Belize
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Belize
Ruins within the ancient Mayan site of Lubaantun. @ C.Michael Hogan
Society & Environment
Belize (formerly British Honduras) is a nation of a third-of-a-million people in Central America bordering Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean Sea. It is the only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean.
Chief environmental issues include:
- deforestation; and,
- water pollution from industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, solid waste disposal and inadequate sewage treatment.
Source: The CIA World Factbook
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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 United Kingdom and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize, but agrees to Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior.
Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy.
Current concerns include an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment, illegal immigration from Guatemala, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, high urban crime, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.
Geography
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Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico Geographic Coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 45 W Area: 22,966 sq km (22,806 sq km of land, 160 sq km of water)
Arable land: 3.05% Land Boundaries: 516 km (Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km) Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty Coastline: 386 km Maritime Claims: Territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Natural Hazards: Frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south). Terrain: The topography of the swampy coastal plain is level; low mountains in south; higher Maya Mountains in the east of the country. Climate: Tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May). |
Topography of Belize. Source: Wikimedia Commons |
Ecology and Biodiversity
The pine forests of Belize on Central Americas northwestern Caribbean coast represent various relatively preserved fragments of vegetation as well as a considerable abundance of fauna. They represent one of the few examples of lowland and premontane pine forests in the Neotropics, where the predominant tree species is Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis (pine, ocote), which requires periodic low intensity burns for its regeneration. The vegetation is adapted to the xeric, acidic and nutrient-poor conditions that occur primarily in the dry season. The coastal areas of the ecoregion, with vegetation that is less dense, are somewhat threatened due to selective forestry operations and the expansion of citrus fruit and banana plantations, although the situation is not urgent. Belize is also a part of the Mesoamerica Biodiversity Hotspot. Protected AreasThe Belize Barrier Reef platform lies on the Atlantic-Caribbean coast of Belize, and extends 260 kilometres (km) from the border with Mexico to the north, to near the Guatemalan border to the south. |
Ecoregions of Belize. Source: World Wildlife Fund. |
Government
Government Type: Parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital: Belmopan - 20,000 (2009)
Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Independence Date: 21 September 1981 (from the UK)
Legal System: English common law. Belize has not submitted an International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction declaration; but accepts International criminal court (ICCt) jurisdiction
International Environmental Agreements
Belize is party to international agreements on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, and Whaling.
People and Society
Population: 321,115 (July 2011 est.)
Ethnic groups: mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% (2000 census)
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| Figure 3. Satellite radar topography image of a portion of Central America. Due to persistent cloud cover, obtaining conventional high-altitude photos of this region is extrordinarily difficult. Radar's ability to penetrate clouds and make 3-D measurements allowed scientists to generate the first complete high-resolution topographic map of the entire region. All of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras are visible on this image, as well as a considerable portion of southern Mexico (the Yucatan Peninsula). Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/NGA. |
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| Figure 4. A view of the Belize Barrier Reef, the longest coral reef in the Western and Northern Hemispheres and second largest worldwide (after the Great Barrier Reef of Australia). Running the entire coastline of Belize in Central America, the Belize Barrier Reef supports a large number of patch reefs, shoals, and over 1,000 islands called "cayes." Most of these cayes, and the entire coastline of the country outside of settlements, are protected by huge forests of mangrove. The Turneffe Atoll is shown on the right side of the image. As one of three large coral atolls outside of the reef, it stretches over 48 km (30 mi) long and 16 km (10 mi) wide and is surrounded by one of the most fertile marine ecosystems in the world - a natural nursery for fish, sharks, and crocodiles. Belize City is situated on the outlet of land near the center of the image. It is the largest city in Belize and is the nation's principal port and its financial and industrial hub. Image courtesy of NASA. |
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| Figure 5. Chetumal Bay lies on the border between Mexico and Belize. To the east of the bay, Ambergris Cay (in Belize) connects the Belize Barrier Reef to the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). The north of the island is Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve. Here, the barrier reef comes very close to the east side of the island. Image courtesy of NASA. |
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 36.8% (male 60,327/female 57,933)
15-64 years: 59.6% (male 96,886/female 94,605)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 5,404/female 5,960) (2011 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 2.056% (2011 est.)
Birthrate: 26.43 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Net Migration: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Death Rate: 5.87 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 68.23 years (July 2011 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 3.21 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Languages: Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census)
Literacy: 76.9% (2000 census)
Urbanization: 52% of total population (2010) growing at an annual rate of change of 2.7% (2010-15 est.)
Water
Belize is very rich in surface and groundwater resources. Water quality at higher elevation locations in the Maya Mountains is quite good, but lower elevation regions of the Belize River are relatively poor due to agricultural discharges and effluent of untreated sewage. At present, however, total water resources cannot be evaluated because the existing data are limited, in particular with respect to groundwater availability.
Total Renewable Water Resources: 18.6 cu km (2000)
Freshwater Withdrawal: 0.15 cu km/yr (7% domestic, 73% industrial, 20% agricultural)
Per Capita Freshwater Withdrawal: 556 cu m/yr (2000)
Agriculture
Agricultural products: bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber
Irrigated Land: 40 sq km (2008)
Economy
Tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner in this small economy, followed by exports of marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments.
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. Exploration efforts have continued and production has increased a small amount.
In February 2007, the government restructured nearly all of its public external commercial debt, which helped reduce interest payments and relieved some of the country's liquidity concerns.
Growth slipped to 0% in 2009, 2.7% in 2010, and 2.5% in 2011 as a result of the global slowdown, natural disasters, and a temporary drop in the price of oil.
With weak economic growth and a large public debt burden, fiscal spending is likely to be tight.
A key government objective remains the reduction of poverty and inequality with the help of international donors.
Although Belize has the second highest per capita income in Central America, the average income figure masks a huge income disparity between rich and poor. The 2010 Poverty Assessment shows that more than 4 out of 10 people live in poverty.
The sizable trade deficit and heavy foreign debt burden continue to be major concerns.
GDP: (Purchasing Power Parity): $2.754 billion (2011 est.)
GDP: (Official Exchange Rate): $1.5 billion (2011 est.)
GDP- per capita (PPP): $8,300 (2011 est.)
GDP- composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.7%
industry: 19.8%
services: 58.7% (2011 est.)
Industries: garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil
Natural Resources: arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Currency: Belizean dollars (BZD)
Citation
Central Intelligence Agency (Lead Author);C Michael Hogan (Contributing Author);CIA World Factbook (Content Source);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Belize". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth May 12, 2009; Last revised Date January 31, 2012; Retrieved February 10, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Belize>
The Author
The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the National Security Act by President Harry S. Truman. The act also created a Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to serve as head of the United States intelligence community; act as the principal adviser to the President for intelligence matters related to the national security; and serve as head of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 amended the National Securit ... (Full Bio)
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