Country
Belize Kazakhstan
Leader
Population
327,719 17,522,010
Life Expectancy
68.280 years 69.630 years
Capital City
Belmopan Astana
Largest city
Belize City (population: 61,461) Almaty (population: 2,000,900)
Human Development Index
0.771 0.807 GDP per capita $8,400 US $13,200 US
Literacy Rate
76.9% 99.5%
Corruption Perception Index
2.9 2.2
Percentage of Women in Parliament
11.1% 12.3% Wealthiest Citizens NA Alijan Ibragimov ($1.2bn US) Unemployment Rate 13.100% 5.400%
Death Penalty
Legal NA
Political System
parliamentary democracy republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Independence date
21 September 1981 (from UK) 16 December 1991 (from Soviet Union) 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) Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7% 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) Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.) Exports sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood oil and oil products 59%, ferrous metals 19%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001) External Debt $1,079,000,000 $ $122,900,000,000 US Exchange Rate Belizean dollars (BZD) per US dollar - 2 (2008 est.), 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004) tenge (KZT) per US dollar - 120.25 (2008 est.), 122.55 (2007), 126.09 (2006), 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004) Military Budget as percentage of GDP 1.400% 1.100% Beijing Olympics Medal Count 0 13 Location Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural River in eastern-most Europe Area 22,966 km sq 2,724,900 km sq Coastline 386 km 0 km Climate tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
