Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Belgian(s); adjective--Belgian
Ethnic divisions: 55% Fleming, 33% Walloon, 12% mixed or other
Religion: 75% Roman Catholic; remainder Protestant or other
Language: 56% Flemish (Dutch), 32% French, 1% German; 11% legally
bilingual; divided along ethnic lines
Literacy: 98%
Labor force: 4,000,000; 58% services, 37% industry, 5% agriculture (1987)
Organized labor: 70% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of Belgium
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Brussels
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (French--provinces,
singular--province; Flemish--provincien, singular--provincie); Antwerpen,
Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen,
West-Vlaanderen
Independence: 4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)
Constitution: 7 February 1831, last revised 8-9 August 1980; the
government is in the process of revising the Constitution, with the aim of
federalizing the Belgian state
Legal system: civil law system influenced by English constitutional
theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: National Day, 21 July (ascension of King Leopold
to the throne in 1831)
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, five deputy prime ministers,
Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper chamber or
Senate (Flemish--Senaat, French--Senat) and a lower chamber or Chamber of
Representatives (Flemish--Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers, French--Chambre
des Representants)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Flemish--Hof van Cassatie,
French--Cour de Cassation)
Leaders:
Chief of State--King BAUDOUIN I (since 17 July 1951);
Heir Apparent Prince ALBERT of Liege (brother of the King; born 6
June 1934);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Wilfried MARTENS,
(since April 1979, with a 10-month interruption in 1981)
Political parties and leaders: Flemish Social Christian (CVP), Herman
van Rompuy, president; Walloon Social Christian (PSC), Gerard Deprez,
president; Flemish Socialist (SP), Frank Vandenbroucke, president; Walloon
Socialist (PS), Guy Spitaels, president; Flemish Liberal (PVV),
Guy Verhofstadt, president; Walloon Liberal (PRL), Antoine Duquesne,
president; Francophone Democratic Front (FDF), Georges Clerfayt, president;
Volksunie (VU), Jaak Gabriels, president; Communist Party (PCB),
Louis van Geyt, president; Vlaams Blok (VB), Karel Dillen;
other minor parties
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
Senate--last held 13 December 1987 (next to be held December
1991);
results--CVP 19.2%, PS 15.7%, SP 14.7%, PVV 11.3%, PRL 9.3%,
VU 8.1%, PSC 7.8%, ECOLO-AGALEV 7.7%, VB 2.0%, VDF 1.3%,
other 1.96%;
seats--(106 total) CVP 22, PS 20, SP 17, PRL 12, PVV 11, PSC 9, VU 8,
ECOLO-AGALEV 5, VB 1, FDF 1;
Chamber of Representatives--last held 13 December 1987
(next to be held December 1991);
results--CVP 19.45%, PS 15.66%, SP 14.88%, PVV 11.55%, PRL 9.41%,
PSC 8.01%, VU 8.05%, ECOLO-AGALEV 7.05%, VB 1.90%, FDF 1.16%, other
2.88%;
seats--(212 total) CVP 43, PS 40, SP 32, PVV 25, PRL 23,
PSC 19, VU 16, ECOLO-AGALEV 9, FDF 3, VB 2
Communists: under 5,000 members (December 1985 est.)
Other political or pressure groups: Christian and Socialist Trade Unions;
Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing
bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical
professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders
and Wallonia; various peace groups such as the Flemish Action Committee Against
Nuclear Weapons and Pax Christi
Member of: ADB, Benelux, BLEU, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECE,
ECOSOC, EIB, EMS, ESA, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA,
IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, ITC, ITU, NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO,
UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Herman DEHENNIN; Chancery at
3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-6900;
there are Belgian Consulates General in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
and New York;
US--Ambassador Maynard W. GLITMAN; Embassy at 27 Boulevard du Regent,
B-1000 Brussels (mailing address is APO New York 09667);
telephone [32] (2) 513-3830; there is a US Consulate General in Antwerp
Flag: three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red;
the design was based on the flag of France
- Economy
Overview: This small private-enterprise economy has capitalized
on its central geographic location, highly developed transport
network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is
concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north, although
the government is encouraging reinvestment in the southern region
of Walloon. With few natural resources Belgium must import essential raw
materials, making its economy closely dependent on the state of world
markets. In 1988 over 70% of trade was with other EC countries. During the
period 1986-88 the economy profited from falling oil prices and a lower
dollar, which helped to improve the terms of trade. Real GDP grew
by an average of 3.5% in 1986-89, up from 1.5% in 1985. However, a
large budget deficit and 10% unemployment cast a shadow on the
economy.
GDP: $136.0 billion, per capita $13,700; real growth rate 4.5%
(1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 9.7% est. (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $45.0 billion; expenditures $55.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of NA (1989)
Exports: $100.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic
Union; commodities--iron and steel, transportation equipment,
tractors, diamonds, petroleum products;
partners--EC 74%, US 5%, Communist countries 2% (1988)
Imports: $100.1 billion (c.i.f., 1989) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic
Union; commodities--fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs;
partners--EC 72%, US 5%, oil-exporting less developed countries 4%,
Communist countries 3% (1988)
External debt: $27.5 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 6.4% (1988)
Electricity: 17,325,000 kW capacity; 62,780 million kWh produced,
6,350 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: engineering and metal products, processed food and beverages,
chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal
Agriculture: accounts for 2% of GDP; emphasis on livestock
production--beef, veal, pork, milk; major crops are sugar beets, fresh
vegetables, fruits, grain, and tobacco; net importer of farm products
Aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $4.3 billion
Currency: Belgian franc (plural--francs); 1 Belgian franc (BF) = 100
centimes
Exchange rates: Belgian francs (BF) per US$1--35.468 (January 1990),
39.404 (1989), 36.768 (1988), 37.334 (1987), 44.672 (1986), 59.378 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: Belgian National Railways (SNCB) operates 3,667 km
1.435-meter standard gauge, government owned; 2,563 km double track; 1,978 km
electrified; 191 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned and operated
Highways: 103,396 km total; 1,317 km limited access, divided autoroute;
11,717 km national highway; 1,362 km provincial road; about 38,000 km
paved and 51,000 km unpaved rural roads
Inland waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
Ports: Antwerp, Brugge, Gent, Oostende, Zeebrugge, 1 secondary, and
1 minor maritime; 11 inland
Merchant marine: 67 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,854,898
GRT/3,071,637 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 10 cargo, 6
roll-on/roll-off, 6 container, 7 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL)
tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 3 combination ore/oil, 9 chemical tanker, 13
bulk, 6 combination bulk
Pipelines: refined products 1,167 km; crude 161 km; natural gas 3,300 km
Civil air: 47 major transport aircraft
Airports: 42 total, 42 usable; 24 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 14 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international telephone and
telegraph facilities; 4,560,000 telephones; stations--8 AM, 19 FM (41 relays),
25 TV (10 relays); 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations operating
in INTELSAT 3 Atlantic Ocean and EUTELSAT systems
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,512,681; 2,114,701 fit for military
service; 66,758 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.7% of GDP, or $3.7 billion (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Belize
- Geography
Total area: 22,960 km2; land area: 22,800 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: 516 km total; Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Coastline: 386 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Disputes: claimed by Guatemala, but boundary negotiations are
under way
Climate: tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to February)
Terrain: flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish
Land use: 2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 2% meadows and pastures;
44% forest and woodland; 52% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: frequent devastating hurricanes (September to December)
and coastal flooding (especially in south); deforestation
Note: national capital moved 80 km inland from Belize City to
Belmopan because of hurricanes; only country in Central America without a
coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
- People
Population: 219,737 (July 1990), growth rate 3.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 38 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 4 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 35 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 72 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Belizean(s); adjective--Belizean
Ethnic divisions: 39.7% Creole, 33.1% Mestizo, 9.5% Maya, 7.6%
Garifuna, 2.1% East Indian, 8.0% other
Religion: 60% Roman Catholic; 40% Protestant (Anglican, Seventh-Day
Adventist, Methodist, Baptist, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mennonite)
Language: English (official), Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib)
Literacy: 93% (est.)
Labor force: 51,500; 30.0% agriculture, 16.0% services, 15.4% government,
11.2% commerce, 10.3% manufacturing; shortage of skilled labor and all types of
technical personnel (1985)
Organized labor: 30% of labor force; 11 unions currently active
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: parliamentary
Capital: Belmopan
Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal,
Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Independence: 21 September 1981 (from UK; formerly British Honduras)
Constitution: 21 September 1981
Legal system: English law
National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house
or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by
Governor General Dame Elmira Minita GORDON (since 21 September 1981);
Head of Government--Prime Minister George Cadle PRICE (since 4
September 1989)
Political parties and leaders: People's United Party (PUP),
George Price, Florencio Marin, Said Musa; United Democratic Party (UDP),
Manuel Esquivel, Curl Thompson, Dean Barrow; Belize Popular Party
(BPP), Louis Sylvestre
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
National Assembly--last held 4 September 1989 (next to be
held September 1994);
results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(28 total)
PUP 15 seats, UDP 13 seats; note--in January 1990 one
member expelled from UDP joined PUP, making the seat count
16 PUP, UDP 12
Communists: negligible
Other political or pressure groups: Society for the Promotion
of Education and Research (SPEAR) headed by former PUP minister;
United Workers Front
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, CDB, Commonwealth, FAO, GATT, IBRD, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, ILO, IMF, G-77, ISO, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edward A. LAING; Chancery at
Suite 2J, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
(202) 363-4505;
US--Ambassador Robert G. RICH, Jr.; Embassy at Gabourel Lane and Hutson
Street, Belize City (mailing address is P. O. Box 286, Belize City); telephone
[501] 77161 through 77163
Flag: 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 with a mahogany tree at the top and the
related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at
the bottom, all encircled by a green garland
- Economy
Overview: The economy is based primarily on agriculture and
merchandising. Agriculture accounts for more than 30% of GDP and provides 75%
of export earnings, while sugar, the chief crop, accounts for almost 40% of
hard currency earnings. The US, Belize's main trading partner, is assisting in
efforts to reduce dependency on sugar with an agricultural diversification
program. In 1987 the drop in income from sugar sales to the US because of quota
reductions was almost totally offset by higher world prices for sugar.
GDP: $225.6 million, per capita $1,285; real growth rate 6% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 14% (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $94.6 million; expenditures $74.3 million,
including capital expenditures of $33.9 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $120 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--sugar, clothing, seafood, molasses, citrus, wood and
wood products;
partners--US 47%, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada (1987)
Imports: $176 million (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities--machinery and transportation equipment, food, manufactured
goods, fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals;
partners--US 55%, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Mexico (1987)
External debt: $140 million (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 6% (1988)
Electricity: 34,000 kW capacity; 88 million kWh produced,
500 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: sugar refining, clothing, timber and forest products,
furniture, rum, soap, beverages, cigarettes, tourism
Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP (including fish and forestry);
commercial crops include sugarcane, bananas, coca, citrus fruits; expanding
output of lumber and cultured shrimp; net importer of basic foods
Illicit drugs: an illicit producer of cannabis for the
international drug trade; eradication program cut marijuana
production from 200 metric tons in 1987 to 66 metric tons in 1989;
transshipment point for cocaine
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $94 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $194 million
Currency: Belizean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Belizean dollar
(Bz$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Belizean dollars (Bz$) per US$1--2.00 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Highways: 2,575 km total; 340 km paved, 1,190 km gravel, 735 km improved
earth, and 310 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 825 km river network used by shallow-draft craft;
seasonally navigable
Ports: Belize City, Belize City Southwest
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 38 total, 30 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 8,650 telephones; above-average system based on
radio relay; stations--6 AM, 5 FM, 1 TV, 1 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: British Forces Belize, Belize Defense Force, Coast
Guard, Police Department
Military manpower: males 15-49, 50,988; 30,502 fit for military service;
2,500 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.0% of GDP, or $4.6 million (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Benin
- Geography
Total area: 112,620 km2; land area: 110,620 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries: 1,989 km total; Burkina 306 km, Niger 266 km,
Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
Coastline: 121 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone,
marble, timber
Land use: 12% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures;
35% forest and woodland; 45% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter;
deforestation; desertification
Note: recent droughts have severely affected marginal
agriculture in north; no natural harbors
- People
Population: 4,673,964 (July 1990), growth rate 3.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 50 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 121 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 52 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Beninese (sing., pl.); adjective--Beninese
Ethnic divisions: 99% African (42 ethnic groups, most important being
Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba); 5,500 Europeans
Religion: 70% indigenous beliefs, 15% Muslim, 15% Christian
Language: French (official); Fon and Yoruba most common vernaculars in
south; at least six major tribal languages in north
Literacy: 25.9%
Labor force: 1,900,000 (1987); 60% agriculture, 38% transport, commerce,
and public services, less than 2% industry; 49% of population of working age
(1985)
Organized labor: about 75% of wage earners
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Benin
Type: dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989; democratic reforms
adopted February 1990; transition to multiparty system by 1991 planned
Capital: Porto-Novo (official), Cotonou (de facto)
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces; Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Mono,
Oueme, Zou
Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France; formerly Dahomey)
Constitution: 23 May 1977 (nullified 1 March 1990); new
constitution to be drafted by April 1990
Legal system: based on French civil law and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day, 30 November (1975)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral National Revolutionary Assembly
(Assemblee Nationale Revolutionnaire) dissolved 1 March 1990
and replaced by a 24-member interim High Council of the Republic
during the transition period
Judicial branch: Central People's Court (Cour Central Populaire)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Mathieu KEREKOU
(since 27 October 1972)
Political parties and leaders: only party--People's Revolutionary
Party of Benin (PRPB), President Mathieu Kerekou, chairman of the
Central Committee
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held July 1989 (next to be held July 1994);
results--President Mathieu Kerekou was reelected by the
National Revolutionary Assembly;
National Revolutionary Assembly--dissolved 1 March 1990 and
replaced by a 24-member interim High Council of the Republic with
legislative elections for new institutions planned for February 1991
Communists: dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CEAO, EAMA, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, G-77, GATT,
IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, Niger
River Commission, OAU, OCAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Theophile NATA; Chancery at
2737 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-6656;
US--Ambassador Harriet ISOM; Embassy at Rue Caporal Anani Bernard,
Cotonou (mailing address is B. P. 2012, Cotonou); telephone [229] 30-06-50
Flag: green with a red five-pointed star in the upper hoist-side corner
- Economy
Overview: Benin is one of the least developed countries in the world
because of limited natural resources and a poorly developed infrastructure.
Agriculture accounts for almost 45% of GDP, employs about 60% of
the labor force, and generates a major share of foreign exchange earnings.
The industrial sector contributes only about 15% to GDP and employs
2% of the work force. Persistently low prices in recent years have
limited hard currency earnings from Benin's major exports of agricultural
products and crude oil.
GDP: $1.7 billion, per capita $335; real growth rate 1.8% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (1988)
Unemployment: NA
Budget: revenues $168 million; expenditures $317 million, including
capital expenditures of $97 million (1989)
Exports: $226 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--crude oil, cotton, palm products, cocoa;
partners--FRG 36%, France 16%, Spain 14%, Italy 8%, UK 7%
Imports: $413 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco, petroleum products,
intermediate goods, capital goods, light consumer goods;
partners--France 34%, Netherlands 10%, Japan 7%, Italy 6%, US 5%
External debt: $1.0 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 0.7% (1988)
Electricity: 28,000 kW capacity; 24 million kWh produced,
5 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: palm oil and palm kernel oil processing, textiles, beverages,
petroleum
Agriculture: small farms produce 90% of agricultural output;
production is dominated by food crops--corn, sorghum, cassava, beans,
and rice; cash crops include cotton, palm oil, and peanuts; poultry
and livestock output has not kept up with consumption
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $41 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.0 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $19 million; Communist countries (1970-88),
$101 million
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs);
1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per
US$1--287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987),
346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 578 km, all 1.000-meter gauge, single track
Highways: 5,050 km total; 920 km paved, 2,600 laterite, 1,530 km
improved earth
Inland waterways: navigable along small sections, important
only locally
Ports: Cotonou
Merchant marine: 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) of 2,999 GRT/4,407 DWT
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
Airports: 6 total, 5 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 2,439 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fair system of open wire, submarine cable, and radio
relay; 16,200 telephones; stations--2 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
satellite earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force