Belize 1998

Belize Capital

In 1998, Belize was a small Central American nation located on the Caribbean coast. It had a population of around 250,000 people and was made up of several distinct ethnic groups, including Creole, Maya, Mestizo and Garifuna. The economy was largely based on agriculture and tourism; while there were limited natural resources in the country, its tropical climate and stunning beaches made it a popular destination for tourists. Despite this economic success, Belize was facing several significant challenges in 1998. Inflation had risen sharply due to the recent economic crisis in Asia, leading to an ongoing financial crisis that had caused considerable hardship for many citizens. In addition, poverty and unemployment were high; while the overall poverty rate was lower than the average of other Latin American countries, there were still pockets of extreme poverty throughout the country. The government had recently implemented several reforms to improve access to healthcare and education while also taking steps to diversify its economy away from its reliance on agriculture and tourism. There were also efforts being made to tackle corruption and reduce poverty levels throughout the country. In addition, Belize was becoming increasingly engaged with international affairs; it had recently joined CARICOM (Caribbean Community) and signed various treaties with neighboring countries such as Guatemala and Mexico. It was also beginning to increase its presence on the world stage by joining various international organizations such as UNESCO and the United Nations (UN). See dentistrymyth for Belize in the year of 2015.

Yearbook 1998

Belize. According to Countryaah, the capital of Belize is Belmopan. Prime Minister Manuel Esquivel and his party United Democratic Party (UDP) lost the parliamentary elections on August 27. New government was formed instead by Said Musa, leader of the opposition party People’s United Party (PUP) with 26 out of 29 seats in parliament. The UDP is considered to have failed with its unemployment policy, and the party failed to win voter confidence despite tax exemptions for thousands of low-income earners and investment funds for infrastructure projects. For its part, Musa promised an economic activation program with job-creating measures, housing construction and the abolition of VAT.

  • Abbreviationfinder: What does BLZ stand for in geography? Here, this 3 letter acronym refers to the country of Belize.

Belize Capital

HISTORY

Having risen to the helm of the country in 1998, S. Musa, leader of the People’s United Party (PUP), in the early months of 2000 found himself having to face the unresolved question of territorial and maritime borders with neighboring Guatemala, which still claimed a turns its sovereignty over about half of Belize’s territory. However, the troubled achievement of a cooperation agreement between the two countries in February 2003 did not seem to guarantee a definitive solution to the dispute which was reopened in the following years on several occasions by Guatemala. Internally, the legislative elections of March 2003 marked a further victory for the PUP (which however dropped to 22 seats, compared to 26 in 1998) while the opposing party, the United Democratic Party (UDP), partially regained its electorate (from 3 to 7 seats). Musa thus returned to the leadership of the executive, characterized however by serious internal instability, and by repeated reshuffles and changes of government (in January 2004 and, in 2005, in action, December and July).