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General Information
Area: 22,965 sq km (8867 sq miles).
Population: 240,204 (2000).
Population Density: 10.5 per sq km.
Capital: Belmopan City. Population: 6785 (1997). Belize City (the former capital) has a population of 53,915.
GEOGRAPHY: Belize is situated at the base of the Yucatan Peninsula in Central America and borders Mexico and Guatemala, with the Caribbean Sea to the east. The country’s area includes numerous small islands (Cayes) off the coast. The coastal strip is low and swampy, particularly in the north, with mangroves, many salt and freshwater lagoons and some sandy beaches crossed by a number of rivers. To the south and west rises the heavily forested Maya mountain range, with the Cockscomb range to the east and the Mountain Pine Ridge in the west. More than 65 per cent of the area of the country is forested. The land to the west along the borders with Guatemala is open and relatively scenic compared to much of the interior. The shallow offshore Cayes straddle a coral reef second only in size to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
Government: Constitutional monarchy. Gained independence from the UK in 1981. Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II represented locally by Governor-General Sir Colville Young since 1993. Head of Government: Prime Minister Said Musa since 1998.
Language: English is the official language, but Spanish is spoken to some extent by over half the population. Garifuna (Carib), Maya and Ketchi are also spoken as well as a German dialect (by the Mennonites).
Religion: The people of Belize are mainly Roman Catholic (approximately 60 per cent of the population). Other denominations include Anglican, Methodist, Mennonite, Seventh Day Adventist and Pentecostal.
Time: GMT - 6.
Electricity: 110 volts AC, 60Hz. American-style two-pin plugs.
Communications:
Telephone
IDD is available. Country code: 501. Outgoing international code: 00.
Mobile telephone
Coverage is available in all six districts. Belize Telecommunications Ltd has a GSM 1900 network. Handsets can be hired from Belize Telecommunications Ltd (BTL).
Fax
BTL public booth in Belize City and some government and company offices have facilities available.
Internet
ISPs include BTL (website: www.btl.net) and Belize Web (website: www.belizeweb.com). There is an e-mail service centre in the BTL office in central Belize City and Internet cafes in urban centres and popular tourist centres.
Telegram
Full services are available from BTL public booth and post offices and major hotels in Belize City, Belmopan and San Ignacio.
Post
Mail to Europe takes up to five days.
Press
The major weeklies include Amandala, Government Gazette, The San Pedro Sun, The Reporter and The Belize Times. Belize Today is a monthly official paper published in English.
BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.
BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
Terms and Conditions apply.
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