Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 2,560 km paved: 336 km unpaved: 2,224 km (1987 est.)
Waterways: 825 km river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable
Ports: Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda
Merchant marine:
total: 89 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 311,731 GRT/470,272 DWT
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 60, container 6, liquefied gas tanker
1, oil tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 4,
specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 35
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 25
with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 8 (1995 est.)
Communications———————
Telephones: 15,917 (1990 est.)
Telephone system: above-average system domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: 27,048 (1993 est.)
Defense———
Branches: Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Navy, Air Force,
and Volunteer Guard), Belize National Police
Manpower availability: males age 15–49: 52,290 males fit for military service: 31,086 males reach military age (18) annually: 2,390 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $8.1 million, NA% of GDP (FY95/96)
======================================================================
@Benin——
Map—
Location: 9 30 N, 2 15 E—Western Africa, bordering the North
Atlantic Ocean, between Nigeria and Togo
Flag——
Description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red
with a vertical green band on the hoist side
Geography————
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Nigeria and Togo
Geographic coordinates: 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total area: 112,620 sq km
land area: 110,620 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
total: 1,989 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km,
Togo 644 km
Coastline: 121 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low
mountains
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Tanekas 641 m
Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble,
timber
Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 4%
meadows and pastures: 4%
forest and woodland: 35%
other: 45%
Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: recent droughts have severely affected marginal
agriculture in north; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching
threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in
winter
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Desertification,
Law of the Sea
Geographic note: no natural harbors
People———
Population: 5,709,529 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 48% (male 1,376,531; female 1,367,394)
15–64 years: 50% (male 1,349,386; female 1,480,251)
65 years and over: 2% (male 60,030; female 75,937) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.32% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 46.76 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 13.53 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15–64
