Belize
Central America
Belize formerly known as British Honduras, is the only official English speaking country in Central America.
Belize was a British Colony for more than a century and was known as British Honduras until 1973.
It became an independent nation within The Commonwealth in 1981. Belize is a small, ethnically diverse,
coastal tropical country in
Central America.
Top imports of Belize are Petroleum Gas, Rolled Tobacco, Refined Petroleum, Recreational Boats and cars,
importing mostly from United States, China, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama. The manufacturing sector is small
but has been expanding. Major industrial activities include textiles and garments, and sugar, citrus, and banana processing.
Belize also has approximately 70,000 non-Belizean residents living in the country. Mostly immigrants
from other Central American Countries and Eastern and Southern Asia.
Free Trade Agreements
There are currently 3 Export Processing Zones, one next to the border with Mexico and two next to Belize City, the commercial capital of the country, and 2 Commercial Free Zones, the most famous being the Corozal Free Zone, also located next to Mexico.
Belize is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Sistema de Integration Centro Americana (SICA)
Tourism
The daily flow of tourists coming to Belize by cruise lines amounts to more than half a million per year. Regularly Tourist visit 150,000 people per year.
Belize is only 2 hours by plane from three major cities in the United States: Miami, New Orleans and Houston, and has very reliable shipping and air cargo services to and from key market areas in Europe, U.S., Central America and the Caribbean.
Economy
