Country
Belize Haiti
Leader
Population
327,719 9,801,664
Life Expectancy
68.280 years 62.510 years
Capital City
Belmopan Port-au-Prince
Largest city
Belize City (population: 61,461) Port-au-Prince (population: 1,234,740)
Human Development Index
0.771 0.521 GDP per capita $8,400 US $1,300 US
Literacy Rate
76.9% 52.9%
Corruption Perception Index
2.9 1.4
Percentage of Women in Parliament
11.1% 5.2% Wealthiest Citizens Unemployment Rate 13.100% 40.600%
Death Penalty
Legal Abolished
Political System
parliamentary democracy republic
Independence date
21 September 1981 (from UK) 1 January 1804 (from France) Religions Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000) Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% note: roughly half of the population practices voodoo 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) French (official), Creole (official) Exports sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee External Debt $1,079,000,000 $ $665,100,000 US Exchange Rate Belizean dollars (BZD) per US dollar - 2 (2008 est.), 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004) gourdes (HTG) per US dollar - 39.216 (2008 est.), 37.138 (2007), 40.232 (2006), 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004) Military Budget as percentage of GDP 1.400% 0.400% Beijing Olympics Medal Count Location Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic Area 22,966 km sq 27,750 km sq Coastline 386 km 1,771 km Climate tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
