(WIPO code: BZ) (last revised December 2022)
by MUSA & BALDERAMOS LLP, Belize City
Belize
General Information
Area
24,000 sq. km.
Population
412,387 (estimated 2022).
Capital
Belmopan.
Languages
English (official), Spanish, Maya.
Currency
Belize dollar.
Industries
Food processing, clothing and tourism. The fishing industry is important
Agriculture
Sugar (main export), citrus, bananas, tobacco and honey
Minerals and mining
Drilling for oil began in 1977 in offshore and onshore areas.
Foreign trade
Imports: mainly food, machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods and fuels; exports: chiefly sugar, molasses, citrus fruits, fish, timber and clothing.
Principal trade partners
United States, Great Britain, Canada, Caribbean countries and Mexico.
General Remarks
Belize has a highly agricultural and tourist-dependent economy. Services such as telecommunications, offshore banking, hotels, cable TV, car rental, etc., are well-developed.
Starting in 2000, Belize enacted a set of modern legislation for the protection of intellectual property including patents, trademarks, industrial designs, layout designs (topographies) of integrated circuits, new plant varieties and copyrights.