Belize

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. 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.

Main Airports

Philip S W Goldson International Airport (BZE)

U.S. Embassy

City of Belmopan on Floral Park Street
tel: 822-4011 locally
Internet: http://belize.usembassy.gov/

Statistics

GDP: purchasing power parity:

$1.778 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity:

6,800 (2005 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3% (2005 est.)

Labor force:

90,000
note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2001 est.)

Exports:

$349.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - partners:

US 30.7%, UK 25.1%, France 4.8% (2005)

Imports:

$622.4 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - partners:

US 31.5%, Mexico 10%, Russia 9%, Cuba 6.1%, Guatemala 5.7%, China 4.7%, Spain 4.4% (2005)

Population:

287,730 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.31% (2006 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line:

33% (1999 est.)

Major Industries:

garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil

Employing Workers: 14*

Registering Property: 117*

Enforcing Contracts: 150*

Closing a Business: 24*

*2006 World Bank rank out of 175 countries

Starting a Business

The table below shows the number of steps and the amount of time needed to start a business, on average

Indicator	Belize	Region
Procedures (number)	9	10.2
Time (days)	45	73.3

• Agriculture
• Apparel
• Arts & Crafts
• Automobile
• Bags, Cases & Boxes
• Chemicals
• Computer Hardware & Software
• Construction & Real Estate
• Consumer Electronics
• Electrical & Electronics
• Energy & Environment
• Food & Beverage
• Furniture & Furnishing
• Health & Medicine
• Home Supplies
• Industrial Supplies
• Lights & Lighting
• Machinery
• Mineral & Materials
• Office Supplies
• Security & Protection
• Service
• Sports & Entertainment
• Telecommunications
• Textile
• Toys
• Transportation