The 2001 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
20.2% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 4.34 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: services 73%, industry 25%, agriculture 2% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8.4% (2000 est.)
Budget: revenues: $114.8 billion
expenditures: $117 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.6 billion (1999)
Industries: engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum, coal
Industrial production growth rate: 5.5% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 79.829 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 40.01%
hydro: 0.42%
nuclear: 58.33%
other: 1.24% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 75.089 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 8.207 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 9.055 billion kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk
Exports: $181.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products
Exports - partners: EU 76% (Germany 18%, France 18%, Netherlands 12%, UK 10%) (1999)
Imports: $166 billion (c.i.f., 2000)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals and metal products
Imports - partners: EU 71% (Germany 18%, Netherlands 17%, France 14%, UK 9%) (1999)
Debt - external: $28.3 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $764 million (1997)
Currency: Belgian franc (BEF); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Belgium at a fixed rate of 40.3399 Belgian francs per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: BEF; EUR
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Belgian francs per US dollar - 34.77 (January 1999), 36.229 (1998), 35.774 (1997), 30.962 (1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Belgium Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 4.769 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 974,494 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network
international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat
Radio broadcast stations: FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 8.075 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 4.72 million (1997)
Internet country code: .be
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 61 (2000)
Internet users: 2.7 million (2000)
Belgium Transportation
Railways: total: 3,437 km (2,446 km electrified; 2,563 km double track)
standard gauge: 3,437 km 1.435-m gauge (1998)
Highways: total: 145,774 km
paved: 116,182 km (including 1,674 km of expressways)
unpaved: 29,592 km (1999)
Waterways: 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
Pipelines: crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural gas 3,300 km
Ports and harbors: Antwerp (one of the world's busiest ports),
Brugge, Gent, Hasselt, Liege, Mons, Namur, Oostende, Zeebrugge
Merchant marine: total: 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 32,912 GRT/53,161 DWT
ships by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 9, petroleum tanker 6 (2000 est.)
Airports: 42 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 24
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 6 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 16 (2000 est.)
Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)
Belgium Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie,
Medical Service
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15–49: 2,517,596 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15–49: 2,079,624 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 63,247 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.5 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY99)
Belgium Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: growing producer of synthetic drugs; 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
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@Belize
Belize Introduction
Background: Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. The country remains plagued by high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increased urban crime.
Belize Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between
Guatemala and Mexico
Geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 45 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: total: 516 km
border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Coastline: