rce: 71,000

note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical
personnel (1997 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 38%, industry 32%, services
30% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 12.8% (1999)

Budget: revenues: $157 million

expenditures: $279 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 est.)

Industries: garment production, food processing, tourism,
construction

Industrial production growth rate: 4.6% (1999)

Electricity - production: 185 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 56.76%

hydro: 43.24%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 172.1 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: bananas, coca, citrus, sugarcane; lumber;
fish, cultured shrimp

Exports: $235.7 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish
products, molasses, wood

Exports - partners: US 42%, UK 33%, EU 12%, Caricom 4.8%, Canada 2%,
Mexico 1% (1999)

Imports: $413 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment,
manufactured goods; food, beverages, tobacco; fuels, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners: US 58%, Mexico 12%, UK 5% EU 5%, Central America
5%, Caricom 4% (1998)

Debt - external: $338 million (1998)

Economic aid - recipient: $NA

Currency: Belizean dollar (BZD)

Currency code: BZD

Exchange rates: Belizean dollars per US dollar - 2.0000 (fixed rate
pegged to the US dollar)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Belize Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 31,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 3,023 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: above-average system

domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay

international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 133,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)

Televisions: 41,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .bz

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)

Internet users: 12,000 (2000)

Belize Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 2,872 km

paved: 488 km

unpaved: 2,384 km (1998 est.)

Waterways: 825 km (river network used by shallow-draft craft;
seasonally navigable)

Ports and harbors: Belize City, Big Creek,