978-1-4222-3285-9

37

A Mosaic of Backgrounds and Languages

Quick Facts: The People of Belize

Population: 340,844 Ethnic groups: 48.7 percent mestizo ; 24.9 percent Creole; 10.6 percent Maya; 6.1 percent Garifuna; 9.7 percent other. Age structure:

male: 66.88 years female: 70.17 years Total fertility rate: 3.02 children born per woman Religions: Roman Catholic 39.3%, Pentacostal 8.3%, Anglican 4.5%, Mennonite 3.7%, other Christian, 16%; Baha'i, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Mormon, other 14%; none 15.2% (2010 census) Languages: English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole, German. Literacy: 76.9 percent (2000 est.)

0–14 years: 35.3 percent 15–64 years: 61.1 percent 65 years and over: 3.6 percent

Population growth rate: 1.92 percent Birth rate: 25.14 births/1,000 population Death rate: 5.95 deaths/1,000 population Infant mortality rate: 20.31 deaths/1,000 live births Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.49 years

Source: CIA World Factbook 2014. *All figures 2014 estimates, unless otherwise noted.

Two-thirds of the Creole population resides in Belize City. After slavery ended, Creole men rose to positions of authority in the logging industry. Today, political parties and media—television, newspapers, and radio— tend to be dominated by people of this background. The Garifuna The Garifuna are descended from Carib and Arawak Indians who intermar- ried with escaped Africans from two slave ships that sunk in the eastern Caribbean in the 17th century. By the late 1700s, they lived apart in commu-