Location

Belize is a small country on the east coast of Central America, next to the Caribbean Sea. It is the only official and practically English-speaking country in Central America. Spanish is the second most widely spoken language, followed by Creole and Mayan.

About a quarter of the population is of African descent.
The British Crown Colony was known as British Honduras for over a hundred years until 1973. It gained independence in 1981. Today it is a popular tax haven.

It is the least populated country in Central America. Half of its territory is occupied by the swampy plains surrounding the lagoon coast of the Caribbean Sea, the other half is hilly land covered with rainforest, mainly in the south.
The main agricultural crops are sugar cane and bananas. There is significant extraction of valuable tropical rainforest timber (mahogany).

Etymology

The name Belize has been used since 1973 to refer to the country (formerly British Honduras), the Belize River, the longest river, and the former capital and most populous city of Belize, Belize City.

The earliest known record of the name “Belize” appears in a document by Fray José Delgado, a Dominican priest, in 1677.

The origin of the name is uncertain; it may be derived from the Spanish pronunciation of Peter Wallace’s surname. Some believe that Peter Wallace founded the first settlement in Belize in 1638, but many consider Wallace’s existence a myth.

Another possibility for the origin of the name Belize is that it is derived from the Mayan word ja’belix’, meaning turbid water, and was applied to the Belize River.

Geography

Located in the Yucatán Peninsula in northeastern Central America, the country is bordered by a wide, marshy coastal plain and the shallow, coral-reefed Yucatán Sea. The north-western part, rising to over 200 meters, is part of the Yucatan limestone plateau. The southern half of the country is dominated by the Maja Mountains. Its highest point is Victoria Peak (1160 m). The world’s second longest coral reef stretches 320 km off the coast (the first in Australia is the Great Barrier Reef).

Hydrography

Its major rivers are the Belize River, a wide, sandy, swampy delta flowing into the Caribbean Sea, and the New River, which flows into the sea in the north of the country. Lagoons have developed along the coast and large areas of marshland in the north.

Climate

The climate is tropical, warm and humid. Temperatures vary depending on altitude, proximity to the coast and the moderating influence of northeasterly winds from the Caribbean. The rainy season lasts from mid-May to late November, with a longer drier period from February to early May. Along the coast, temperatures range from 25°C (winter) to 31°C (summer), while inland it can be slightly cooler in winter and warmer in summer. The hurricane season lasts from June to November (but also occurs in December). Average rainfall in the north is around 1500 mm per year, while in the mountainous south it can exceed 4000 mm.

Wildlife, nature conservation

The country has thousands of plant species, 200 orchid species and around 500 different tree species. The rainforest covers a large area. Half of the country is uninhabited or in the wild.
The jaguar, the tapir, the toucan, the macaw, and various species of monkeys are indigenous to the country. Crocodiles often live in the rivers.

UNESCO has declared the offshore coral reef a World Natural Heritage site.

History

The indigenous people of Belize are the Maya Indians. The Maya civilization spread through Belize between 1500 BC and 300 AD, reaching its heyday in 900 BC.

The first European settlers were British pirates and castaways from 1638.

The coastline prevented early colonization of the area. The area was conquered by the Spanish in the early 16th century, but they did not settle here. The early ‘Belize Settlement in the Gulf of Honduras’ had a small population, consisting of the settlements of Belize Town and St. George’s Caye, and became a virtual colony of the United Kingdom in the late 18th century. From the early 19th century, the settlement was called British Honduras and became a Crown Colony in 1871.

As the Spanish were unable to control what is now Belize, the British began to harvest bluewood (Haematoxylum Campechianum L.), logwood in English, which was in great demand in Europe, used as dye in the manufacture of woolen cloth. Around 1770, another tropical tree species, mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King), took over as Belize’s main export. Mahogany production was the basis of Belize’s economy until the early 1900s, when citrus, sugar cane and banana production took over.

Hurricane Hattie caused severe damage in 1961. The government decided that the capital, which was below sea level on the coast, was too dangerous. Within a few years, the British colonial government had built a new capital, Belmopan, in the geographical centre of the country, and in 1970 began a gradual relocation of offices.
Flag of British Honduras 1919-1981

British Honduras became a crown colony with internal self-government in 1964, taking the name Belize on 1 June 1973; it was the last colony of the United Kingdom in the Americas. George Price led the country to full independence on 21 September 1981. Neighbouring Guatemala did not officially recognise the new state due to a territorial dispute. At the time of the independence of the Spanish colonies in Central America (around 1820), Belize’s territory was claimed by Mexico and Guatemala. Throughout the rest of Belize’s history, Guatemala has claimed all or part of its territory. This claim is indicated by maps showing Belize as the twenty-third province of Guatemala. The border dispute has remained unresolved, despite attempts at mediation by the United Kingdom, CARICOM Heads of Government, the Organisation of American States and, on one occasion, the United States. Since independence, the British garrison has remained in Belize at the request of the government. Both Guatemala and Belize participate in the Organization of American States’ conciliation processes, including the Guatemala-Belize Language Exchange Project.

In 2005, the country’s ruling party’s drive to raise taxes caused unrest.

Belize is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, in personal union with Great Britain, within the Commonwealth realm. The structure of government is based on the British parliamentary system and the legal system is based on the British legal system. Charles III rules the country as King of Belize, with the official title “Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Belize and of His Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth”. The monarch is represented by the Governor General of Belize.

All circulation coins and banknotes of the country’s currency, the Belize dollar, feature a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II as the main motif.