The constitution assigns judicial power to the Supreme Court,
whose chief justice is appointed on the advice of the prime
minister after consultation with the leader of the opposition
(see Judiciary
, ch. 9). Two other justices also served on the Supreme
Court; they were also appointed by the governor general on the
advice of the judicial and legal services section of the Public
Service Commission. Immediately below the Supreme Court was the
Summary Jurisdiction Court, which was responsible for criminal
matters, and the District Court, which heard civil cases. The
Summary Jurisdiction Court and the District Court were established
in each of the nation's six district capitals: Belize, San Ignacio,
Corozal, Orange Walk, Dangriga, and Punta Gorda. Magistrates
presided over these courts, which had wide jurisdiction in summary
offenses and limited jurisdiction in more serious offenses.
Juvenile offenders were tried in district family courts established
by the Family Courts Act of 1988.
Magistrates referred serious criminal cases to the Supreme
Court, where a jury system was in operation. Appeals from Summary
Jurisdiction Court were referred to the Supreme Court; appeals from
the Supreme Court were referred to a Court of Appeal, which met on
an average of four times a year. Final appeals were made to the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London in cases
involving interpretation of the constitution.
The principal source of the nation's criminal law was the
criminal code of 1980. The code had two sections. The first section
defined general legal principles and set forth standards of
criminal liability, addressing such issues as intent, negligence,
conspiracy, and justifiable force. The second section of the
criminal code defined crimes and their punishments.
The criminal code provided for the death penalty for persons
convicted of criminal homicide. Under the constitution, the death
penalty could be adjudged only after the judge of record submitted
a report to the Belize Advisory Council, which in turn advised the
attorney general as to the appropriateness of the sentence.
The government amended the criminal code in April 1987 to
provide stiffer penalties for rape, kidnapping, blackmail, and
robbery. At the same time, the government raised the penalties for
offenses subject to summary jurisdiction.
In addition to the penal code, several other statutes covered
criminal offenses. The most important of these was the Misuse of
Drugs Act of 1990, which was the nation's principal drug
legislation. This act repealed and replaced the Dangerous Drugs Act
of 1980, which was deemed inadequate to meet the challenges of the
explosive growth in the drug trade during the 1980s. The 1990
legislation provided for the establishment of a National Drug Abuse
Control Council, which was to review the current state of Belize's
illegal narcotics trade and advise the prime minister on measures
to restrict availability, provide for treatment and rehabilitation,
educate the public, and advise farmers on alternate crops. The act
called for fines of up to Bz$25,000 and imprisonment of five to ten
years for less serious cases of drug trafficking. Persons convicted
of more serious offenses by the Supreme Court were liable to fines
not less than Bz$100,000--or three times the street value of the
illegal commodities seized--or were subject to seven to fourteen
years of imprisonment, or both. Penalties for public officials and
members of the National Assembly, the judiciary, the police, and
the BDF were more severe. The 1990 law also provided for
forfeitures of all aircraft, vessels, and vehicles used in illegal
trafficking and for forfeiture of all proceeds derived from this
activity.
Criminal procedure followed British models. Officials working
under the Directorate of Public Prosecutions handled cases. The
constitution protects citizens from arbitrary search or seizure.
The justice system regularly observed these protections. Criminal
offenders were also accorded numerous protections. These
protections included the right to a public trial and protection
against double jeopardy and self-incrimination. All persons were
presumed innocent and were entitled to equal protection under the
law.
The law required informing detainees of the cause of their
arrest within forty-eight hours, and detainees were entitled to
communicate with a lawyer. The law also required informing the
accused of his or her rights, which included the right to judicial
review of the validity of the detention. If arrested, the accused
had to be brought before a judge or magistrate within seventy-two
hours. The defendant was entitled to be present at all trials, to
cross-examine witnesses for the prosecution, and to call witnesses
for the defense. The defendant had the right to trial by jury in
serious criminal cases. The law guaranteed defendants the right to
appeal any decision to the next higher court.
As of mid-1991, no definitive studies that dealt
comprehensively with national security matters in contemporary
Belize had been published. For information on the development of
the Belize Defence Force, the reader must search through issues of
Belize Today, published in Belize City; the Latin America
Report by the Joint Publications Research Service; and the
Daily Report: Latin America put out by the Foreign Broadcast
Information System. Current order-of-battle information is
available in the International Institute for Strategic Studies'
excellent annual, The Military Balance. The best overview of
conditions of public order is contained in the sections on Belize
in Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, a report
submitted annually by the United States Department of State to the
United States Congress. (Various issues of the following
publications were also used in the preparation of this chapter:
Belize Today [Belize City]; Foreign Broadcast Information
Service, Daily Report: Latin America; Joint Publications
Research Service, Latin American Report; Soldier
[Britain]. (For further information and complete citations,
see
Bibliography.)
|
Background | | 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, growing urban crime, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.
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Location | | Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
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Area(sq km) | | total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km
water: 160 sq km
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Geographic coordinates | | 17 15 N, 88 45 W
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Land boundaries(km) | | total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
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Coastline(km) | | 386 km
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Climate | | tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
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Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Doyle's Delight 1,160 m
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Natural resources | | arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
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Land use(%) | | arable land: 3.05%
permanent crops: 1.39%
other: 95.56% (2005)
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Irrigated land(sq km) | | 30 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 18.6 cu km (2000)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 0.15 cu km/yr (7%/73%/20%)
per capita: 556 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards | | frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
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Environment - current issues | | deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal
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Environment - international 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note | | only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
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Population | | 307,899 (July 2009 est.)
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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) (2009 est.)
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Median age(years) | | total: 20.4 years
male: 20.3 years
female: 20.6 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate(%) | | 2.154% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 27.33 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 5.8 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | NA (2009 est.)
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 52% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 23.07 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 68.2 years
male: 66.44 years
female: 70.05 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 3.36 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: Belizean(s)
adjective: Belizean
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Ethnic groups(%) | | mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% (2000 census)
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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)
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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)
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Country name | | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Belize
former: British Honduras
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Government type | | parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
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Capital | | name: Belmopan
geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions | | 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
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Constitution | | 21-Sep-81
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Legal system | | English law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
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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 monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
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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 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
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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)
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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]
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International organization participation | | ACP, 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
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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
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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 3.8% in 2008 as a result of the global slowdown, natural disasters, and the drop in the price of oil. Oil discoveries in 2006 bolstered the economic growth. Exploration efforts continue and a small increase in production is expected in 2009. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and unsustainable foreign debt equivalent to nearly 70% of GDP. 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.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $2.542 billion (2008 est.)
$2.468 billion (2007 est.)
$2.43 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $1.359 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 3% (2008 est.)
1.6% (2007 est.)
5.3% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $8,400 (2008 est.)
$8,400 (2007 est.)
$8,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 29%
industry: 16.9%
services: 54.1% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 122,300
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 10.2%
industry: 18.1%
services: 71.7% (2007)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 8.1% (2008)
9.4% (2006)
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 33.5% (2002 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 27.8% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $347 million
expenditures: $386.5 million (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 6.4% (2008 est.)
2.3% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $345.7 million (31 December 2008)
$323.9 million (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $653.8 million (31 December 2008)
$549 million (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $955 million (31 December 2008)
$877.6 million (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA
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Economic aid - recipient | | $12.91 million (2005)
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Agriculture - products | | bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments
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Industries | | garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 1.8% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | -$153.7 million (2008 est.)
-$51.1 million (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $464.7 million (2008 est.)
$425.6 million (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood, crude oil
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Exports - partners(%) | | US 35.6%, UK 21.5%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3%, Italy 4.5%, Nigeria 4% (2008)
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Imports | | $788.1 million (2008 est.)
$642 million (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco
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Imports - partners(%) | | US 37.4%, Mexico 12.9%, Cuba 7.7%, Guatemala 6.1%, Russia 5%, China 4.2% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $166.2 million (31 December 2008 est.)
$108.5 million (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $954.1 million (2008 est.)
$1.2 billion (June 2005 est.)
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Exchange rates | | Belizean dollars (BZD) per US dollar - 2 (2008), 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | Belizean dollar (BZD)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 31,100 (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 160,000 (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: above-average system; fixed-line teledensity of 10 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density roughly 55 per 100 persons
domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay
international: country code - 501; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2008)
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Internet country code | | .bz
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Internet users | | 34,000 (2008)
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Airports | | 44 (2009)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 3,007 km
paved: 575 km
unpaved: 2,432 km (2006)
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Ports and terminals | | Belize City, Big Creek
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Military branches | | Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, BDF Air Wing, BDF Volunteer Guard (2009)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1 (2008)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 74,605
females age 16-49: 72,926 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 56,135
females age 16-49: 54,732 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 3,632
female: 3,500 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.4% of GDP (2006)
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Disputes - international | | 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
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 213.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 59.9%
hydro: 40.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 198.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 248.4 million kWh (2005)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 3,511 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 7,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 2,260 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 7,204 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 6.7 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
|
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
|
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
|
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
|
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 2.1% (2007 est.)
|
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 3,600 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | fewer than 200 (2007 est.)
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Major infectious diseases | | degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.9%
male: 76.7%
female: 77.1% (2000 census)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2004)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 5.3% of GDP (2004)
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