Belize

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

The Belizean geography is known to have many rain forests, mountains as well as swamps. It borders Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east and Guatemala to the south and west.

Mostly covered by tropical rain forests, the territory of Belize has had a history that spans for many centuries. The region has been part of the Mayan Empire for nearly 3000 years and is home to ancient religious sites. After the discovery of the region by Christopher Columbus, many settlers from England and Spain came into the area. After several clashes between the native population, the English settlers and the Spanish settlements, it became a British colony after the defeat of the Spanish at the end of the 18th century. After that, it became known as British Honduras. In the second half of the 20th century, Belize gained self-governance in 1964 and gained its independence in 1981.

It has a total surface size of 23.080 square kilometers or 8.911 square miles which ranks it as the 147th largest state with El Salvador being slightly smaller and Djibouti being slightly larger.

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

It is home to several rivers and lakes which make up a total of 160 square kilometers or 62 square miles.

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

The main source of drinking water is rainwater as well as groundwater. Rainwater is collected from the roofs of houses and is considered to be of average quality. Tap water, as well as water from the rivers is considered to be unsafe throughout Belize.

Belize is known to have two seasons which are characterized by a wet and dry season. In most elevated regions, the temperature is relatively low, while tropical winds blow along the coastline. The wet season is mainly between June to November followed by the dry season from December until May. On average, the temperature of Belize is around 25.2 degrees Celsius or 77.2 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Belize the 55th warmest state in the world

Temperature

During the warmer periods, the average temperature can reach 29.4 degrees Celsius or 84.9 degrees Fahrenheit

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

During the colder periods, from December to February, it can go as low as 21.9 degrees Celsius or 71.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Most of the rainfall occurs during the rainy season which spans from June to November. Rainfall is unevenly spread out throughout Belize with the north receiving around two and a half times more rainfall than the rest of Belize. On average, Belize receives 172 centimeters or 68 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 42nd highest in terms of rainfall.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The capital of Belize, Belmopan, is home to around 20,000 inhabitants. The capital that is closest to Belmopan is Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras with a distance of 394 kilometers or 245 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Belmopan is Jakarta Indonesia with a distance of 17.970 kilometers or 11.168 miles.

The Belizean economy is characterized as a mixed economy that has private enterprise which is centrally regulated by the Belizean government. The economy of Belize is relatively small with the tourism sector being the largest source of income for the Belizean economy. Its main sources of exports are agricultural products as well as boats and wood. Its main trading partner is the United States representing around 37 percent of its total imports and exports.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

In total, Belize is a member of 13 international economic organizations. This ranks Belize as the 71st most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Caribbean Development Bank
Inter-American Development Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
Caribbean Community
Central American Bank for Economic Integration
Central American Integration System
International Renewable Energy Agency International
Solar Alliance
Group of 77

Belize has a GDP of around US$1.8 billion which ranks it as the 175th largest GDP in the world.

Its GDP per capita is approximately US$4.500 per year.

The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Belizean citizen makes.

Its GDP per surface area amounts to US$78.200 per square kilometer or US$202.000 per square mile. This ranks Belize as the 153rd highest in terms of surface GDP.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Its purchasing power parity per capita is around US$7.100 per year

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Belize.

The official language of the Belizean inhabitants is English, which is spoken by around 60 percent of the population. However, due to its Spanish history, almost the same amount of people speaks Spanish. Smaller, but still significant languages are Creole and Maya languages. In total, Belize is home to nearly 400,000 inhabitants with around 45 percent living in urban areas.

Population

Due to its small population size, Belize has one of the lowest population densities in the world. With the rank of 171, Belize has a population density of 17 people per square kilometer or 44 people per square mile.

Population density

Around 16 percent of its total population, which corresponds to 66,000 people, have emigrated to other regions. These mainly consists of people from African descent that emigrated to the United States.

Emigration

Belize has been very welcoming of people that are planning to retire from the United States. It has set up several programs that make it relatively easy to emigrate into Belize. At present, around 14.2 percent of the population has immigrated from other states. This amounts to around 58,000 people in total.

Immigration

Literacy

Even though primary education is compulsory, around one in 10 children do not attend school. This, in combination with an old population, has given Belize at literacy rate of 80.5 percent which ranks it as the 138th most literate state in the world.

Health

The people of Belize face several health risks with the younger population facing traffic -related deaths, respiratory disease as well as HIV transmissions. The elder population is more prone to cancers as well as diabetes. Other factors that are putting the citizens at risk are gang-related violence which show a disproportionate number of murders per capita in Belize. On average, the life expectancy is arounds 75.1 years with women averaging around 78.2 years and men averaging around 72.1 years. This ranks Belize as the 81st highest life expectancy in the world.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

After the discovery by the Spanish, during the next 200 years Belize has been promoting the Catholic church. This has changed the population to a Christian majority. Even so, the Belizean government provides freedom of religion to all registered religions. It is estimated that Belize is ranked as the 101st most multi religious state in the world.

Christianity is the largest religion in Belize with around 85.8 percent of the Belizean citizens adhering to Christianity. This is largely represented by the Catholic church and the Pentecostal denomination. With this percentage, Belize is ranked as the 31st most Christian state in the world.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

It is ranked as the 154th most Islamic state in the world. around 0.13 percent of the population adheres to Islam, which represents less than 1000 people. Even so, there are several mosques as well as Islamic schools.

The total number of Buddhists is also under 1000 people, representing around 0.5 percent of the Belizean population. These are mainly situated in the capital and are represented by small Buddhist organizations.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism is also a small minority faith within Belize.. It is estimated that around 0.2 percent of the Belizean population adheres to Hinduism. These mainly consists of the reallocation of Indian families during the British colonial rule. At present, there are several Hindu temples within the capital of Belize.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

There are no established Jewish communities within Belize. It is estimated that around 0.6 percent of the population is Jewish, but does not have a formal place of worship aside from a Jewish cemetery.

Other religions (share of the total population)

Around 1.1 percent of the Belizean population adheres to other faiths. These are mainly based on the Mayan religion as well as some Mormon settlements.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

It is estimated that around 5.9 percent of the Belizean population is nonreligious.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

The budget for the Belizean military is among the lowest in the world with a rank of 159. With a budget of just over US$23.3 million this accounts for 1.5 percent of its GDP.

The Belizean Army, formally known as the Belize defense force is tasked with maintaining the border integrity of Belize as well as keeping order within the Belizean population.

Military membership

It is however, a member of three international military organizations. These are:

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Belize has not participated in any international wars since its independence.

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Belize is a member of nine international political organizations. This ranks it as the 150th most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member states of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Organization of American States
Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
Commonwealth of Nations
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Alliance of Small Island States
World Organisation for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

At present, there is a struggle between becoming an independent republic or staying a member of the British Commonwealth.

Democracy/Dictatorship

After gaining independence, Belize has kept a parliamentary system based on the British model. Belize holds regular elections every five years by which it chooses 29 members of Parliament. Formally, Belize is a part of the British Commonwealth with the British monarch as head of state.