Land use: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 2% forest and woodland: 44% other: 52%
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial
effluents, agricultural runoff
natural hazards: frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to
December) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
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
@Belize:People
Population: 214,061 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (female 45,812; male 47,618)
15-64 years: 53% (female 55,630; male 57,230)
65 years and over: 3% (female 3,970; male 3,801) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.42% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 33.71 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.86 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)