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Belize. Ballpoint Pens, Rollerball Pens,Cartridges, Fountain Pens.
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England Description Belize
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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.
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Location
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Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
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Geographic Coordinates
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17 15 N, 88 45 W
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Area - comparative
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slightly smaller than Massachusetts
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Coast line
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386 km
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Climate
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tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
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Terrain Belize
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flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
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Natural Resources Belize
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arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
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Irrigated land
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30 sq km (2003)
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Total Renewable Water Resources
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18.6 cu km (2000)
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Natural Hazards
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frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
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Environment Currentissues
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deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal
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Geography Note
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only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean
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Population Belize
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314,522 (July 2010 est.)
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Population growth rate
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2.102% (2010 est.)
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Birth Rate
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26.84 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
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Death Rate
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5.82 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
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Netmigration Rate
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NA
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Total Fertility Rate
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3.28 children born/woman (2010 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate
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2.1% (2007 est.)
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Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids
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3,600 (2007 est.)
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Hiv/Aids Deaths
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mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% (2000 census)
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Religions
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Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000)
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Languages
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Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census)
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Education Expenditures
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5.3% of GDP (2004)
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Government Type
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parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
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Administrative Divisions
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6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
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Independence
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21 September 1981 (from the UK)
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National Holiday
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Independence Day, 21 September (1981)
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Constitution
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21-Sep-81
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Legal System
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English law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage
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18 years of age; universal
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Legislative Branch
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bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 6 on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 1 each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (31 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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Political Partie Sand Leaders
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Summary Jurisdiction Courts (criminal) and District Courts (civil jurisdiction); Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal; Privy Council in the UK; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)
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Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders
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Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR [Gustavo PERERA]; Association of Concerned Belizeans or ACB [David VASQUEZ]; National Trade Union Congress of Belize or NTUC/B [Rene GOMEZ]
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International Organization Participation
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ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Flag Description
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blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland of 50 mahogany leaves; the colors are those of the two main political parties: blue for the PUP and red for the UDP; various elements of the coat of arms - the figures, the tools, the mahogany tree, and the garland of leaves - recall the logging industry that led to British settlement of Belize
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Economy Overview
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In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy, tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by exports of marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. 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 to 2.1% in 2008 and -1.5% in 2009 as a result of the global slowdown, natural disasters, and the drop in the price of oil. Oil discoveries in 2006 bolstered economic growth. Exploration efforts continue and production increased a small amount in 2009. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and sizable foreign debt. In February 2007, the government restructured nearly all of its public external commercial debt, which helped reduce interest payments and relieve some of the country's liquidity concerns. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors.
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GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
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$2.485 billion (2009 est.)
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GDP (Official Exchange Rate)
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$1.424 billion (2009 est.)
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GDP Real Growth Rate
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-1.5% (2009 est.)
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GDP Per Capita (PPP)
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$8,100 (2009 est.)
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Labor Force
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122,300
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Unemployment Rate
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8.1% (2008)
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Population Below Poverty Line
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33.5% (2002 est.)
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Distribution Of Family Income
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19.1% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Unvestment Gross Fixed
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0.3% (2009 est.)
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Inflation Rrate
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12% (31 December 2008)
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Central Bank Discount Rate
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14.14% (31 December 2008)
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Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
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$345.7 million (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Money
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$653.8 million (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Quasi Money
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$955 million (31 December 2008)
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Stock Of Domestic Credit
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$NA
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Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares
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bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber
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Agriculture - Products
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garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil
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Industries
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0.5% (2009 est.)
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Industrial Production Growth Rate
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213.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity Production
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198.5 million kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity Consumption
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0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity Exports
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248.4 million kWh (2005)
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Electricity Imports
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3,511 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Production
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7,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil Consumption
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2,260 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil Exports
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7,204 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil Imports
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6.7 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Oil Proved Reserves
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Production
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Consumption
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Exports
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0 cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural Gas Imports
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0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural Gas Proved Reserves
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-$80 million (2009 est.)
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Current Account Balance
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$395 million (2009 est.)
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Exports
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sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood, crude oil
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Exports Commodities
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US 36.9%, UK 22.3%, Italy 4.7%, Cote dIvoire 4.4%, Nigeria 4.2% (2008)
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Exports Partners
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$616 million (2009 est.)
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Imports
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machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco
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Imports Commodities
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US 38%, Mexico 13.1%, Cuba 7.9%, Guatemala 6.2%, China 4.3% (2008)
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Imports Partners
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$200 million (31 December 2009 est.)
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Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold
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$954.1 million (2008 est.)
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Debt - External
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Belizean dollars (BZD) per US dollar - 2 (2009), 2 (2008), 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005)
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Radio Broadcast Stations
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160,000 (2008)
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Television Broadcast Stations
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AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006)
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Internet Country Code
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7 (2008)
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Airports
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34,000 (2008)
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Military Service Age and Obligation
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18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1 (2008)
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