About BELIZE
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Belize has a diverse society, composed of many cultures and speaking many languages. It is the only country in Central America where English is the official language.

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 prior to gaining its independence in 1981. The country is bordered to the south and west by Guatemala, to the north by Mexico, and to the east by the Caribbean Sea.

ECONOMY:
The small, essentially private enterprise economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism ,construction and offshore financial services assuming greater importance. Sugar, the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of exports, while the banana industry is the country's largest employer.

The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 4% in 1999-2007, though growth slipped below 3% in 2008 as a result of the global slowdown. Oil discoveries in 2006 bolstered the economic growth.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.574 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita:$20,200 (2008 est.)

Currency:
Belizean dollars (BZD) per US dollar - 2 (2008 est.), 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004)