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| Belize
PROFILE Official Name: Geography People Government Economy PEOPLE Most Belizeans are of multiracial descent. About 46.4% of the population is
of mixed Mayan and European descent (Mestizo); 27.7% are of African and
Afro-European (Creole) ancestry; about 10% are Mayan; and about 6.4% are
Afro-Amerindian (Garifuna). The remainder, about 9.5%, includes European, East
Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and North American groups. English, the official language, is spoken by virtually all except the
refugees that 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 original languages, and an English Creole
dialect (or "Kriol" in the new orthography), similar to the Creole
dialects of the English-speaking Caribbean Islands, is spoken by most. The rate
of functional literacy is 75.1%. About 60% of the population is Roman Catholic;
the Anglican Church and other Protestant Christian groups account for most of
the remaining 40%. Mennonite settlers number about 7,160. HISTORY 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 AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS 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. Of
the Senate's eight members, five are elected by the prime minister, two by the
leader of the opposition, and one by the governor general on the advice of the
Belize Advisory Council. The Senate is headed by a president who is a non-voting
member appointed by the governing party. Currently, the Belize Government is controlled by the People's United Party
(PUP) which won 26 of the 29 seats in the House of Representatives on August 27,
1998. The United Democratic Party (UDP) won the other three seats. Dean Barrow
is the leader of the opposition. The UDP governed Belize from 1993-98; the PUP
had governed from 1989-93; 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. Prime Minister Said Musa has an ambitious plan to encourage economic growth
while furthering social-sector development. 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
long-running 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 new
member of SICA. 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 CARICOM to campaign for the
establishment of a "Caribbean Court of Justice." The country is
divided into six districts: Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize, Cayo, Stann Creek, and
Toledo. The Belize Defense Force (BDF), established in January 1973, consists of a
light infantry force of regulars and reservists along with small air and
maritime wings. The BDF, currently under the command of Brig. Gen. Cedric
Borland, 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. Principal Government Officials Balderamos-Garcia Attorney General and Minister of Information--Godfrey Smith Ambassador to the United States and the OAS--Lisa Shoman 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 Domestic industry is limited, constrained by relatively high-cost labor and
energy and a small domestic market. The U.S. Embassy in Belize City knows of
some 185 U.S. companies that have operations in Belize, including MCI, Duke
Energy International, Archer Daniels Midland, Texaco, and Esso. Tourism attracts
the most foreign direct investment although significant U.S. investment also is
found in the energy, telecommunications, and agricultural 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 its second development priority after agriculture. In
2000, tourist arrivals totaled 189,634 (more than 110,000 from the U.S.) and
tourist receipts amounted to $113.3 million. Belize's investment policy is codified in the Belize Investment Guide, which
sets out the development priorities for the country. The "Country
Commercial Guide" for Belize is available from the U.S. Embassy's
Economic/Commercial section and on the Web at http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/business/com_guides/2001/wha/index.html Infrastructure Several capital projects are either currently underway or are programmed to
start in fiscal year 2001/2002. The largest of these is a $15 million rural
electrification program to be jointly implemented by the government and Belize
Electricity Limited (BEL). In addition, the government will continue to
implement an Inter-American Development Bank Emergency Reconstruction Fund of
$20 million aimed at restoring essential services such as health and education
facilities and transportation networks to communities which were severely
damaged by Hurricane Keith. The government will also invest close to $4.2
million in projects targeted at poverty alleviation across Belize. Initiated in 1999, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, through the
Belize Agricultural Health Authority, will continue to implement the IDB-funded
"Modernization of Agricultural Health Project." This $2.5 million
project seeks to improve the competitiveness of Belize's agricultural products
and thus enhance the ability of Belizean farmers and processors to maintain and
expand the sale of their high-quality products to foreign markets. A $5 million
soybean project, funded by the Brazilian Government, is scheduled to begin in
2001 and is intended to assist northern Belize farmers to diversify away from
sugarcane cultivation. The government also plans to invest $9.85 million to complete the
rehabilitation of the Hummingbird Highway, as well as investing $9.5 million in
its health-sector reform program. Another $9 million will be invested under the
IDB-funded "Land Management Project" over the next 2 years. The
Ministry of Tourism is confident that another IDB-funded project, the
"Tourism Development Project," will make Belize the Mundo Maya
centerpiece for travelers to Central America. The government will spend close to
$1.4 million in improving access to archaeological sites in Belize, especially
"Caracol." Using a generous soft loan from Taiwan, the government is
funneling $50 million toward the construction of low-cost housing. Trade Belize continues to rely heavily on foreign trade with the United States as
its number one trading partner. Total imports in 2000 totaled $446 million while
total exports were only $228.6 million. In 2000, the U.S. accounted for 48.5% of
Belize's total exports and provided 49.7% of all Belizean imports. Other major
trading partners include the U.K., 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), a U.S. Government program 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. EU and U.K. preferences also have
been vital for the expansion and prosperity of the sugar and banana industries. FOREIGN RELATIONS Negotiations proceeded 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 Government
Agreement" was not implemented due to disagreements. Thus, 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. Negotiations between Belize and
Guatemala resumed on February 25, 2000, in Miami, Florida, but were suspended
due to a border incident that occurred February 24, 2000. Further talks were
held March 14, 2000, between the two countries at the Organization of American
States (OAS) in Washington, DC, in the presence of the OAS Secretary General.
Eventually the two parties agreed to establish an "adjacency zone"
extending one kilometer on either side of the 1859 treaty line, now designated
the "adjacency line," and to continue negotiations aimed at resolving
their dispute. The Guatemalan claim remains unresolved, however. 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. Recent foreign policy initiatives include joining with the
other Central American countries in signing the CONCAUSA Agreement on regional
sustainable development and becoming a full member of the Central American
Integration System (SICA) Belize is a member of CARICOM which was founded in
1973. In 1990, it became a member of the OAS. As a member of CARICOM Belize
strongly backed efforts by the United States to implement UN Security Council
Resolution 940 designed to facilitate the departure of Haiti's de facto
authorities from power. The country agreed to contribute military personnel to
the Multinational Task Force which restored the democratically elected
Government of Haiti in October 1994 and to the United Nations Mission in Haiti
(UNMIH). U.S.-BELIZEAN RELATIONS International crime issues dominate the agenda of bilateral relations between
the U.S. and Belize. The U.S. is working closely with the Government of Belize
to fight illicit narcotic trafficking. In 1996, the United States and Belize
signed a stolen vehicle treaty, and in 2000 they signed an extradition treaty
and a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT). Both governments seek to control
the flow of illegal immigrants to the U.S. through Belize. The United States is the largest provider of economic assistance to Belize,
contributing approximately $4.17 million in various bilateral economic and
military aid programs to Belize in FY 2000. The United States provided nearly $1
million in assistance to Belize to support its relief and recovery efforts
following Hurricane Keith, which devastated much of the country in October 2000.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) closed its Belize office
in August 1996 after a 13-year program during which it provided $110 million
worth of development assistance to Belize. In addition, during the past 34
years, almost 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Belize. In April 2001,
the Peace Corps had 47 volunteers working in Belize. In Punta Gorda, the
International Bureau of Broadcasting/Voice of America (IBB/VOA) operates a
medium-wave radio relay station which broadcasts to the neighboring countries of
Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The U.S. military has a diverse and
growing assistance program in Belize which included the construction of seven
schools and four water wells by National Guard soldiers in Stann Creek District
in 2000. Another "New Horizons" humanitarian assistance project is
scheduled for 2003. Private American investors, who are responsible for some
$250 million of investment in Belize, continue to play a key role in Belize's
economy, particularly in the tourism sector. Principal U.S. Officials The U.S. Embassy is located in Belize City at the corner of Gabourel Lane Other useful contacts U.S. Department of Commerce
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays, call 202-647-4000. Passport information can be obtained by calling the National Passport Information Center's automated system ($.35 per minute) or live operators 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday ($1.05 per minute). The number is 1-900-225-5674 (TDD: 1-900-225-7778). Major credit card users (for a flat rate of $4.95) may call 1-888-362-8668 (TDD: 1-888-498-3648). It also is available on the internet. 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 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. Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your departure from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this publication). U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register at the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a country (see "Principal U.S. Embassy Officials" listing in this publication). This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency. Further Electronic Information |
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