Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor Prime minister: Dean Barrow
President: Isaias Afewerki
Population
327,719
6,086,495
Life Expectancy
68.280 years
62.860 years
Capital City
Belmopan
Largest city
Belize City (population: 61,461)
Asmara (population: 563,930)
Human Development Index
0.771
0.442
GDP per capita
$8,400 US
Literacy Rate
76.9%
58.6%
Corruption Perception Index
2.9
2.6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
11.1%
22%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
13.100%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished in practice
Political System
parliamentary democracy
transitional government note: following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections were scheduled in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)
Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
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)
Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages
Exports
sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
External Debt
$1,079,000,000 $
Exchange Rate
Belizean dollars (BZD) per US dollar - 2 (2008 est.), 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.400%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan
Area
22,966 km sq
117,600 km sq
Coastline
386 km
2,234 km
Climate
tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands
