Belize

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 disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Guatemala and Belize are gearing up for a simultaneous referendum to determine if this dispute will go before the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, high crime rates, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.

Economical characteristics

 * Currency: Belize dollar (ISO code: BZD)
 * Central bank discount rate: 12% (31 December 2008)
 * Commercial banks lending rate: 14.14% (31 December 2008)
 * Stock of money (M1): $345.7 million (31 December 2008)
 * Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $653.8 million (31 December 2008)

Links

 * Belize on Wikipedia
 * Central bank of Belize
 * BBC country profile