; refined products 535 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,536 km
standard gauge: 3,536 km 1.435-m gauge (2,950 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 152,256 km
paved: 119,079 km (includes 1,763 km of expressways)
unpaved: 33,177 km (2006)

Waterways:

2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 79
by type: bulk carrier 20, cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, container 6,
liquefied gas 20, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off
10
foreign-owned: 6 (Denmark 4, France 2)
registered in other countries: 111 (Bahamas 15, Cyprus 2, France 6,
Gibraltar 2, Greece 16, Hong Kong 3, Liberia 4, Luxembourg 7, Malta
15, Mozambique 2, Netherlands 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 2,
Portugal 1, Portugal 7, Russia 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 8, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 8, Vanuatu
4) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Antwerp, Gent, Liege, Zeebrugge

Military
Belgium

Military branches:

Belgian Armed Forces: Land Operations Command, Naval Operations
Command, Air Operations Command (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription
suspended (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,407,128
females age 16-49: 2,340,039 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,973,167
females age 16-49: 1,915,990 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 64,659
female: 61,881 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues
Belgium

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

growing producer of synthetic drugs and cannabis; transit point for
US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American
cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin,
hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe; despite a
strengthening of legislation, the country remains vulnerable to
money laundering related to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and
tobacco; significant domestic consumption of ecstasy

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Belize

Introduction
Belize

Background:

Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline
at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish