Belize

According to ALLCITYCODES.COM, the area code for Belize is 501. It is located in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), and is one of the countries in the NANP system that makes international calls to and from other countries. The 501 code is used to make calls within Belize, as well as making international calls to and from other countries in the NANP system. The country has a number of landline operators such as Belize Telemedia Limited, SpeedNet Communications, and others, all of which offer competitive rates for local, regional, and international calls. In addition to landlines, there are several mobile networks in Belize such as Digicel (GSM/UMTS/LTE), SMART (GSM/UMTS/LTE), Speednet Communications (GSM/UMTS/LTE), Tigo (CDMA) and Claro (GSM/UMTS/LTE). Customers can purchase prepaid sim cards from any of these providers in order to make calls to local numbers or international numbers within the NANP system. All of these networks offer competitive rates for both local and international calls. For those who need to make international calls from Belize outside of the NANP system, there are several third-party service providers that offer competitive rates on making such calls. These include International Call Cards (ICC), which allow customers to purchase calling minutes at a discounted rate; World Phone Card International Calling Services; VoIP services such as Skype; prepaid calling cards; or through VoIP apps like Viber or Whatsapp. Belize is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state and represented by a Governor-General. The Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in Parliament and has the responsibility for appointing members to his/her Cabinet. The National Assembly consists of 31 members, elected for five-year terms. Elections are held every five years and all citizens over 18 years old have the right to vote. Belize has historically been a two-party system, with the People’s United Party (PUP) and United Democratic Party (UDP) dominating politics since independence in 1981. However, recently smaller parties have gained more attention from voters, leading to greater diversity in representation in Parliament. Belize also has a vibrant civil society that actively participates in policy discussions and advocacy activities. PROEXCHANGERATES: Features public policy of Belize.