Belize The small, essentially private enterprise economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming greater importance. Sugar, the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of exports, while the banana industry is the country's largest employer. |
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy on the Westminster model and is a member of the Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II is head of state and is represented in the country by Governor General Dr. Colville N. Young, Sr., a Belizean and Belize's second governor general. The primary executive organ of government is the Cabinet led by a prime minister (head of government). Cabinet ministers are members of the majority political party in Parliament and usually hold elected seats in the National Assembly concurrently with their Cabinet positions. The National Assembly consists of a House of Representatives and a Senate. The 29 members of the House are popularly elected to a maximum 5-year term. Of the Senate's eight members, five are elected by the prime minister, two by the leader of the opposition, and one by the governor general on the advice of the Belize Advisory Council. The Senate is headed by a president who is a non-voting member appointed by the governing party. |
Belize
The Maya civilisation spread over Belize between 1500 BC and 300 AD and
flourished until about 1200 AD. The first Europeans arrived in the area
in the early 16th century and settlement began with shipwrecked English
seamen in 1638. This period also was marked by piracy, indiscriminate logging,
and sporadic conflict with Amerindian tribes and the neighbouring Spanish.
Belize grew into a more official colony of the United Kingdom during the late 18th, early 19th century under the name of British Honduras, which became a crown colony in 1862. Self-governing since January 1964 and renamed Belize in June 1973, George Price led the country to full independence in September 1981 after delays caused by territorial disputes with neighbouring Guatemala, which did not formally recognise the country until 1991.
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