Youth for Christ ministry in Belize is still in the pioneer stage. This means key contacts have been identified, a ministry plan is in place and ministry has commenced. However a formal structure may not be finalized.
About Belize
Belize
Introduction
Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Guatemala and Belize are gearing up for a simultaneous referendum to determine if this dispute will go before the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, high crime rates, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.
Geography
Location
Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
Geographic Coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 45 W
Area
Total Area: 22,966 sq km Rank: 151
Land Area: 22,806 sq km
Water Area: 160 sq km
Comparison: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land Boundaries: 516 km
Bordering Countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Coastline: 386 km
Climate
tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
Terrain
flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Elevations
Lowest Point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Highest Point: Doyle's Delight 1,160 m
Natural Resources
arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Land Use
Arable land: 3.05%
Permanent Crops: 1.39%
Other: 95.56% (2005)
Irrigated Land: 30 sq km (2003)
Renewable Water Resources: 18.6 cu km (2000)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 0.15 cu km/yr (7%/73%/20%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 556 cu m/yr (2000)
Environment
Natural Hazards: frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Environmental Issues: deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal
Environmental Agreements: Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
Geography Notes
only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
People
Population: 307,899 (July 2010 est.) Rank: 176
Age Structure
0-14 years: 37.9% (male 59,462/female 57,117)
15-64 years: 58.6% (male 91,298/female 89,170)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 5,185/female 5,667) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 20.5 years
Population Growth
Growth Rate: 2.154% (2010 est.) Rank: 47
Birth Rate: 27.33 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 59
Death Rate: 5.8 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 168
Net Migration Rate: NA
Urbanization
Urban Population: 52% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Life and Death
Infant Mortality Rate: 23.07 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 91
Life Expectancy at Birth: 68.2 years Rank: 151
Fertility Rate: 3.28 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 59
Health and Disease
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 2.1% (2007 est.) Rank: 30
People living with HIV/AIDS: 3,600 (2007 est.) Rank: 129
HIV/AIDS Deaths: fewer than 200 (2007 est.) Rank: 125
Degree of Risk for Major Infectious Diseases: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne Diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Water Contact Diseases: leptospirosis (2009)
Nationality and Culture
Noun: Belizean(s)
Adjective: Belizean
Ethnic Groups: mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% (2000 census)
Religion: 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)
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)
Education
Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 76.9% Male: 76.7% Female: 77.1% (2000 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 13 years Male: 13 years Female: 13 years (2004)
Education expenditures: 5.3% of GDP (2004) Rank: 54
Government
Country Name
Conventional Long Form: none
Conventional Short Form: Belize
Formerly: British Honduras
Government Type: parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital: Belmopan Geographic Coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W
Administrative divisions
6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Independence: 21 September 1981 (from the UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1981)
Constitution: 21 September 1981
Legal system: English law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive Branch
Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17 November 1993)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Dean Oliver BARROW (since 8 February 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar VEGA (since 12 February 2008)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative Branch
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 6 on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 1 each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (31 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: House of Representatives - last held on 6 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
Election Results: percent of vote by party - UDP 56.3%, PUP 40.9%; seats by party - UDP 25, PUP 6
Judicial branch
Summary Jurisdiction Courts (criminal) and District Courts (civil jurisdiction); Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal; Privy Council in the UK; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)
Politics
Political Parties and Leaders: National Alliance for Belizean Rights or NABR; National Reform Party or NRP [Cornelius DUECK]; People's National Party or PNP [Wil MAHEIA]; People's United Party or PUP [John BRICENO]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW]; Vision Inspired by the People or VIP [Paul MORGAN]; We the People Reform Movement or WTP [Hipolito BAUTISTA]
Political Pressure Groups and Leaders: Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Gustavo PERERA]; Association of Concerned Belizeans or ACB [David VASQUEZ]; National Trade Union Congress of Belize or NTUC/B [Rene GOMEZ]
International Organization Participation: ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Flag Description: blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland of 50 mahogany leaves; the colors are those of the two main political parties: blue for the PUP and red for the UDP; various elements of the coat of arms - the figures, the tools, the mahogany tree, and the garland of leaves - recall the logging industry that led to British settlement of Belize
Note: the flag of Belize is the only national banner that depicts human beings; the flags of Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands, both British overseas territories, also depict humans
Economy
Economy Overview: In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy, tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by exports of marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 4% in 1999-2007, though growth slipped to 2.1% in 2008 and -1.5% in 2009 as a result of the global slowdown, natural disasters, and the drop in the price of oil. Oil discoveries in 2006 bolstered economic growth. Exploration efforts continue and production increased a small amount in 2009. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and sizable foreign debt. In February 2007, the government restructured nearly all of its public external commercial debt, which helped reduce interest payments and relieve some of the country's liquidity concerns. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors.
Gross Domestic Product
GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.555 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 178
GDP - real growth rate: -0.9% (2009 est.) Rank: 126
GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,300 (2009 est.) Rank: 117
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 29% Industry: 16.9% Services: 54.1% (2008 est.)
Labor Force
Labor Force: 122,300 Rank: 178
Note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 10.2% Industry: 18.1% Services: 71.7% (2007 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 8.1% (2008) Rank: 87
Poverty
Population below poverty line: 33.5% (2002 est.)
Transnational Issues
International Disputes: OAS-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures saw cooperation in repatriation of Guatemalan squatters and other areas, but Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea remain unresolved; the Line of Adjacency created under the 2002 Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous international boundary to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; Honduras claims Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays in its constitution but agreed to a joint ecological park under the Differendum
