of British
Honduras" until
1840. It became a crown colony in 1862. Subsequently, several
constitutional changes were enacted to expand representative government.
Full
internal self-government under a ministerial system was granted
in January
1964. The official name of the territory was
changed from British Honduras to
Belize in June 1973, and full
independence was granted on September 21,
1981.
GOVERNMENT
Belize is a parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster model
and is a
member of the Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II is head
of state and is
represented in
the country by Governor General Dr. Colville N. Young, Sr., a
Belizean and Belize's second governor general. The primary executive organ
of
government is the cabinet, led by a prime minister (head of
government).
Cabinet ministers are members of
the majority political party in parliament
and usually hold
elected seats in the National Assembly concurrently with
their cabinet
positions.
The National Assembly consists of a House of Representatives and a
Senate.
The 29 members of the House are popularly elected
to a maximum 5-year term.
The governor general appoints the
Senate's 12 members. Six are appointed in
accordance with the
advice of the prime minister, 3 with the advice of the
leader of the opposition. The Belize Council of Churches and the Evangelical
Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry
and the
Belize Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress
and the Civil
Society Steering Committee each advise the
Governor General on
the
appointment of one senator each. The Senate is headed by a president, who is
a nonvoting member appointed by the governing
party.
Members of the independent judiciary are appointed. The judicial
system
includes local magistrates, the
Supreme Court, and the Court of Appeal. Cases
may, under certain
circumstances, be appealed to the Privy Council in London.
However, in
2001 Belize joined with most members of the Caribbean
Common
Market (CARICOM) to establish a
"Caribbean Court of Justice," which was
inaugurated on April 16, 2005. The country is divided into six
districts:
Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize, Cayo,
Stann Creek, and
Toledo.
POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
Currently, the Belize Government is controlled by the People's United
Party
(PUP), which was elected to a second consecutive term in
office on March 5,
2003. The PUP won 22 of the 29 seats in the
House of Representatives, while
the United Democratic Party
(UDP) won the other seven seats. However, the PUP
lost one seat in
Parliament during a by-election held after the death of a
minister in October 2003, but still maintains a comfortable majority.
Dean
Barrow is the leader of the opposition. The PUP has
governed Belize from 1998
to the present; the UDP from 1993-98; the
PUP from 1989-1993; and the UDP
from 1984-89.
Before 1984, the PUP had dominated the electoral scene for more
than
30 years and was the party in power when Belize became independent
in
1981.
The government continues to implement an economic adjustment program,
with
the aim of (1) increasing revenues, (2) decreasing
public
sector
expenditures, (3) narrowing the fiscal deficit to 1% of GDP, (4)
improving
the balance of payments, and (5) increasing the
country's foreign reserves.
Belize's outstanding public debt at
the end of 2006 was U.S. $1.10 billion,
an amount that is
equivalent to approximately 100% of GDP. However,
on
January 31, 2007 the
Government of Belize officially announced that the
holders of Belize's public external commercial indebtedness have
agreed to
exchange their existing claims against the
country for new bonds to be issued
by Belize maturing in 2029. Belize
traditionally maintains a deep interest in
the environment and
sustainable development. A lack of government resources
seriously hampers these goals. On other fronts, the government is working to
improve its law enforcement capabilities. A longstanding territorial
dispute
with Guatemala continues, although cooperation between the
two countries has
increased in recent years across a wide spectrum of
common interests,
including
trade and environment. Seeing itself as a bridge, Belize
is
actively involved with
the Caribbean nations of CARICOM, and also has taken
steps to
work more closely with its Central American neighbors as a member of
SICA (Central American Integration
System).
Principal Government
Officials
Head of State--Queen Elizabeth
II
Governor General--Sir Colville N. Young,
Sr.
Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and the Public Service--Said
Musa
Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries--Vildo Marin
Minister of Home
Affairs, Public Utilities and Housing--Ralph
Fonseca
Attorney General
and Minister of Labor, Education and
Culture--Francis
Fonseca
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade--Lisa
Shoman
Ambassador to the United States--Nestor Mendez, Chargé d'Affaires,
a.i.
Ambassador to the OAS--Lisa
Shoman
Ambassador to the United Nations--Janine Coye
Felson
Belize maintains an embassy in the United States at 2535
Massachusetts Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel: 202-332-9636; fax:
202-332-6888) and a
consulate in Los Angeles. Belize travel information office in New York City:
800-624-0686.
ECONOMY
Forestry was the only economic activity of any consequence in Belize
until
well into the 20th century when the supply of
accessible timber began to
dwindle. Cane
sugar then became the principal export. Exports have recently
been augmented by expanded production of citrus, bananas, seafood,
and
apparel. The country has
about 809,000 hectares of arable land, only a small
fraction of which
is under cultivation. To curb land speculation,
the
government enacted
legislation in 1973 that requires non-Belizeans
to
complete a development
plan on land they purchase before obtaining title to
plots of
more than 10 acres of rural land or more than one-half acre of urban
land.
Domestic industry is limited, constrained by relatively high-cost
labor and
energy and a small domestic market. Some 185 U.S.
companies have operations
in Belize, including Archer Daniels
Midland, Texaco, and Esso. Tourism
attracts the most foreign direct investment, although significant
U.S.
investment also is found in
the telecommunications and agriculture sectors.
A combination of natural factors--climate, the longest barrier reef
in the
Western Hemisphere, numerous islands, excellent
fishing, safe waters for
boating, jungle
wildlife, and Mayan ruins--support the thriving
tourist
industry. Development costs are
high, but the Government of Belize has
designated tourism as one of its major development priorities. In
2006,
tourist arrivals totaled 900,000
(more than 90% from the United States).
Belize's investment policy is codified in the Belize Investment
Guide, which
sets out the development priorities for the country. A
country commercial
guide for Belize is available
from the U.S. Embassy's Economic/Commercial
section
and on the Web at:
href="http://belize.usembassy.gov/">http://belize.usembassy.gov/
investing_in_belize2.html
Infrastructure
A major constraint on the economic development of Belize continues to
be the
scarcity of infrastructure investments. As part of its
financial austerity
measures started in late 2004, the
government froze expenditures on several
capital projects.
Although electricity, telephone, and water utilities are
all relatively good, Belize has the most expensive electricity in the
region.
Large tracts of land, which would be suitable for development,
are
inaccessible due to lack of roads. Some roads, including sections of
major
highways, are subject to damage or closure during
the rainy season. Ports in
Belize City, Dangriga, and Big Creek
handle regularly scheduled shipping from
the United States and the
United Kingdom, although draft is limited to a
maximum of 10 feet in Belize City and 15 feet in southern ports.
American
Airlines, Continental Airlines, U.S. Air,
Delta Airlines, and TACA provide
international air
service to gateways in Dallas, Houston, Miami, Charlotte,
Atlanta, and San
Salvador.
Trade
Belize's economic performance is highly susceptible to external
market
changes. Although the
economy recorded a growth rate of 4.0% in 2006, this
achievement is vulnerable to world commodity price fluctuations
and
continuation of preferential trading agreements, especially with the
United
States and the European Union (cane sugar) and the
United Kingdom (bananas).
Belize continues to rely heavily on foreign trade, with the United
States as
its number-one trading partner. Imports in 2005 totaled
$518.83 million,
while total exports were
only $212.83 million. In 2005, the United States
provided 39% of all Belizean imports and accounted for 52.2% of
Belize's
total exports. Other major trading
partners include the United Kingdom,
European Union, Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM) member
states.
Belize aims to stimulate the growth of commercial agriculture
through
CARICOM. However,
Belizean trade with the rest of the Caribbean is small
compared to that with the United States and Europe. The country is
a
beneficiary of the
Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) program, which forms part
of the
U.S.-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act--signed into law
by
President Clinton on May
8, 2000--a comprehensive U.S. Government program
designed to stimulate investment in Caribbean nations by providing duty-free
access to the U.S. market for most Caribbean products. Significant
U.S.
private investments in citrus and
shrimp farms have been made in Belize under
CBI. U.S. trade
preferences allowing for duty-free re-import of finished
apparel cut from U.S. textiles have significantly expanded the
apparel
industry. European Union
(EU) and U.K. preferences also have been vital for
the
expansion and prosperity of the sugar and banana industries.
However,
these two markets face considerable World
Trade Organization
(WTO)
challenges.
NATIONAL
SECURITY
The Belize Defense Force (BDF), established in January 1973, is
comprised of
a light infantry force of regulars and reservists along
with small air and
maritime wings. The BDF, currently
under the command of Brigadier General
Lloyd
Gillett, assumed total defense responsibility from British
Forces
Belize (BFB) on January 1, 1994.
The United Kingdom continues to maintain the
British Army Training
Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) to assist in
the
administration of the Belize Jungle School. The BDF receives
military
assistance from
the United States and the United
Kingdom.
FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Belize's principal external concern has been the dispute involving
the
Guatemalan claim to Belizean
territory. This dispute originated in Imperial
Spain's claim to
all "New World" territories west of the line established in
the
Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. Nineteenth-century efforts to resolve the
problems led to later differences over interpretation and
implementation of
an 1859 treaty intended to establish the
boundaries between Guatemala and
Belize, then named
British Honduras. Guatemala contends that the 1859 treaty
is void
because the British failed to comply with all its economic assistance
clauses. Neither Spain nor Guatemala ever exercised effective
sovereignty
over the
area.
Negotiations have been underway for many years, including one period
in the
1960s in which the U.S. Government sought unsuccessfully
to mediate. A 1981
trilateral (Belize, Guatemala, and the
United Kingdom) "Heads of Agreement"
was not implemented due to
continued contentions. Belize became independent
on September
21, 1981, with the territorial dispute unresolved. Significant
negotiations between Belize and Guatemala, with the United Kingdom as
an
observer, resumed in 1988. Guatemala
recognized Belize's independence in
1991, and
diplomatic relations were
established.
Eventually, on November 8, 2000, the two parties agreed to respect
an
"adjacency zone"
extending one kilometer east and west from the
border.
Around this time, the
Government of Guatemala insisted that the territorial
claim was
a legal one and that the only possibility for a resolution was to
submit the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). However,
the
Government of Belize felt that taking the case
to the ICJ or to arbitration
represented an unnecessary expense
of time and money. So the Belizean
Government proposed an alternate process, one under the auspices of
the OAS.
Since then, despite efforts by the OAS to jumpstart the process,
movement has
been limited to confidence-building measures between the
parties. Both
countries now seem
receptive to referring the dispute to the International
Court of Justice for a binding
decision.
In order to strengthen its potential for economic and political
development,
Belize has sought to build closer ties with the
Spanish-speaking countries of
Central America to complement its
historical ties to the English-speaking
Caribbean
states. For instance, Belize has joined the other Central American
countries in signing the Conjunta Centroamerica-USA (CONCAUSA) agreement
on
regional sustainable development, and on January 1, 2007
assumed the
presidency of SICA (Central American Integration System) for a
6-month
period. Belize is a
member of CARICOM, which was founded in 1973. It became a
member of
the OAS in
1990.
U.S.-BELIZEAN
RELATIONS
The United States and Belize traditionally have had close and
cordial
relations. The
United States is Belize's principal trading partner and major
source
of investment funds. It is also home to the largest Belizean community
outside Belize, estimated to be 70,000 strong. Because Belize's
economic
growth and accompanying democratic
political stability are important U.S.
objectives,
Belize benefits from the U.S. Caribbean Basin
Initiative.
International crime issues dominate the agenda of bilateral relations
between
the United States and Belize. The United States is working
closely with the
Government of Belize to fight illicit
narcotics trafficking, and both
governments seek to control the flow of illegal migrants to the
United States
through Belize. Belize and the United States brought
into force a Stolen
Vehicle Treaty, an
Extradition Treaty, and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty
between 2001 and
2003.
The United States is the largest provider of economic assistance to
Belize,
contributing $2.5 million in various bilateral economic
and military aid
programs to Belize in FY
2006. Of this amount, nearly half a million dollars
was provided by
the U.S. Military Liaison Office. The U.S. Agency
for
International
Development (USAID) closed its Belize office in August 1996
after a 13-year program during which USAID provided $110 million
worth of
development assistance to Belize. Belize
still benefits from USAID regional
programs. In addition,
during the past 42 years, almost 2,000 Peace Corps
volunteers have served in Belize. As of April 2007, the Peace Corps had
58
volunteers working in Belize. Until the end of 2002,
Voice of America
operated a
medium-wave radio relay station in Punta Gorda that broadcast to
the neighboring countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
The U.S.
military has a diverse and growing assistance program
in Belize that included
the construction and renovation of several
schools and youth hostels, medical
assistance programs, and drug
reduction programs. Private North American
investors continue to play a key role in Belize's economy, particularly
in
the tourism
sector.
Principal U.S.
Officials
Ambassador--Robert J.
Dieter
Deputy Chief of Mission--Leonard A.
Hill
Economic/Political Officer--Thomas
Wise
Consul--Kimberly Valdes-Dapena,
Acting
Management
Officer--vacant
Military Liaison Officer--LTC Tammy
McNamara
The U.S. Embassy is located in the City of Belmopan on Floral Park
Street.
The mailing address is P.O. Box 497, Belmopan,
Cayo District, Belize, Central
America: tel: 011-501- 822-4011 from
the United States or 822-4011 locally;
fax: 011-501-822-4012
Main number; 822-4053 Administrative Office; 822-4050
Consular
Section. E-mail address:
href="mailto:embbelize@state.gov">embbelize@state.gov, Web site
address:
href="http://belize.usembassy.gov/">http://belize.usembassy.gov/.
Other useful
contacts
Caribbean/Latin American
Action
1818 N Street,
NW
Washington, DC
20036
Tel:
202-466-7464
Fax:
202-822-0075
U.S. Department of
Commerce
International Trade
Administration
Office of Latin American and the
Caribbean
14th & Constitution,
NW
Washington, DC
20230
Tel: 202-482-1658;
202-USA-TRADE
Fax:
202-482-0464
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS
INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans
traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information
Sheets, Public
Announcements, and Travel Warnings.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all
countries and include
information on entry and exit requirements, currency
regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political
disturbances, and
the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.
Public
Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly
about
terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that
pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings
are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or
unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling
abroad
should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs Internet
web site at
href="http://www.travel.state.gov">http://www.travel.state.gov, where the
current Worldwide Caution,
Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings
can be found. Consular Affairs
Publications,
which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a
safe
trip abroad, are also available at
href="http://www.travel.state.gov">http://www.travel.state.gov.
For
additional information on international
travel, see
href="http://www.usa.gov/">http://www.usa.gov/
Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizens who traveling or
residing
abroad to register via the State Department's travel
registration website or
at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate
abroad. Registration will make your
presence and whereabouts known in
case it is necessary to contact you in an
emergency and will
enable you to receive up-to-date information on security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained
by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and
Canada or the regular
toll line 1-202-501-4444 for
callers outside the U.S. and
Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S.
Department of
State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S.
passport
information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer
service
representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 7:00
a.m. to 12:00 midnight,
Eastern Time, excluding federal
holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP
(877-394-8747) and a web site at
href="http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm">http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the
most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements,
and advice on food and drinking water safety for
regions and countries. A
booklet entitled "Health
Information for International Travel"
(HHS
publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government
Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202)
512-1800.
Further Electronic
Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at
http://
www.state.gov, the Department of State web
site provides timely, global
access to
official U.S. foreign policy information, including
Background
Notes and daily press briefings
along with the directory of key officers of
Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)
provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies
working abroad through its website
href="http://www.osac.gov">http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and
market
information offered by the federal
government and provides trade leads, free
export counseling, help
with the export process, and
more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides
authoritative economic, business, and
international trade information from
the Federal
government. The site includes current and
historical
trade-related releases, international market research, trade
opportunities,
and country analysis and provides access to the
National Trade Data Bank.