Where is Belize?
About Belize
The Land
The People
Life and Death
Health, Energy and the Environment
Education and Work
Travel, Communication and the Media
Belize is a below average size country in the south of North America.
Belize has a border on the Caribbean Sea.
The land is flat, swampy coastal plains with low mountains in the south.
The geographical coordinates for the centre of Belize, also known as lines of latitude and longtitude, are:-
Latitude - 17 15N
Longitude - 88 45W
Check the weather in Belmopan now.
This is the time in Belmopan now
The Belizean flag is blue with 2 narrow red
horizontal strips across the top and bottom. In the centre is the coat of arms of Belize on a large white disc. The coat of arms is a shield with a worker
at each side in front of a Mahogany tree. There is a scroll at the bottom which says Sub Umbra Floreo, which means I flourish in the shade. The whole thing
is encircled by a green garland of 50 mahogany leaves.
We have already written our own history of England but are asking schools in Belize to provide us with a detailed history of
their own country. Check how here.
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The total land area of Belize is 22,806 sq kms which is the 12th largest in North America.
Belize has lakes, rivers and canals which total 160 sq kms.
Belize has boundaries with 2 countries
Belize has a coastline of 386 kms which is the 14th longest in North America.
The highest point in Belize is Doyle's Delight at 1,124 metres.
The total population of Belize is 353,858 people, making it the 15th largest country in North America by population.
Of this number 174,682 are females and 179,176 million are males.
A person from Belize is called a Belizean.
To be a citizen of Belize you must be born in Belize or one of your parents must be a citizen of Belize. You have to live in Belize for
5 years before you can begin to apply for citizenship.
The largest five cities in Belize, by population are:-
The birth rate in Belize is 24.3 births per 1,000 of population
The death rate in Belize is 6.0 deaths per 1,000 people.
Check this against the birth rate. If the death rate is higher than the birth rate then
the population will decrease unless immigrants arrive in the country.
There are 16.9 deaths of girls under 1 year per 1,000 of births and 21.6 deaths of boys.
The median age for females is 22.6 and for males is 22.2. The median age is that age which divides the population exactly in half so there are the same number
of people above the median age as below it.
We have no figures for the average age of a woman when she has her first child.
The elderly dependency ratio is 5.9. This is the number of elderly people (ages 65+) per 100 people of working age (ages 15-64).
The potential support ratio is 17.0. This is the number of working-age people (ages 15-64) per one elderly person (ages 65+). As a population ages, the potential support ratio tends to fall, meaning there are fewer potential workers to support the elderly.
Belize spends 5.8% of its total income on health care.
There are 0.83 doctors per 1,000 people.
There are 1.1 hospital beds per 1,000 people.
24.1% of the population are estimated as obese.
98.9% of the urban population and 100% of the rural population have drinking water that is either piped into their home or they have access to a public tap, a protected borehole, well, spring or
protected rainwater collection facility.
Belize spends 6.2% of its total income on education.
Children usually start school at age 6 in Belize. Primary education is for eight years until age 14. This is the end of compulsory education. Secondary
education is available till age 18. This may be followed
by further education at a university or college.
Generally the school year consists of 3 terms and starts in the first week of September and finishes at the end of June. The first term ends at the end of November.
The second term runs from the beginning of December until the end of March with a 3 week Christmas break. The third term runs from the beginning of April until the end of June with a 2 week
Easter break.
We have no figures for the number of people who are able to read and write by the age of 15.
17.7% of all people aged between 16 and 24 are not in work. Among females 28.4% are unemployed while with males 11.0% can't find work.
The total number of people available for work in Belize is 120,500.
They work in the following sectors.
There are 6 paved airports in Belize, which is the 13th highest number in North America.
There are 0 kilometres of railways in Belize, the equal fewest in North America.
There are 488 kilometres of roads in Belize, which means Belize is in 21st place for the most kilometres of roads in North America.