Caribbean
Country Profiles
Belize
Although geographically located between Mexico and Guatemala, Belize is often
considered part of the Caribbean rather than Central America, partly because
it is the only country in Central America with English as the official language.
The country has an area of 22,996 square kilometres with mostly flat, swampy
costal plains and low mountains in the south. The climate is tropical. The
rainy season runs from May to November and the dry season runs from February
to May. The country is vulnerable to frequent, devastating hurricanes and flooding.
The capital of Belize is Belmopan and the country is divided into six districts.
Belize is parliamentary democracy, part of the British Commonwealth. Queen
Elizabeth II is the head of state and Prime Minister Said Musa is the head
of the government. Elections are scheduled to be held before March 2008. There
have been substantial improvements in social well-being. Nevertheless poverty
is pervasive, and is particularly extreme in pockets of the country and amongst
certain groups.
|
People
|
|
|
Human Development Index Ranking (out of 173)
|
58
|
|
Population (millions)
|
0.2
|
|
Population growth rate (%)
|
1.6
|
|
Adult literacy rate (% age 15 and above)
|
93.2
|
|
Health
|
|
|
Life expectancy
|
74.0
|
|
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)
|
34
|
|
People living with HIV/AIDS (% adults 15-49)
|
2.0
|
|
Population using improved water sources (%)
|
76
|
|
Population using adequate sanitation facilities
(%)
|
42
|
|
Economy
|
|
|
GDP (US$ billions)
|
0.8
|
|
Population living below national poverty line (%)
|
---
|
Source: United Nation Human Development Reports,
Human Development Indicators 2002
--- indicates information not available
|
