The economy of Belize depended on forestry until well into the 20th century. Logwood, used to make dye, was Belize's initial main export. However, the supply outstripped the demand, especially as Europeans developed man-made dyes which were less expensive. Loggers turned to mahogany, which grew in abundance in the country's forests. The wood was prized for use in cabinets, railroad carriers. While many merchants and traders became wealthy from the mahogany industry, ups and downs in the market had a large impact on the economy. In addition, new mahogany trees weren't being planted, and because mahogany trees grow slowly and natural regrowth was not sufficient to replenish the supply. As the 19th century progressed, loggers were forced to go deeper into the forests to find the trees, increasing labour costs.

PropertyValue
p:abstract
  • The economy of Belize depended on forestry until well into the 20th century. Logwood, used to make dye, was Belize's initial main export. However, the supply outstripped the demand, especially as Europeans developed man-made dyes which were less expensive. Loggers turned to mahogany, which grew in abundance in the country's forests. The wood was prized for use in cabinets, railroad carriers. While many merchants and traders became wealthy from the mahogany industry, ups and downs in the market had a large impact on the economy. In addition, new mahogany trees weren't being planted, and because mahogany trees grow slowly and natural regrowth was not sufficient to replenish the supply. As the 19th century progressed, loggers were forced to go deeper into the forests to find the trees, increasing labour costs. Variations of mahogany exports over long periods of time were linked to the accessible supply of the resource. Thus, improvements in hauling methods helped the cutters satisfy increasing demands for mahogany by enabling them to extract timber from areas in the interior that had been previously inaccessible to them. Immediately after the introduction of cattle in the early 1800s, tractors in the 1920s, and lorries in the 1940s, production levels rose dramatically. When the supply of accessible timber dwindled and logging became too unprofitable in the 20th century, the country's economy shifted to new sectors. Cane sugar became the principal export and recently has been augmented by expanded production of citrus, bananas, seafood, and apparel. The country has about 8,090 km² of arable land, only a small fraction of which is under cultivation. To curb land speculation, the government enacted legislation in 1973 that requires non-Belizeans to complete a development plan on land they purchase before obtaining title to plots of more than 10 acres (40,000 m²) of rural land or more than one-half acre of urban land. Domestic industry is limited, constrained by relatively high-cost labour and energy and a small domestic market. The United States Embassy in Belmopan knows of some 185 United States companies that have operations in Belize, including MCI, Duke Energy International, Archer Daniels Midland, Texaco, and Esso. Tourism attracts the most foreign direct investment although significant U.S. investment also is found in the energy, telecommunications, and agricultural sectors.A combination of natural factors-- climate, the Belize Barrier Reef, numerous islands, excellent fishing, safe waters for boating, jungle wildlife, and Maya ruins-- support the thriving tourist industry. Development costs are high, but the Government of Belize has designated tourism as its second development priority after agriculture. In 2000, tourist arrivals totaled 189,634 (more than 110,000 from the U.S.) and tourist receipts amounted to $113.3 million. Belize's investment policy is codified in the Belize Investment Guide, which sets out the development priorities for the country. (en)
  • A pequena e essencialmente privada economia do Belize baseia-se principalmente na agricultura, na indústria de base agrária e no merchandising, com o turismo (em especial as áreas ligadas ao mergulho) e a construção crescendo em relevância econômica nos últimos anos. O açúcar é o produto agrário mais importante e é responsável por quase metade das exportações, enquanto que a indústria da banana é o maior empregador do país. A produção de citrinos tem-se constituído numa indústria importante ao longo da estrada Hummingbird. As políticas expansiva, monetária e fiscal do governo iniciadas em setembro de 1998, levaram a um crescimento do PIB de 6.4% em 1999 e de 10.5% em 2000. O crescimento regrediu para 3% em 2001 devido ao desaceleramento econômico global e a severos danos à agricultura, pescas e turismo provocados por furacões. As principais fontes de preocupação governamental continuam a ser o crescimento rápido do déficit comercial e a dívida externa. Um objetivo-chave de curto prazo é a redução da pobreza com a ajuda de doadores internacionais. Hoje em dia, há mais belizianos vivendo fora do país do que no próprio Belize, e uma porção muito significativa do PNB do Belize provém das remessas desses emigrantes. (pt)
p:cianame
  • bh (en)
p:country
  • Belize (en)
p:currency
p:debt
  • $1.2 billion (June 2005 est.) (en)
p:expenses
  • $365 million (2007 est.) (en)
p:exportGoods
  • Sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood (en)
p:exportPartners
p:exports
  • $437 million (2007 est.) (en)
p:gdp
  • $2.336 billion (2007 est.) (en)
p:grossExternalDebt
  • 1362000000
p:growth
  • 3% (2007 est.) (en)
p:hasPhotoCollection
p:importGoods
  • Machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, beverages, tobacco (en)
p:importPartners
p:imports
  • 622400000
p:industries
p:inflation
  • 2.8% (2007 est.) (en)
p:labor
  • 113,000 (2006 est.) (en)
p:occupations
  • Agriculture (22.5%), industry (15.2%), services (62.3%) (2005 est.) (en)
p:organs
p:perCapita
  • $7,800 (2007 est.) (en)
p:poverty
  • 33.5% (2002 est.) (en)
p:rank
  • 166 (xsd:integer)
p:revenue
  • 328500000
p:sectors
p:wikiPageUsesTemplate
p:year
  • 1 April – 31 March (en)
rdfs:comment
  • The economy of Belize depended on forestry until well into the 20th century. Logwood, used to make dye, was Belize's initial main export. However, the supply outstripped the demand, especially as Europeans developed man-made dyes which were less expensive. Loggers turned to mahogany, which grew in abundance in the country's forests. The wood was prized for use in cabinets, railroad carriers. While many merchants and traders became wealthy from the mahogany industry, ups and downs in the market had a large impact on the economy. In addition, new mahogany trees weren't being planted, and because mahogany trees grow slowly and natural regrowth was not sufficient to replenish the supply. As the 19th century progressed, loggers were forced to go deeper into the forests to find the trees, increasing labour costs. (en)
  • A pequena e essencialmente privada economia do Belize baseia-se principalmente na agricultura, na indústria de base agrária e no merchandising, com o turismo (em especial as áreas ligadas ao mergulho) e a construção crescendo em relevância econômica nos últimos anos. (pt)
rdfs:label
  • Economy of Belize (en)
  • Économie du Belize (fr)
  • Economia do Belize (pt)
skos:subject
foaf:page
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