Corozol, Punta Gorda

Merchant marine: total: 402 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
1,575,851 GRT/2,241,731 DWT

ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 265, chemical tanker 6, combination
ore/oil 1, container 14, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum
tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 18, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea
passenger 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 3

note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Cuba 1, Singapore 1, US 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: 44 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 40

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 10

under 914 m: 29 (2000 est.)

Belize Military

Military branches: Belize Defense Force (includes Army, Maritime
Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard)

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 62,698 (2001
est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
37,174 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 2,847
(2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $17 million (FY98/99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.4% (FY98/99)

Belize Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: Guatemala periodically asserts claims to
territory in southern Belize; to deter cross-border squatting, both
states in 2000 agreed to a "line of adjacency" based on the de facto
boundary, which is not recognized by Guatemala

Illicit drugs: minor transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale
illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; minor
money-laundering center

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@Benin

Benin Introduction

Background: Dahomey gained its independence from France in 1960; the
name was changed to Benin in 1975. From 1974 to 1989 the country was
a socialist state; free elections were reestablished in 1991.

Benin 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: 112,620 sq km

land: 110,620 sq km

water: 2,000 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries: total: 1,989 km

border countries: Burkina Faso 306