Belize — map and facts

About Belize

Belize is a small country on the northeastern coast of Central America, bordered by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. With a population of approximately 430,000 people and an area of 22,966 square kilometres, it is the least populous country in Central America. The capital is Belmopan, a planned city established in 1970 after Hurricane Hattie devastated the former capital Belize City in 1961, though Belize City remains the largest urban centre. Belize is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with King Charles III as head of state, represented locally by a Governor-General. It is the only Central American country where English is the official language, a legacy of British colonial rule. The population is ethnically diverse, comprising Mestizo, Creole, Maya, Garifuna, and other communities. The economy depends on agriculture, tourism, and marine industries. Belize is internationally noted for its extraordinary biodiversity and the Belize Barrier Reef, the largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere.

Geography and Landscape

Belize occupies a varied landscape that transitions from the low-lying northern plains to rugged mountain ranges in the south and west. The Maya Mountains dominate the interior, with Doyle's Delight reaching 1,124 metres as the country's highest peak. The Sibun and Belize rivers are among the main waterways, flowing eastward to the Caribbean. The northern regions are characterised by flat, subtropical forest and agricultural land, while the south features dense tropical rainforest and the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, home to the world's first jaguar reserve. Belize's coastline is sheltered by the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site stretching approximately 300 kilometres. Beyond the reef lie three of the four Caribbean atolls: Turneffe, Lighthouse, and Glover's Reef. The climate is subtropical and humid, with a pronounced dry season from February to May and a wet season from June to January. The south receives significantly more rainfall than the north. The country sits within the Caribbean hurricane belt and is periodically affected by tropical storms.

History

The area that is now Belize was the heartland of the ancient Maya civilisation, which flourished from around 2000 BCE. Major Maya cities such as Caracol, Lamanai, Xunantunich, and Cahal Pech were built across the region, with Caracol being one of the largest Maya sites ever discovered. Spanish colonisers arrived in the sixteenth century but found the area difficult to subdue; European settlement was led primarily by English and Scottish buccaneers and logwood cutters from the mid-seventeenth century. The 1763 Treaty of Paris granted Britain rights to harvest logwood. The Battle of St. George's Caye in 1798 repelled a Spanish attack and became a defining event in Belizean national identity. British Honduras, as it was formally named, became a Crown Colony in 1862. Gradual self-governance followed throughout the twentieth century, with full internal self-government achieved in 1964. Independence was declared on 21 September 1981 under Prime Minister George Price of the People's United Party, ending nearly three centuries of British colonial presence.