Belize
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Belize
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Recommended Accommodations Belizean Shores (Ambergris Caye) Radisson Fort George Hotel & Marina (Belize City) Tony's Inn & Beach Resort (Corozal) Green Parrot Beach Houses Resort (Placencia) Windy Hill Resort and Tour Company (San Ignacios) Mopan River Resort (San Ignacios) |
Recommended Transportation Budget Rent A Car (Belize City) Budget Rent A Car (Belmopan) Budget Rent A Car (Corozal) Budget Rent A Car (Placencia) Budget Rent A Car (Punta Gorda) Budget Rent A Car (San Ignacios) |
Recommended Entertainment Belize Ocean Divers Belize Zoo Fido's Parasailing Jungle Tours Jungle Night Walk Cheap Airline Tickets Airline Tickets |
| More Recommended Entertainment Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley Coral Garden & Mexico Rocks |
More Recommended Entertainment Manatee Snorkel & Beach Bar B Que Bacalar Chico Reef Fishing |
More Recommended Entertainment Full Day Snorkel Trips Popular Dive Sites Fly Fishing & Deep Sea Fishing |
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Other Belize Links Government of Belize Tourism & Investment Guide Belize Audubon Society |
Other Belize Links BELIZE - A Country Study The Belize Tourism Board Toledo Maya Cultural Council |
Other Belize Links Adventures in Belize Belize A Virtual Tour Explore Belmopan Belize |
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Ambergris Caye - Primary Resort Island Belize City - Commerce & Tourism Base Corozal Town - The Mexico Border Connection, Tourism & Long-abandoned ruins of Cerros Placencia - The quiet beach escape San Ignacios - The jungle mountains Eco system - Tourism With much more to see in Beautiful Belize |
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Belize is in northeastern Central America. Mexico to the north and northwest, with the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the south and west. Belize, until 1973 was known as British Honduras. Became independent in 1981 and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and is part of the "Tax Free Caribbean Zone". The total area of Belize is 22,965 sq km (8,867 sq mi). (About the size of Massachusetts). The northern half of Belize consists of lowlands, large areas of which are swampy. The southern half is dominated by mountain ranges, notably the Maya Mountains, which rise to a maximum elevation of 1,120 m (3,675 ft) atop Victoria Peak. Coral barrier reefs and numerous Caye (islets) fringe the Caribbean coastline. The principal streams are the Belize River; the Río Azul, which forms much of the boundary with Mexico; and the Sarstún River, which forms the southwestern boundary with Guatemala. |
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The climate of Belize is subtropical, moderated by sea breezes along the coast. The average annual temperature is about 26° C (about 79° F). The total annual rainfall increases from north to south and averages about 1,800 mm (about 71 in). A rainy season extends from May to February. Forests cover some 86 percent of Belize. Deciduous trees are found in the north; tropical hardwood trees predominate in the south. Principal species include the commercially important mahogany, cedar, and rosewood, as well as pine, oak, and palms. Mangrove swamp vegetation is found along the coast. Wildlife includes jaguar, deer, tapir, and numerous species of birds and reptiles. |
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The majority of the population of Belize is of mixed racial descent. The largest group is of black or partly black ancestry. Other groups include Native Americans, principally Carib and Maya, located in the north and west; people of European descent, mainly English and Spanish; and people of mixed Native American-European descent. |
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The estimate population of Belize was 230,160 in 1998. The overall density of 10 persons per sq km (26 per sq mi) is the lowest in Central America. Population is concentrated in a few principal urban centers, of which Belize City is the largest. Belize City, city in eastern Belize, at the mouth of the Belize River, on the Caribbean Sea, is the country's chief seaport. Timber, wood products, sugar, fish, citrus fruit, and bananas are exported here. Major industries are sawmilling, food processing, and fishing. Of note are Saint John's Anglican Cathedral and Government House (both early 19th century). Located in an area where the Maya peoples once flourished, Belize City was settled in the early 17th century by British adventurers. In 1884 it became the capital of British Honduras (renamed Belize in 1973). Belmopan officially replaced the low-lying city, which is vulnerable to hurricanes, as the capital of Belize in 1972. Belmopan, on the Belize River, about 80 km (about 50 mi) from the Gulf of Honduras (an arm of the Caribbean Sea), a newly constructed city, supplanted Belize City as the official capital in 1972. The protected inland site of the city, in an area where the Maya once flourished, was selected as the new capital of Belize after coastal Belize City was devastated by a hurricane in 1961. Construction began here in the mid-1960s, and Belmopan became the seat of government in 1970. It was officially inaugurated as the capital in 1972. Though English is the official language other languages spoken include Carib, Maya, Spanish, and a Creole dialect of English. More than half the people are Roman Catholic, and most of the remainder are Protestant. |
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Education is compulsory for children between the ages of 5 and 14. Attendance at primary schools was near universal in 1996, but only 50 percent of secondary school-aged children were enrolled. Higher education is available at colleges in Belize City and Corozal. The literacy rate of 91 percent is one of the highest in Latin America. |
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*****Belizean Shores Post Office Box One San Pedro Ambergris Caye, Belize, Central America TEL: 011-501-226-2355 FAX: 011-501-226-1931 E-Mail: heather@belizeanshores.com Direct to mail@belizeanshores.com or reservations@belizeanshores.com Web address: www.belizeanshores.com |
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*****Belize Ocean Divers Instructor and Owner: Steve W. Bowen P.O. Box 13 San Pedro Town Ambergris Caye, Belize Tel:501-226-4166 Or 011-501-226-2173 E-Mail: info@belizeoceandivers.com Web address: www.belizeoceandivers.com |
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| There is a fine restaurant at belizeanshores.com condos that serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as cocktails and tropical drinks. Steve is your host and we are sure you will enjoy this establishment. |
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Cocina Caramba San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize Phone: 011-501-603-1652 Email carambas@btl.net |
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*****Budget Rent-A-Car Located at the airport. TEL: 011-501-223-2435 FAX: 011-501-223-2368 E-Mail:reservations@budget-belize.com Web Address: www. budget-belize.com |
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***** Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina Number Two Marine Parade Belize City, Belize, Central America TEL: 011-501-223-3333 FAX: 011-501-227-3820 E-Mail: rdfgh@btl.net Web Address: www.radissonbelize.com Reservation Page: For Reservation |
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*****TONY'S INN AND BEACH RESORT Corozal Town TEL: 011-501-422-2055 FAX: 011-501-422-2829 E-Mail: tonys@btl.net Web address: www.tonysinn.com |
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*****GREEN PARROT BEACH HOUSES One Maya Beach, Stann Creek District Placencia Peninsula TEL: 1-734-667-2537 (in the U.S.) FAX: 011-501-206-888-2209 E-Mail: greenparrot@btl.net Website: www.greenparrot-belize.com |
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*****WINDY HILL RESORT Mile 68, Western Highway San Ignacios, Ignacio Caye District TEL: 011-501-824-2017 Toll Free 1-800-WINDY95 E-Mail: windyhill@btl.net Website: www.windyhillresort.com |
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*****MOPAN RIVER RESORT Riverside North Benque Viejo Town Cayo District TEL: 011-501-823-2047 FAX: 011-501-823-3272 E-Mail: mopanriver@btl.net Website: www.mopanriverresort.com |
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*Quote from US Military personnel based in Belize.
**From the Belize Tourism Org - Press Kit
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Belize is governed under a constitution that became effective at independence in 1981. The British sovereign is head of state and is represented by a governor-general, who has little power. A cabinet of ministers, led by a prime minister mainly exercises executive power. The bicameral National Assembly consists of a Senate of 8 appointed members and a House of Representatives of 29 members elected by universal suffrage to terms of up to five years. The prime minister must have the support of a majority of the members of the House. The leading political parties are the People's United Party (1950) and the United Democratic Party (1974). |
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The main economic resource is Belize's arable land, although only 3 percent of the total land area are under cultivation. Agricultural exports include sugar, citrus fruits, and bananas. Rice, beans, and corn are grown as subsistence crops. Lumbering, formerly the chief economic activity has declined in importance. Major manufactures are processed food, wood products, and clothing. A road network of 2,747 km (1,707 mi) links the major urban centers, but some areas remain inaccessible. An international airport serves Belize City. The unit of currency is the Belize dollar (2 Belize dollars equal U.S.$1; 1997 fixed rate). In 1996 exports earned $154 million, and imports cost $256 million. The government's budget included $133 million in revenue and $179.8 million in expenditure in 1995. |
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In pre-Columbian times Belize was part of the territory of the Maya. It was included in the Viceroyalty of New Spain in the 1500s, and sometime later English woodcutters from Jamaica established a settlement on the Belize River. During the wars between England and Spain in the 1700s, Spain failed to dislodge the British from the area. In 1836, after the emancipation of Central America from Spanish rule, the British claimed the right to administer the region; it was declared a British colony, subordinate to Jamaica, in 1862 and an independent crown colony in 1884. |
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