Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: claims Belize, but boundary negotiations to resolve the dispute are underway
_#_Climate: tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands
_#_Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau (Peten)
_#_Natural resources: crude oil, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle
_#_Land use: arable land 12%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 12%; forest and woodland 40%; other 32%; includes irrigated 1%
_#_Environment: numerous volcanoes in mountains, with frequent violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
_#_Note: no natural harbors on west coast
_*People #_Population: 9,266,018 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 35 births/1,000 population (1991)