ACOG - Belize  - IBM

Geography

Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico

Area:
total area: 22,960 sq km
land area: 22,800 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than Massachusetts

Land boundaries: total 516 km, Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km

Coastline: 386 km


People

Population: 214,061 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (female 45,812; male 47,618)
15-64 years: 53% (female 55,630; male 57,230)
65 years and over: 3% (female 3,970; male 3,801)

Population growth rate: 2.42% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 33.71 births/1,000 population

Death rate: 5.86 deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate: -3.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Infant mortality rate: 34.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.32 years
male: 66.37 years
female: 70.36 years

Total fertility rate: 4.25 children born/woman

Ethnic divisions: mestizo 44%, Creole 30%, Maya 11%, Garifuna 7%, other 8%

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%, other 6% (1980)

Languages: English (official), Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib)

Literacy: age 15 and over has ever attended school (1970)
total population: 91%
male: 91%
female: 91%


Government

Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize

Type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Belmopan

Independence: 21 September 1981 (from UK)

Constitution: 21 September 1981


Economy

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $575 million

National product real growth rate: 2%

National product per capita: $2,750

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.5%

Unemployment rate: 10%

Electricity:
capacity: 34,532 kW
production: 110 million kWh
consumption per capita: 490 kWh



Olympic Factoid
The Mother Nature was kind to Olympic athletes and spectators. The average high temperature during the Games was 89 degrees with an average low of 72 degrees. Highest temperature registered (20 July) - 99 degrees. Lowest high temperature registered is 79 degrees (28 July).