Table of Contents

BELIZE MAP........................................................................................................................................3
BELIZE US DEPT OF STATE INFO .................................................................................................5
BELIZE WIKITRAVEL ARTICLE....................................................................................................14
[edit] Understand.................................................................................................................................14
[edit] Regions......................................................................................................................................15
[edit] Cities..........................................................................................................................................16
[edit] Other destinations......................................................................................................................16
[edit] Get in.........................................................................................................................................16
[edit] Get around.................................................................................................................................17
[edit] Talk............................................................................................................................................18
[edit][add listing] See..........................................................................................................................18
[edit][add listing] Do...........................................................................................................................18
[edit][add listing] Buy.........................................................................................................................19
[edit][add listing] Eat...........................................................................................................................19
[edit][add listing] Drink.......................................................................................................................19
[edit] Learn..........................................................................................................................................20
[edit] Stay safe.....................................................................................................................................20
[edit] Stay healthy...............................................................................................................................20
[edit] Respect.......................................................................................................................................21
[edit] Contact.......................................................................................................................................21
BELIZE BBC OVERVIEW................................................................................................................22
Overview.............................................................................................................................................22
Facts.....................................................................................................................................................23
Leaders................................................................................................................................................23
Media...................................................................................................................................................24
BELIZE TIMELINE...........................................................................................................................24
BELIZE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE........................................................................................................26
Belize...................................................................................................................................................26
Early history...................................................................................................................................29
Battle of St. George's Caye.............................................................................................................30
As part of the British Empire..........................................................................................................30
Independence .................................................................................................................................32
Climate............................................................................................................................................34
Vegetation.......................................................................................................................................35
Forests and deforestation...........................................................................................................36
Geology, mineral potential, and energy..........................................................................................36
Banking...........................................................................................................................................38
Tourism...........................................................................................................................................38
Attractions..................................................................................................................................38
Population and Housing..................................................................................................................41
Maya and early settlers...................................................................................................................41
Kriols..............................................................................................................................................42
Garinagu.........................................................................................................................................43
Mestizos and Spanish.....................................................................................................................43
Other groups...................................................................................................................................44
Emigration, immigration, and demographic shifts.........................................................................44
 Language.........................................................................................................................................45
Religion..........................................................................................................................................47
Cuisine............................................................................................................................................47
Sports..............................................................................................................................................48
Folklore...........................................................................................................................................49
Holidays..........................................................................................................................................49
Black Orchid...................................................................................................................................52
Mahogany Tree...............................................................................................................................52
Keel Billed Toucan.........................................................................................................................53
Tapir................................................................................................................................................53
History of Belize.................................................................................................................................55
Pre-Columbian Mayan societies and the conquest.........................................................................58
Colonial rivalry between Spain and Britain....................................................................................59
Beginnings of self-government and the plantocracy......................................................................60
Slavery in the settlement, 1794-1838.............................................................................................61
Emigration of the Garifuna.............................................................................................................62
Constitutional developments, 1850-62...........................................................................................63
Mayan emigration and conflict.......................................................................................................64
Formal establishment of the colony, 1862-71.................................................................................65
The colonial order, 1871-1931........................................................................................................65
Genesis of modern politics, 1931-54..............................................................................................67
Decolonization and the border dispute with Guatemala.................................................................70
Tourism in Belize................................................................................................................................71
Great Blue Hole...................................................................................................................................73
Cayo District........................................................................................................................................74
Actun Tunichil Muknal.......................................................................................................................77
Lamanai...............................................................................................................................................78
Belizean Kriol people..........................................................................................................................80
Maypole..........................................................................................................................................83
Culture of Belize.................................................................................................................................86
Music of Belize...................................................................................................................................89
BELIZE MAP
BELIZE US DEPT OF STATE INFO

Belize
Country Specific Information

• Print
• Email
• Recent Embassy Notices for American Citizens
On this page »
• Country Description
• Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)/Embassy Location
• Entry/Exit Requirements for U.S. Citizens
• Threats to Safety and Security
• Crime
• Victims of Crime
• Criminal Penalties
• Special Circumstances
• Medical Facilities and Health Information
• Medical Insurance
• Traffic Safety and Road Conditions
• Aviation Safety Oversight
• Children's Issues
July 13, 2010
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Belize is a parliamentary democracy and Commonwealth country.
Belize has a developing economy based primarily upon agriculture and tourism. Tourist facilities vary
in quality, from a limited number of business-class hotels in Belize City and luxury resorts in the
offshore cayes (pronounced: "keys") to a range of eco-tourism lodges and very basic accommodations
in the countryside. Violent crime, especially in areas of Belize City, remains a serious concern. Read
the Department of State’s Background Notes on Belize for additional information.
Back to Top
SMART TRAVELER ENROLLMENT PROGRAM (STEP) / EMBASSY LOCATION: U.S.
citizens living or traveling in Belize are encouraged to sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment
Program with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in order to obtain updated information on local
travel and security. U.S. citizens without Internet access may sign up directly with the nearest U.S.
embassy or consulate. Enrolling is important; it allows the State Department to assist U.S. citizens in an
emergency. Local embassy information is available below and at the Department of State’s list of
embassies and consulates.
U.S. Embassy Belmopan, Belize: Contact information:
U.S. Embassy Belmopan
#4 Floral Park Road
Belmopan, Cayo District
Belize, Central America
Telephone: 011-501-822-4011
Emergency after-hours telephone: 011-501-610-5030
Facsimile: 011-501-822-4050
Back to Top
ENTRY / EXIT REQUIREMENTS: All U.S. citizens must have a U.S. passport valid for at least six
months from the date of arrival in Belize and a proof of return to the U.S. No visas are required for
citizens of the United States for tourist visits of up to 30 days, but they must have onward or return air
tickets and proof of sufficient funds to maintain themselves in Belize. Visitors for purposes other than
tourism, or who wish to stay longer than 30 days, must obtain visas. All tourists and non-Belizean
citizens are required to pay an exit fee of U.S. $39.25 (payable in U.S. dollars only). Belize allows
visitors a maximum of one month’s stay in the country before they require an extension. No specific
immunizations are required for visitors to Belize. Visit the Embassy of Belize website for the most
current visa information.
Cruise ship passengers: U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (i.e., cruises that begin and end at the
same U.S. port) will be permitted to depart or enter the U.S. with a birth certificate and a government-
issued photo ID. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documentation. U.S.
citizen passengers leaving their cruise ship and returning, for any reason, by air to the U.S. will be
required to present their valid U.S. passports to airline officials before being permitted to board the
aircraft.
Embassy of Belize: Belize maintains the following diplomatic and consular posts in the United States:
Embassy of Belize
2535 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,
Washington DC 20008
Telephone: (202) 332-9636
Facsimile: (202) 332-6888
Consulate General of Belize
4801 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 250
Los Angeles, California 90010
Telephone: 323-634-9900
Facsimile: 323-634-9903
Permanent Mission of Belize
201 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017-5704
Telephone: (212) 986-1240
Facsimile: 212-593-0932
HIV/AIDS restrictions: The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions
for visitors to or foreign residents of Belize.
Special Notice for Dual Nationals: Information about dual nationality or the prevention of
international child abduction can be found on our website. For further information about customs
regulations, please read our Customs Information page.
A person who is a citizen of both the U.S. and Belize is able to enter Belize with only a Belizean
passport;
Back to Top
SAFETY AND SECURITY:
Terrorism and Security: The potential for domestic terrorist activity such as bombings, kidnappings,
or hijackings is considered low in Belize. However, gang members and other criminals have used
fragmentation grenades and firearms to settle disputes. At least a dozen hand grenades stolen from a
military facility remain unaccounted for. No U.S. citizens or other foreign nationals are known to have
been the victims or targets of terrorist activity in Belize, nor are Americans believed to be specifically
targeted for robbery or other crimes but are instead targets of opportunity. No areas are closed to travel
but visitors should exercise caution, particularly in remote areas along the borders and adjacency zone
and in urban areas.
General Safety: Visitors should exercise situational awareness and good judgment while visiting
Belize. Crime is a serious and growing problem throughout Belize, particularly in Belize City and
remote areas. Road accidents are common (see Traffic Safety and Road Conditions) and traffic
fatalities have included Americans. Public buses and taxis are frequently in poor condition and lack
basic safety equipment. Many unlicensed taxis are present in Belize and Americans are encouraged to
avoid traveling in them; genuine taxis may be identified by their green-colored license plates. Medical
care is limited in many areas and emergency response services such as ambulances or paramedics may
be either unavailable or limited in capability and equipment (see Medical Facilities and Health
Information).
Water Safety: Boats serving the public, especially water taxis, often do not carry sufficient safety
equipment. Many carry an excess number of passengers and may sail in inclement weather. Rental
diving equipment may not always be properly maintained or inspected, and some local dive masters fail
to consider the skill levels of individual tourists when organizing dives to some of Belize’s more
challenging sites. Deaths and serious mishaps have occurred as a result of the negligence of dive tour
operators and the lack of strict enforcement of tour regulations. The Embassy strongly recommends
that anyone interested in scuba diving or snorkeling while in Belize check the references, licenses, and
equipment of tour operators before agreeing to or paying for a tour. Safety precautions and emergency
response capabilities may not be up to U.S. standards. All tour guides and boat captains are now
required to be licensed by the Government of Belize. The only hyperbaric recompression chamber in
Belize is located in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye.
Cave Tubing: Following a fatal accident at the Cave’s Branch Archeological Park in September 2008,
the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) implemented new regulations, effective as of October 15, 2008.
Designed to improve safety at cave tubing attractions, those policies include an enhanced, mandatory
guest-to-guide ratio of eight-to-one for all cave tubing tour companies operating in Belize. Signage is
required at each cave tubing excursion site to inform participants of park rules, current water
conditions, and/or warnings. Mandatory specialty training for each cave tubing guide continues and
includes education on new regulations. Helmets are required for each cave tubing participant as of
January 1, 2009. Additionally, the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), which manages the
Cave’s Branch Archeological Park, has installed additional monitoring equipment for cave tubing
excursions which measure currents and other factors.
Border Areas: Borders between Belize and Guatemala are in dispute, but the dispute thus far has not
affected travel. Visitors should avoid trekking or other activities near the Belize-Guatemala border to
ensure that they do not inadvertently cross the border into Guatemala. As illegal cross-border activities
increase after nightfall, visitors to the border areas should travel only during daylight areas.
For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the
Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs' website, which contains current the Travel Warnings
and Travel Alerts as well as the Worldwide Caution.
Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free
within the U.S. and Canada, or by calling a regular toll line, 1-202-501-4444, from other countries.
These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except
U.S. federal holidays).
The Department of State urges American citizens to take responsibility for their own personal security
while traveling overseas. For general information about appropriate measures travelers can take to
protect themselves in an overseas environment, see the Department of State’s extensive tips and advice
on traveling safely abroad.
Back to Top
CRIME: Organized crime above the street gang level is primarly connected to drug trafficking or
trafficking in persons. The incidence of crime, including violent crimes such as armed robbery,
shooting, stabbing, murder, and rape, remains high. Although Americans are not specifically targeted
because of their nationality, in recent years the Embassy has noted an increase in crimes against tourists
at resorts and on the roads and river ways. The incidence of crimes such as theft, burglary, purse-
snatching, and pick-pocketing increases around the winter holidays and during spring break. Several
victims who resisted when confronted by criminals have received serious injuries, including gunshot
wounds. Although the majority of reported incidents occur in Belize City, crime may occur anywhere
including tourist destinations such as San Pedro Town (Ambergris Caye), Caye Caulker, and Placencia.
While increased police patrols, coordinated tours among resort security managers, and the arrest of
perpetrators may reduce the frequency of crimes, these measures do not guarantee safety. Armed
robberies of tourists remain a possibility at archeological sites, national parks, and other areas
frequented by visitors. On February10, 2009, four American and two Canadian tourists accompanied by
two Belizean tour guides were the victims of a robbery outside Rio Frio Cave in the Mountain Pine
Ridge area. On September 15, 2009, two tourists at the Blue Hole National Park were robbed by two
men wearing masks and carrying knives. In both instances, there is no information suggesting the
perpetrators were targeting tourists of any specific nationality; rather, the victims appear to have been
targets of opportunity.
American citizens are encouraged to exercise caution and good situational awareness in all their travel
activities. Visitors to tourist attractions should travel in groups and stick to the main plazas at Maya
ruins and the central areas. Although there are armed guards stationed at many of the archeological
sites, armed criminals have been known to prey on persons walking alone or in small groups from one
site to another. While many theft victims are unharmed and only robbed of personal belongings and
cash, victims who resist assailants have suffered injury. U.S. citizens who become victims of a robbery
should report it immediately at the nearest police station as well as notifying the Embassy.
The Embassy recommends that visitors travel in groups and only during daylight hours. Avoid wearing
jewelry or carrying valuable or expensive items. As a general rule, valuables should not be left
unattended, including in hotel rooms and on the beach. Care should be taken when carrying high value
items such as cameras, or when wearing expensive jewelry on the street. Women’s handbags should be
zipped and held close to the body. Men should carry wallets in their front pants pocket. Large amounts
of cash should always be handled descreetly.
Sexual harrassmant and/or assault of persons traveling alone or in small groups have occurred in recent
years. One rape occurred after the victim accepted a ride from an acquaintance, while others have
occurred during armed robberies in resort areas or after an evening of nightclubbing. One of these
assaults resulted in the death of the victim.
Specific groups such as the elderly, women, or gays are not singled out for victimization, however
neither are they immune from being targeted for robbery or assault. Homosexuality is not widely
accepted in Belize culture and homosexual behavior may be subject to prosecution as an “Unnatural
crime” under Section 53 of the Belize Criminal Code.
A lack of resources and training impedes the ability of the police to effectively investigate crime and
apprehend serious offenders. As a result, a number of crimes against Americans in Belize remain
unresolved.
The Embassy has also become aware of “confidence scams” occurring in Belize, especially in resort
areas. While there no indication U.S. citizens are specifically singled out because of their nationality,
tourists in general are particularly vulnerable to these crimes, resulting in visitors being pick-pocketed
or robbed. More serious crimes have included armed robbery, physical assault, and being swindled out
of large sums of money from fake real estate and other business deals.
With regard to business investments and contractual relationships, U.S. citizens should always conduct
their own due diligence before entering into business ventures or other commercial arrangements.
Local business and trade associations, including the American Chamber of Commerce and British
chamber of commerce,as well as government offices, may be able to provide information regarding
Belize commercial requirements, validity of businesses, and reputable vendors and business agents.
There have also been recent cases where investors have disputed commercial agreements with the
Government of Belize through formal commercial dispute resolution procedures and the Government
of Belize has failed to honor its agreements.
Drug use is common in some tourist areas. American citizens should not buy, sell, hold, or take illegal
drugs under any circumstances. Penalties for possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia are generally
more severe than in the U.S. Visitors are cautioned that Belize classifies marijuana or ganja (i.e.,
cannabis) as an illegal drug for which a conviction of possession of even small amounts could result in
heavy fines or imprisonment.
In many countries around the world, counterfeit and pirated goods are widely available. Transactions
involving such products may be illegal under local law. In addition, bringing them back to the United
States may result in forfeitures and/or fines.
Back to Top
INFORMATION FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME: If you are the victim of a crime abroad, you should
contact the local police and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate (see end of this sheet or see the
Department of State’s list of embassies and consulates). This includes the loss or theft of a U.S.
passport. The embassy/consulate staff can, for example, help you find appropriate medical care, contact
family members or friends and explain how funds may be transferred. Although the investigation and
prosecution of the crime are solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you
to understand the local criminal justice process and to find an attorney if needed. The local equivalent
to the “911” emergency line in Belize is 911. Please see our information on victims of crime, including
possible victim compensation programs in the United States.
Back to Top
CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is subject to that country's laws
and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in the United States and may not
afford the protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be
more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Persons violating Belize laws may be
expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking in illegal drugs in
Belize are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. Belize has
strict laws making possession of a firearm, ammunition, or anti-ballistic body armor illegal unless a
valid permit is obtained. Penalties for firearms violations are severe. U.S. gun licenses or permits have
no validity in Belize. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child
pornography in a foreign country is a crime, prosecutable in the United States.
Back to Top
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: Visitors entering Belize must make a customs declaration of any
currency or financial instruments exceeding a total value of $10,000 U.S. dollars.
U.S. citizens visiting Belize for vacation, transit, or business purposes do not ordinarily require a Belize
visa in advance of their arrival. Belize’s Department of Immigration routinely issues visitor’s permits at
border crossings and at the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport for stays of up to 30 days.
Visitor’s permits may be renewed or extended by application to the Department of Immigration while
in Belize.
According to the Embassy of Belize in Washington, D.C., all visitors to Belize must be in a possession
of a valid passport, an onward or return ticket and sufficient funds (US $ 60.00 per day) to cover the
cost of the length of stay. U.S. citizens wishing to obtain visas in advance of their arrival may apply at
the Embassy of Belize or one of its constituent consulates.
Cruise ship passengers debarking and reembarking the same day may do so while in possession of
valid, government-issued identification and an original copy of their birth certificate.
U.S. citizens traveling with their children may be asked by immigration officials to show birth
certificates for each child. When children are not traveling with both parents, immigration officials
often request documentation to establish the children are traveling with the permission of both parents.
Such documentation may include notarized letters from the parent(s), custody or adoption papers, and
even death certificates in situations where one or both parents are deceased.
Persons who are citizens of both the U.S. and Belize are able to enter Belize with only a Belizean
passport; such dual nationals should be aware, however, that a valid U.S. passport will be required in
order to board a U.S.-bound flight from Belize and that the average processing time for a passport at
the Embassy is approximately 10 working days.
Persons illegally present in Belize may face a sentence of imprisonment of up to six months if they are
unable to pay the fine imposed by a court. Persons violating Belize’s laws, even unknowingly, may be
expelled, arrested, or imprisoned.
Consular access for Americans who are detained or arrested is uniformly good, but U.S. citizens under
arrest should politely request that police notify the Embassy or that they be permitted to call the
Embassy themselves. U.S. citizens requiring consular access or notification on weekdays during
business hours should ask to speak to the American Citizen Services (ACS) Unit (tel. 822-4011; fax
822-4050). After business hours and during weekends or holidays the Embassy maintains a duty officer
who can be reached at tel. 610-5030.
Incidents of official corruption involving U.S. visitors to Belize have only rarely reported, however
longer-term residents have reported less fortunate experiences.
Back to Top
MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION: Medical care for minor ailments is
generally available in urban areas. Trauma care or advanced medical treatment is limited, even in
Belize City, and may be extremely limited or unavailable in rural and remote areas. Pharmacy services
are generally good in larger towns; many medications such as antibiotics which are available only by
prescription in the U.S. can be obtained over-the-counter from licensed pharmacists. More specialized
prescription medications may be completely unavailable. U.S. citizens bringing their own prescription
medications with them must ensure they carry a current doctor’s prescription for each medication.
In much of the country, emergency services will be either unavailable or delayed. Serious injuries or
illnesses often require evacuation to another country. The Embassy strongly suggests visitors consider
obtaining traveler’s insurance in advance of their travel to cover unexpected medical emergencies.
The Government of Belize reported an outbreak of dengue fever in July 2009 and of H1N1 influenza in
May and September 2009.
Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and
insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC)
hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC website. For
information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consult the infectious diseases section of the
World Health Organization (WHO) website. The WHO website also contains additional health
information for travelers, including detailed country-specific health information.
Back to Top
MEDICAL INSURANCE: The Department of State strongly urges U.S. citizens to consult their
medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to determine whether the policy applies overseas
and whether it covers emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation. For more information, please
see our medical insurance overseas page.
Back to Top
TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S. citizens may
encounter road conditions that differ significantly from those in the United States.
Valid U.S. or international driver’s permits are accepted in Belize for a period of three months after
entry.
Buses and private vehicles are the main mode of transportation in Belize; no railways currently operate
in the country. Driving is on the right side of the road and road signs are in English with distances
demoninated in miles rather than kilometers.
Roadside assistance can be difficult to summon as there are very few public telephones along the road
and emergency telephone numbers do not always function properly. While cell phone service is fairly
reliable, reception in remote areas is spotty or non-existant. The Belizean Department of Transportation
is responsible for road safety.
Roads in Belize vary from two-lane paved roads to dirt or gravel tracks. The few paved roads are high-
crowned, which can contribute to cars overturning. There are few markings or reflectors. Even in urban
areas, most streets lack lane markings, leading many motorists to create as many lanes as possible in
any given stretch of street or road. Bridges on the major highways are often of only a single lane. The
Manatee Road, leading from the Western Highway east of Belmopan to Dangriga, is mostly unpaved,
easily flooded after storms and without services. The Southern Highway from Dangriga to Punta Gorda
is now complete and in good condition. Service stations are available along the major roads although
there are some significant gaps in the rural areas.
During Tropical Storm Alma/Arthur in lat May 2008, the Southern Highway bridge over the Sittee
River, northe of Kendall (Stann Creek District), was destroyed. In the interim, a temporary causeway
has been constructed pending permanent replacement of the Kendall bridge. At times the causeway
may be impassable due to high water on the Sittee River. The causeway itself has had to be replaced
several times following major rainfall and flooding. Motorists should not attempt to cross any low
bridge with water flowing over it as both the strength and depth of the current may be stronger than is
apparent.
Poor road and/or vehicle maintenance cause many fatal accidents on Belize’s roads. Speed limits are a
maximum of 55 miles per hour on highways and 25 miles per hour on most other roads, but they are
seldom obeyed or even posted. Drivers should particularly watch for speed bumps and rumble strips as
they pass through villages on the major highways; these usually denote pedestrian crossings and are
sometimes marked by signage or reflective yellow paint.
Many vehicles on the road do not have functioning safety equipment such as turn signals, flashers, or
brake lights. Seatbelts for drivers and front-seat passengers are mandatory, but children’s car seats are
not required and are not widely available for purchase.
Driving while intoxicated is punishable by a fine; if an alcohol-related accident results in a fatality, the
driver may face manslaughter charges. Americans can and have been imprisoned in Belize as a result of
road accidents, even where alchohol is not a factor.
Unusual local traffic customs include: pulling to the right before making a left turn; passing on the right
of someone who is signaling a right-hand turn; stopping in the middle of the road to talk to someone
while blocking traffic, carrying passengers, including small children, in the open beds of trucks; and
tailgating at high speeds.
Bicycles are numerous and constitute a traffic hazard at all times. Bicyclists often ride against traffic
and do not obey even basic traffic laws such as stopping at red lights or stop signs. Although commonly
encountered after nightfall, few bicycles have lights or reflectors. It is common to see bicyclists
carrying heavy loads or passengers, including balancing small children in their laps or across the
handlebars.
During daylight hours, particularly during weekends, highway drivers may encounter cross-country
racing bicyclists, engaged in either training or in organized competitions. These may be accompanied
by slow-moving vehicles such as pickup trucks or even motor cycles. Exercise caution when passing
such persons as their attention may be on each other rather than passing motorists.
The driver of a vehicle that strikes a bicyclist or pedestrian is almost always considered to be at fault,
regardless of circumstances. Americans who have struck bicyclists in Belize have faced significant
financial penalties or even prison sentences.
Driving at night is not recommended even in populated areas. Poor signage and road markings, a
tendancy by drivers to not dim their lights when approaching other vehicles, drunk driving, and poor or
unfamiliar road conditions present considerable hazards. Pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists
without lights, reflectors, or reflective clothing also constitute very serious after-dark hazards. Local
wildlife and cattle are also road hazards even outside of rural areas. For safety reasons, travelers should
not stop to offer assistance to others whose vehicles have apparently broken down.
Please refer to our Road Safety page for more information. Also, we suggest that you visit the website
of the country’s national tourist office and national authority responsible for road safety.
Back to Top
AVIATION SAFETY OVERSIGHT: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has assessed
the Government of Belize’s Civil Aviation Authority as not being in compliance with International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards for oversight of Belize’s air carrier
operations. Further information may be found on the FAA’s safety assessment page.
BELIZE WIKITRAVEL ARTICLE
Belize, [1] formerly the colony of British Honduras, is the only country in Central America without a
coastline on the Pacific Ocean (only the Caribbean Sea to its east), and the only one in the region with
English as its official language. The country is located between Guatemala to the west and south and
Mexico to the north.

[edit] Understand
With a long Caribbean coast, Belize is culturally similar to many of Britain's former West Indian island
colonies, with a majority creole or Afro-Caribbean population. Inland are the native Maya people, and
especially in the north and northwest of the country Spanish is often spoken. Many refugees from the
Caste War of Yucatan settled here. In the south east along the Caribbean coast live the Garifuna (Black
Caribs) an Afro-Amerindian culture. German speaking Mennonites also call Belize home.
World class attractions include exploring the lush jungles with exotic plants and animals, deep sea
fishing, swimming, snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean sea with its attractive reefs, and visiting the
Mayan ruins. Belize escaped the bloody civil conflicts of the 80's that engulfed Central America and
while it has not been immune to the rampant drug crime and grinding poverty of its neighbors it is a
rather safe destination for the most part located in a part of the world that is not always considered safe.
Income levels are still very low and the infrastructure is very basic. The Belizeans are very proud and
friendly to visitors and the tourist industry grew greatly in the last decade.
[edit] History
Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize (formerly
British Honduras) until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1991. Tourism has
become the mainstay of the economy as the old agricultural products -- sugar, banana, and oranges --
have lost ground. The country remains plagued by high unemployment, growing involvement in the
South American drug trade, and increased urban crime. In 2006 commercial quantity oil was
discovered in the Spanish Lookout area.
[edit] Climate
Tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May).
Hurricanes season (June to November) brings coastal flooding (especially in south).
[edit] Terrain
Flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south. Highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m. Lowest
Point: Caribbean Sea, at 0 m.
[edit] Regions

Map of Belize
Northern Belize
districts of Corozal (coastal) and Orange Walk (inland)
Belize District
home of the largest city, the airport and a whole host of popular offshore islands
Cayo
teeming with adventure, this central district is filled with jungles, caves, rivers, Mayan ruins, and
much more
Stann Creek
coastal region south of Belize District, access to quiet reef islands and boats to and from
Honduras
Toledo
 southern coastal/inland region with more Mayan ruins and boats to Guatemala

[edit] Cities
• Belmopan - capital
• Belize City - largest city
• Big Creek
• Corozal
• Crooked Tree
• Dangriga
• Orange Walk
• Punta Gorda
• San Ignacio - known as Cayo to locals

[edit] Other destinations

• Ambergris Caye - large barrier island in the north
• Caye Caulker - smaller barrier island in the north
• Placencia - long peninsula (almost an island) off Stann Creek
• Tobacco Caye
[edit] Mayan ruins
• Altun Ha
• Caracol
• Lamanai
• Lubaantun
• Xunantunich
• Lim ni Punit

[edit] Get in

Glass Wing Butterfly, Belize Butterfly Ranch

American, Mexican, Canadian, Singaporean, Jamaican, Australian, Malaysian and EU passport holders
do not need a visa, but need a valid passport. Cruise ship visitors do not even need a passport. The
Belize Tourism Board [2] maintains up-to-date information.
[edit] By plane
The Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport (IATA: BZE) (ICAO: MZBZ) is in Ladyville, to the
northwest of Belize City where it receives international direct flights from Atlanta, Charlotte, Newark,
Miami, Dallas, Houston, Flores, San Salvador, Roatan and San Pedro Sula.
[edit] By car
From Mexico via Chetumal, or on a much rougher road from Guatemala via Melchor de Mencos.
[edit] By bus
Buses from Guatemala City and Belmopan operate to Flores in Guatemala, and to Chetumal in Mexico.
[edit] By boat
Several cruise lines call on Belize City. Unfortunately they usually stay only one day, which doesn't
allow the opportunity to really see Belize. You can visit one of the Maya ruins, ride an airboat in the
salt marshes just outside the city, shop, go to the museum, go to the zoo or take either a short cave
rafting trip or go snorkeling, but that's about it. That means about 70% of the things most tourists would
like aren't available, not mention the eco-tourism points of interest.
To Puerto Cortés, Honduras, the Gulf Cruza, a small rickety speed boat (20 people) leaves Placencia
each Friday at around 9:30AM (4h US$50), going first to Big Creek. It returns to Placencia on Monday.
Tickets are sold in the tourist office next to the gas station. Stop by immigration first.
Small speedboats operate on a daily basis between Puerto Barrios in Guatemala to Punta Gorda, cost is
around US$20 one way[3]. On Tuesday and Fridays, boats operate from Livingston in Guatemala to
Punta Gorda. The ride take no more than 1 hour. Its B$50, which is a rip off! Even worse is the B$30
departure tax plus B$7.50 marine park fee. I never EVER heard of paying a departure tax when leaving
by land. Absolute scam!

[edit] Get around

Belize is a fairly small country, and transportation between most destinations is rarely long and tedious.
[edit] By plane
Tropic Air [4] and Maya Island Air [5] both have multiple flights daily to various towns around the
country and to Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. They fly out of both of Belize City's airports, but
flights from Belize City Airport (IATA: TZA) are often significantly cheaper than those out of Phillip
Goldson International (IATA: BZE). Domestic flights are generally pretty reasonable, and thus popular
if your time is limited and budget is not. Most flights are in small Cessnas that seat around 8-15 people.
[edit] By bus
Several competing buslines operate on the main road in the north-south direction from Punta Gorda to
Belmopan and Belize City. There are bus stations in the main towns, or simply stand on the side of the
highway and wave at an approaching bus. Most buses have a conductor in addition to the driver, who
stands by the door and will come to your seat to collect the fare at some point during the trip. Fares run
anywhere from BZ$2-25 depending on distance traveled.
Express buses can save up to an hour and a half (depending on the distance of your trip); they do not
stop for passengers waiting on the roadside, making only scheduled pick-ups and drop-offs in towns.
Most buses in Belize are retired US school buses[6] (Bluebirds), that have been given a slight
makeover, a luggage rack installed, and sometimes a new paint job. They generally aren't too crowded,
but you may have to stand occasionally.
Children selling snacks and soft drinks often board the buses at stops, and this is an inexpensive way to
have a snack if you've exhausted what you've brought along or just want to try some home-made travel
foods.
[edit] By Water Taxi
For those wanting a truly Belizean experience, take the water taxis from city to city. Generally it will
cost you anywhere from BZ$2.00 to BZ$10.00.
[edit] Car Hire
Of course, if you like to make our own itinerary when traveling around Belize, car hire is an option.
There are several car hire companies based at the major airports for travelers convenience and some
basic rules to remember are that the roads are bumpy - very bumpy - so a four wheel drive is the best
choice. Lighting on minor roads is not great so stick to highways or day time driving. The main
highways through Belize are the Northern Highway, beginning at the Mexican border, The Western
Highway from Belize City to the border of Guatamala and the Hummingbird Highway. These will take
you pretty much anywhere you need to be and are relatively well-maintaned roads.

[edit] Talk
As a former British colony the official language of Belize is English, which makes it stand out from its
Spanish speaking neighbors. Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib), and Belizean Creole are widely spoken
in various parts of the country. Many Belizeans speak a mix of Creole and English among friends, and
full English to foreigners. The strong Caribbean accent may get some getting used too.

[edit][add listing] See

[edit][add listing] Do
[edit] Sport Fishing
Sportfishing in Belize is second to none. The bonefish is the premier fly fishing game fish in the world
and it can be found in the grass shallows through Belize. It's pound for pound perhaps the strongest
animal in salt-water.
[edit] Scuba Diving/Snorkeling
Also world-class is the snorkeling and scuba diving. There are many exceptional dive sites to be found
in Belize. One of the best ways to explore Belize waters is by chartering a sailboat or catamaran \to
make the most of your available dive time.\
[edit] Cave Exploration
The Cayo district is characterized by limestone hills underlain by a network of underground rivers,
caves and sinkholes. The caves are magnificent, with huge caverns and tight passages, underground
waterfalls and dazzling arrays of mineral-encrusted stalactites and stalagmites. This underground world
was sacred to the ancient Maya and many artifacts from decorated pots to human remains are still intact
in the caves. It is dangerous (and illegal) to enter the caves without a licensed guide. Most guides are
trained in both the geology and mythology of the caves as well as in modern first aid and cave rescue
techniques. One of the premier guiding operations is Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Adventure
Company and Jungle Lodge, Caves Branch (Hummingbird Highway south from Belmopan), [7].
Anderson organized the initial guiding training programs in the country, out of which grew the Belize
Disaster And Rescue Response Team locally called BDARRT (now an independent NGO). His guides
remain amongst the most highly trained and professional in the country. edit

[edit][add listing] Buy

The Belize dollar (BZD, usually symbolized with a "$") is officially worth exactly 1/2 of a U.S. dollar.
Because of this simple and consistent exchange rate, U.S. dollars are widely accepted, but this means
you should be careful to clarify which "dollars" you're talking about when negotiating prices. It's often
better to assume Belize dollars because many merchants will jump on your uncertainty and attempt to
double their price by saying "No, in US Dollars". Belize dollars come in denominations of $2, $5, $10,
$20, $50, and $100; $1 and smaller amounts are coins. The 25-cent coin is often called a "shilling".
• Belize Disaster And Rescue Response Team (BDARRT), [8]. BDARRT is a team of dedicated
professionals from different organizations in Belize. Comprising mainly of tour guides, medical
personal from both local hospitals, private first responder units and the military, trained medics
from the private sector and others, this team of highly trained members, offers their services and
expertise to the Belizean community at large. edit

[edit][add listing] Eat

The primary meal found virtually everywhere is red beans, clean rice, and chicken.
Most chicken in the country is prepared and served on the bone.
Rice and Beans is a mixed dish with some spices and usually coconut milk added to make a sweet and
hot staple of the Belizean diet. Beans and Rice is white cooked rice with a side of stewed pinto beans.
Citrus plantations are numerous, so fresh oranges and grapefruits are abundant. Pineapples, papayas,
bananas and plantains are also grown and sold in roadside markets.
A famous hot sauce in Belize is Marie Sharp's made from the very potent local habanero pepper. It
comes in a variety of flavors (mild, hot, extremely hot).
Eating in San Pedro can be expensive if you eat at the tourist restaurants however if you find the local
places, meals can be very inexpensive and very tasty.
That odd looking salsa on your table is really ceviche. Ceviche -also spelled as cebiche or seviche- is a
citrus-marinated seafood dish. The Belizians use fresh raw conch and vegetables.
Papusas are maize pancakes with different toppings sold in stalls on the streets in San Pedro town . It is
the cheapest option if you want to eat on a budget.

[edit][add listing] Drink

Belikin is the national beer and comes in four varieties: Belikin Premium, Belikin Beer, Belikin Stout,
and Lighthouse Lager. Guinness Stout is also available in Belize but it is brewed by the Belikin
Brewing Co. All are sold in returnable bottles, so make sure you are aware of the deposit if you are
taking your beverages to go.
One Barrel Rum is the locally-distilled molasses-tasting rum. Travelers Rum has a distillary on the
Northern Highway about 6 miles from Belize City with a gift shop and hospitality bar. You can
purchase rum in a variety of colors and sizes, up to a 70 gallon cask.
Both are widely available around the country. But if you also like wine there is cashew wine (which is
very popular in Belize), ginger wine, sorrel wine and blackberry wine.

[edit] Learn
There are great opportunities for scuba diving off of Belize atolls. Check out [www.reefci.com] for
some very interesting 1 week adventures that are both informative conservation education as well as
great scuba diving. If you want to learn about Belize's history the Museum of Belize, House of Culture,
and of course, traveling and discovering are recommended.

[edit] Stay safe

Note: Violent gang related crime is extremely high as of late, especially in Belize City and surrounding
areas. The violence is a relate of narcotic trafficking and the struggle for power in the streets. Rape,
theft and assaults are daily occurrences in many parts of the country. Human trafficking also plays a
role. Travelers should maintain a high degree of vigilance when traveling the country. Like South
Africa, Belize can be equally as safe as it is dangerous. Because of gaps in the economy and the lack of
social welfare, many of the poor areas are prone to crime. Exercise caution, avoid areas that have
obvious amounts of poverty or crime, and Belize can be a very safe and rewarding country.
Belize City is one of the most dangerous cities in Belize, although it's very easy to be safe there.
Remain in the tourist zone that runs just north of the marina to the southern extension to the east of the
main canal. There are plenty of khaki tourist police monitoring the area, and should you have a
problem, feel free to approach them. Be sure to know the police officer. Belize City is known for
corrupt police officers. Just exercise common sense and do not go wandering around alone after dark.
Stay near tourist areas or other commercial zones.
Do be cautioned that male homosexuality is illegal resulting in a possible punishment of a 10 year
prison sentence. Female homosexuality, however, is legal.
Other areas of Belize are generally safe as well, but like any other place in the world, one should
always have some skepticism when dealing with strangers. Most are genuinely helpful, but it never
hurts to be cautious. Belize City south side is beautiful as well as dangerous. Otherwise, Belize City is
a great place to go if you want to eat, learn or shop.

[edit] Stay healthy

Belize is a relatively healthy country. Bottled water is a must in most areas. And, unless you eat only at
ultra-touristic restaurants, dysentery will probably strike at some point; be prepared with over-the-
counter medication and prescription antibiotics.
The CDC lists all of Belize except Belize City as a malaria risk area, and recommends the antimalarial
drug chloroquine. Other drugs may also be recommended in certain circumstances - consult a qualified
professional specialist.
Insect/mosquito bites should be prevented with appropriate clothing, repellents and insecticides, and
bed nets if sleeping in non-air-con/unscreened rooms.
The sun, as anywhere else in the tropics, is very intense. A hat, high-SPF sunscreen, and sunglasses
should do you fine.
Many places in Belize are very hot and humid, and dehydration is a risk. An expat suggests to drink as
much water as you want, and then drink that much again.
The adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is currently at 2.5% or 1 per 40 adults, which is 4 times higher
than the USA and 25 times higher than the UK. Safety First!

[edit] Respect
Belizeans are some of the most socially relaxed people in the world, especially if you venture inland
away from the tourist islands of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. The pace of life is generally slower
in Belize, so it's good practice to begin any social interaction, even to ask a quick question, with eye
contact and a genuinely pleasant greeting. Most rural Belizeans enjoy casual conversation and you
could easily find yourself chatting it up for a few hours. Hey, it's part of the charm!
The Maya communities can be a little more reserved at times. As always, a little respect and politeness
will carry you through.

[edit] Contact
Payphones are the most common public phones in country, and accept pre-purchased phone cards.
Internet cafes can be found in larger tourist areas, but are infrequent in rural areas.
BELIZE BBC OVERVIEW

Belize has more in common with the Caribbean island-states than with its Central American
neighbours.
This is reflected in its major languages, English and Creole, and in its mainly Anglo-Caribbean
architecture and its relatively peaceful political culture.

Overview
• Overview
• Facts
• Leaders
• Media
It also has peoples and cultures found elsewhere in the Americas - Spanish-speaking Mestizos, who are
of mixed Maya Indian and European ancestry, Creoles, who speak a Creole dialect of English and who
are often of African and African-European extraction, and Garifuna, who are the descendants of Carib
Indians and Africans.
Nonetheless, the ethnic make-up is changing and the use of GARIFUNA
Spanish is on the rise, boosted by an amnesty for many immigrants
from neighbouring Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Belize,
formerly known as British Honduras, was the UK's last colony on
the American mainland. Its independence was delayed until 1981
by long-running tension with neighbouring Guatemala, which
claims a large portion of its territory.
Guatemala recognised Belize's independence in 1991, but the
neighbours have yet to settle their border dispute, which is rooted
in colonial times.
Belize has always had strong ties with Britain and the United
States, but has recently also forged closer links with Latin
American countries such as Mexico and Venezuela.
In common with many Caribbean economies, the service sector has
overtaken agriculture, fishing and forestry.
Tourism is a major source of foreign currency. Belize's attractions Andy Palacio, who died in 2008,
include wildlife, Mayan ruins and one of the longest barrier reefs in spearheaded a revival of Central
the world. More than 200 islands nestle inside the reef. America's Garifuna culture
Cruise ship arrivals have seen a massive increase in recent years. Obituary
But tourism has its price; among the challenges facing Belize is the threat to the habitats of its
mammals and birds.
Also, Belize has a problem with violent crime, much of it drug-related, and the trafficking of narcotics
to the US. In 2006 the US state department included Belize in a list of countries which it said were not
doing enough to tackle human trafficking.
Facts
• Overview
• Facts
• Leaders
• Media

• Full name: Belize

• Population: 312,900 (UN, 2010)
• Capital: Belmopan
• Area: 22,965 sq km (8,867 sq miles)
• Major languages: English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole
• Major religion: Christianity
• Life expectancy: 75 years (men), 79 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 Belizean dollar = 100 cents
• Main exports: Sugar, bananas, citrus fruits, oil, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood
• GNI per capita: US$3,740 (World Bank, 2009)
• Internet domain: .bz
• International dialling code: +501

Leaders
• Overview
• Facts
• Leaders
• Media
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor
Prime minister: Dean Barrow
Dean Barrow's United Democratic Party (UDP) won the general
election in February 2008. He unseated the People's United Party
(PUP) government of Said Musa, which had been in power for 10
years.
The PUP was the driving force behind independence and won 10 of
the 12 elections since Belize first elected a legislative assembly
under British rule in 1954. In the last years of Mr Musa's
government the PUP had been rocked by allegations of corruption.
Mr Barrow promised a campaign against graft, increased spending
PM Dean Barrow was elected on
on infrastructure and the establishment of an elected Senate in place
an anti-corruption platform
of the current appointed upper house.
Mr Barrow is Belize's first black prime minister. A leading lawyer, he was elected to parliament in 1984
and served in senior positions in UDP governments until the PUP won a landslide in 1998. He then led
the party in opposition until its victory at the polls in 2008. He also serves as minister of finance.
Media
• Overview
• Facts
• Leaders
• Media
Belize has no daily newspapers; some of the privately-owned weeklies are subsidised by political
parties.
State-run radio was privatised in 1998 and listeners now rely on a range of private commercial stations,
most of them networked across the country.
Private television stations are on the air and cable TV is available in the towns.
The constitution guarantees media freedom, but provides exceptions in the interest of national security,
public order and morality.
The press
• Amandala - weekly
• The Belize Times - weekly, mouthpiece of People's United Party
• The Reporter - weekly
• The San Pedro Sun - community weekly, published on island of Ambergris Caye
• The Guardian - United Democratic Party-affiliated

BELIZE TIMELINE
A chronology of key events:
16-17th centuries - The Spanish arrive, but fail to convert the indigenous Maya to Christianity.
1600s - The area of present-day Belize becomes part of Spain's
possessions in Central America and the Caribbean; British buccaneers
and woodcutters begin to settle around the Belize river.
1763 and 1783 - Spain signs treaties granting British subjects the
privilege of wood-cutting, but retains sovereignty.
1798 - Spain tries to remove British settlers from the area by force but
fails.
1847-53 - Several thousand Spanish-speaking refugees settle in Belizean jungle is home to
northern Belize and Maya communities relocate to the north and west jaguars, pumas, scarlet macaws
following the Caste War in Yucatan.
2004: Objectors lose Belize
1859 - Britain and Guatemala sign treaty defining border with Belize. dam appeal
British rule
1862 - Belize formally declared a British crown colony and named British Honduras.
1893 - Mexico renounces claim to Belizean territory.
1930s - Belizean economy hit by Great Depression; Belize City largely destroyed by hurricane.
1954 - Constitutional reforms give Belize limited autonomy; general elections won by People's United
Party (PUP), led by George Price.
1961 - Hurricane Hattie kills more than 260 people.
1964 - New constitution gives Belize full autonomy and introduces universal adult suffrage and a two-
chamber parliament.
1970 - Belmopan replaces Belize City as capital.
1973 - The country changes its name from British Honduras to Belize.
Independence
1981 - Belize becomes independent with George Price as prime
minister, but Guatemala refuses to recognise it. About 1,500 British
troops remain to defend the country against Guatemalan territorial
claims.
1984 - Manuel Esquival of the centre-right United Democratic Party
(UDP) becomes prime minister after defeating Price's PUP in the
general elections.
1991 - Guatemala recognises Belize as a sovereign and independent
state. George Price, prime minister at
independence
1993 - Manuel Esquival becomes prime minister after his UDP defeats Born in 1919
PUP in general elections; Britain says it will withdraw troops by 1994 1956-96: Leader of People's
after Guatemala recognises Belize; Esquival suspends agreement United Party
reached with Guatemala while Price was premier, claiming it made too
many concessions in return for recognition.
1998 - Said Musa becomes prime minister after the PUP wins a landslide election victory.
2000 October - Hurricane Keith causes widespread devastation.
2001 October - Towns flattened, thousands left homeless after
Hurricane Iris hits.
2002 September - Belize, Guatemala agree on a draft settlement to
their long-standing border dispute at talks brokered by the
Organisation of American States (OAS). The deal, which proposed
referendums in both countries, is rejected by Guatemala in 2003.
Musa's second term Reefs fringing the Belizean
2003 March - Said Musa is elected for a second term as prime minister. coast attract divers, snorkellers
2004 January - Britain's Privy Council dismisses an appeal to overturn the Belize government's
approval of the proposed Chalillo dam. Campaigners say the dam threatens rare species and
communities downstream.
2005 January - Public and private sector workers strike over budget measures, including tax increases,
and for salary increases.
2005 April - Rioting breaks out in the capital during a wave of anti-government protests.
2006 April - Belize begins commercial exploitation of its oil reserves.
2007 November - Organisation of American States (OAS) recommends that border dispute with
Guatemala be referred to International Court of Justice (ICJ).
2008 February - Dean Barrow becomes prime minister after the United Democratic Party (UDP) wins a
landslide election victory.
2010 May - Government says it will stop sending appeals cases to British Privy Council starting June 1.

BELIZE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE

Belize
Belize

Motto: “Sub Umbra Floreo” (Latin)

"Under the Shade I Flourish"

Anthem: Land of the Free

Royal anthem: God Save the Queen

Capital Belmopan
17°15′N 88°46′W

Largest city Belize City

Official language(s) English
Recognised regional languages Kriol, Spanish, Garifuna,
Maya, Plautdietsch
Location of Belize
Ethnic groups Mestizo, Kriol, Maya,
Garinagu, Mennonite,
Chinese, East Indian
Demonym Belizean ( /bəˈliːziən/ or
/bəˈliːʒən/))
Government Parliamentary democracy
and Constitutional
monarchy
- Monarch Elizabeth II
- Governor-General Sir Colville Young
- Prime Minister Dean Barrow
Independence from the United Kingdom
- Date 21 September 1981
Area
- Total 22966 km2 (150th)
8867 sq mi
- Water (%) 0.7
Population
- 2010 estimate 333,2001 (174th)
- Density 15/km2 (198th²)
38/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2010 estimate
- Total $2.651 billion2
- Per capita $7,8953
GDP (nominal) 2010 estimate
- Total $1.396 billion4
- Per capita $4,1585
HDI (2010) 0.6946 (high) (78th)

Currency Belize dollar (BZD)

Time zone central time (UTC-6)
Drives on the right
ISO 3166 code BZ
Internet TLD .bz
Calling code 501
1 1
These ranks are based on the 2007 figures.
Belize ( /En-us-Belize.oggbəˈliːz/; formerly British Honduras) is a constitutional
monarchy, and the northernmost Central American nation. Belize has a diverse
society, comprising many cultures and languages. Belize is the only country in
Central America where English is the official language. Belize is bordered to the
north by Mexico, south and west by Guatemala, and to the east by the Caribbean
Sea. Belize’s mainland is about 180 miles long and 68 miles wide.

1 "Belize". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. . Retrieved 9 September 2008.
2 "Belize". International Monetary Fund. . Retrieved 20 April 2011.
3
4
5
6 "Human Development Report 2010". United Nations. 2010. . Retrieved 5 November 2010.
With 8,867 square miles (22,960 km²) of land and a population of only 333,200
people (2010 est.),7 Belize possesses the lowest population density in Central
America.8 The country's population growth rate of 2.21% (2008 est.),9 however, is
the highest in the region and one of the highest in the western hemisphere.
Belize's abundance of terrestrial and marine species, and its diversity of
ecosystems give it a key place within the globally significant Mesoamerican
Biological Corridor.10
Belize is culturally unique among its Central American neighbours; it is the only
nation in the region with a British colonial heritage. As a part of the Western
Caribbean Zone, however, it also shares a common heritage with the Caribbean
portions of other Central American countries. In general, Belize is considered to
be a Central American nation with strong ties to both the Caribbean and Latin
America. Belize is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and El
Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA).
Etymology
The origin of the name Belize is unclear, but one idea is that the name is from the
native Maya word belix, meaning "muddy water", applied to the Belize River.
Others have suggested that it is derived from a Spanish pronunciation of the
name of the Scottish buccaneer Peter Wallace, which was applied to an early
settlement along the Belize River and to the river itself.11 Belize has a sizeable
proportion of Africans from the ancient Kingdom of Kongo, who could have
brought the name with them, as there is a Belize in Angola as well.
History

Early history
Before the arrival of Europeans, the Maya civilization spread itself over Belize
beginning around 1500 BC and flourished until about A.D. 800. The recorded
history of the centre and south is dominated by Caracol, where the inscriptions
on their monuments were, as elsewhere, in the Lowland Maya aristocratic
tongue Classic Ch'olti'an.12 North of the Maya Mountains, the inscriptional
language at Lamanai was Yucatecan as of A.D. 625.13

7 Infolink Production Center (1 April 2007). "Statistical Institute of Belize". Statisticsbelize.org.bz. . Retrieved 29 August
2010.
8 "World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision Population Database". United Nations. 11 March 2009. . Retrieved 29
August 2010.
9
10 http://biological-diversity.info/Downloads/Ecosystem%20Mapping.zip
11 "British Honduras". Encyclopaedia Britannica. 12. New York: The Britannica Publishing Company. 1892. .
Retrieved 25 October 2010.
12 Houston, Stephen D.; Robertson, J; Stuart, D (2000). "The Language of Classic Maya Inscriptions". Current
Anthropology 41 (3): 321–356. ISSN 0010-3204. PMID 10768879.
13 Michael P. Closs, <a href=http://www.mesoweb.com/bearc/cmr/21_text.html>The Hieroglyphic Text of Stela 9,
Lamanai, Belize</a>, 13 from Closs, 1987
In the late classic period of Maya civilization (before A.D. 1000), as many as
400,000 people may have lived in the area that is now Belize. Some lowland
Maya still occupied the area when Europeans arrived in the 16th century. By
then the primary inhabitants were the Mopan branch of the Yucatec Maya.
Spanish colonists tried to settle the inland areas of Belize, but Maya rebellions
and attacks forced them to abandon these efforts.
English and Scottish buccaneers known as the Baymen first settled on the coast
of Belize in 1638, seeking a sheltered region from which they could attack
Spanish ships (see English settlement in Belize). The settlers turned to cutting
logwood during the 18th century. The wood yielded a fixing agent for clothing
dyes that was vital to the European woollen industry. The Spanish granted the
British settlers the right to occupy the area and cut logwood in exchange for an
end to piracy.14

Battle of St. George's Caye

The Battle of St. George's Caye was a short military engagement that lasted from
3–10 September 1798, undertaken off the coast of what is now Belize. The name,
however, is typically reserved for the final battle that occurred on 10 September.
The British first appointed a superintendent over the Belize area in 1786. Prior
to that time, the British government did not initially recognize the settlement in
Belize as a colony for fear of provoking Spanish attack. The delay in government
oversight allowed the settlers to establish their own laws and forms of
government. During this time a few wealthy settlers gained control of the local
legislature, known as the Public Meeting, as well as of most of the settlement's
land and timber.
The battle took place between an invading force from what would become
Mexico, attempting to wrest Belize for Spain, and a small force of resident
woodcutters called Baymen, who fought for their livelihood assisted by black
slaves.
The Spanish repeatedly tried to gain control over Belize by force, but were
unsuccessful. Spain's last effort occurred on 10 September 1798, when the
British repelled the Spanish fleet in a short engagement with no known
casualties on either side known as the Battle of St. George's Caye. The
anniversary of the battle is now a national holiday in Belize.

14 Bolland, Nigel. "Belize: Historical Setting". In A Country Study: Belize (Tim Merrill, editor). Library of Congress
Federal Research Division (January 1992). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in
the public domain.
As part of the British Empire
In the early 19th century, the British sought greater control over the settlers,
threatening to suspend the Public Meeting unless it observed the government's
instructions to eliminate slavery in a whole. Slavery was abolished in the British
Empire in 1838, but this did little to change working conditions for labourers in
the Belize settlement. Slaves of the colony were valued for their potentially
superior abilities in the work of mahogany extraction. As a result, former slave
owners in British Honduras earned £53.6.9 on average per slave, the highest
amount paid in any British territory.15
Soon after, a series of institutions were put in place to ensure the continued
presence of a viable labour force. Some of these included greatly restricting the
ability of individuals to obtain land, a debt-peonage system to organise the newly
"free." The position of being "extra special" mahogany and logwood cutters
undergirded the early ascriptions of the capacities (and consequently limitations)
of people of African descent in the colony. Because a small elite controlled the
settlement's land and commerce, former slaves had no choice but to continue to
work in timber cutting.16
In 1836, after the emancipation of Central America from Spanish rule, the British
claimed the right to administer the region. In 1862, Great Britain formally
declared it a British Crown Colony, subordinate to Jamaica, and named it British
Honduras.17 As a colony, Belize began to attract British investors. Among the
British firms that dominated the colony in the late 19th century was the Belize
Estate and Produce Company, which eventually acquired half of all the privately
held land in the colony. Belize Estate's influence accounts in part for the colony's
reliance on the mahogany trade throughout the rest of the 19th century and the
first half of the 20th century.

The Great Depression of the 1930s caused a near-collapse of the colonial

economy as British demand for timber plummeted. The effects of widespread
unemployment were worsened by a devastating hurricane that struck the colony
in 1931. Perceptions of the government's relief effort as inadequate were
aggravated by its refusal to legalize labour unions or introduce a minimum wage.
Demonstrations and riots in 1934 marked the beginning of an independence
movement. In response, the government repealed criminal penalties for workers
who violated the terms of their labour contracts regarding unions and granted
workers the right to join unions.

15 Johnson, Melissa A. (October 2003). "The Making of Race and Place in Nineteenth-Century British Honduras".
Environmental History 8 (4): 598–617. doi:10.2307/3985885. .
16
17 Frommer's Belize by Eliot Greenspan, page 279
Economic conditions improved during World War II (1939–1945) when many
Belizean men entered the armed forces or otherwise contributed labour to the
war effort. Following the war, the colony's economy again stagnated due to the
pressures caused by its damaging effect. Britain's decision to devalue the British
Honduras dollar in 1949 worsened economic conditions and led to the creation of
the People's Committee, which demanded independence. The People's
Committee's successor, the People's United Party (PUP), sought constitutional
reforms that would expand voting rights to all adults.

Independence
Constitutional reforms were initiated in 1954 and resulted in a new constitution
ten years later. Britain granted British Honduras self-government in 1964, and
the head of the PUP—independence leader George Price—became the colony's
prime minister. British Honduras was officially renamed Belize in 1973. Progress
toward independence, however, was hampered by a Guatemalan claim to
sovereignty over the territory of Belize. When Belize finally attained full
independence on 21 September 1981, Guatemala refused to recognise the new
nation. About 1,500 British troops remained to protect Belize from the
Guatemalan threat.
With Price at the helm, the PUP won all elections until 1984. In that election, the
first national election after independence, the PUP was defeated by the United
Democratic Party (UDP), and UDP leader Manuel Esquivel replaced Price as
prime minister. Price returned to power after elections in 1989. Guatemala's
president formally recognised Belize's independence in 1992. The following year
the United Kingdom announced that it would end its military involvement in
Belize. British soldiers were withdrawn in 1994, but the United Kingdom left
behind a military training unit to assist with the newly formed Belize Defence
Force.
The UDP regained power in the 1993 national election, and Esquivel became
prime minister for a second time. Soon afterwards Esquivel announced the
suspension of a pact reached with Guatemala during Price's tenure, claiming
Price had made too many concessions in order to gain Guatemalan recognition.
The pact may have curtailed the 130-year-old border dispute between the two
countries. Border tensions continued into the early 2000s, although the two
countries cooperated in other areas.
The PUP won a landslide victory in the 1998 national elections, and PUP leader
Said Musa was sworn in as prime minister. In the 2003 elections the PUP
maintained its majority, and Musa continued as prime minister. He pledged to
improve conditions in the underdeveloped and largely inaccessible southern part
of Belize.
In 2005, Belize was the site of unrest caused by discontent with the People's
United Party government, including tax increases in the national budget. On 8
February 2008, Dean Barrow was sworn in as prime minister after his UDP won
a landslide victory in general elections.
Throughout Belize's history, Guatemala has claimed ownership of all or part of
the territory. This claim is occasionally reflected in maps showing Belize as
Guatemala's twenty-third department. As of March 2007, the border dispute with
Guatemala remains unresolved and quite contentious.1819 Guatemala's claim to
Belizean territory rests, in part, on the terms Clause VII of the Anglo-Guatemalan
Treaty of 1859 which (supposedly) obligated the British to build a road between
Belize City and Guatemala. At various times the issue has required mediation by
the United Kingdom, Caribbean Community heads of Government, the
Organization of American States, Mexico, and the United States. Since
independence, a British garrison has been retained in Belize at the request of the
Belizean government. Notably, both Guatemala and Belize are participating in
confidence-building measures approved by the OAS, including the Guatemala-
Belize Language Exchange Project.20
Geography
Belize is located on the Caribbean coast of northern Central America. It shares a
border on the north with the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, on the west with the
Guatemalan department of Petén, and on the south with the Guatemalan
department of Izabal. To the east in the Caribbean Sea, the second-longest
barrier reef in the world flanks much of the 386 kilometres (240 mi) of
predominantly marshy coastline. The area of the country totals 22960 square
kilometres (8865 sq mi), an area slightly larger than El Salvador or
Massachusetts. The abundance of lagoons along the coasts and in the northern
interior reduces the actual land area to 21400 square kilometres (8263 sq mi).
Belize is shaped like a rectangle that extends about 280 kilometres (174 mi)
north-south and about 100 kilometres (62 mi) east-west, with a total land
boundary length of 516 kilometres (321 mi). The undulating courses of two
rivers, the Hondo and the Sarstoon River, define much of the course of the
country's northern and southern boundaries. The western border follows no
natural features and runs north-south through lowland forest and highland
plateau. The north of Belize consists mostly of flat, swampy coastal plains, in
places heavily forested. The flora is highly diverse considering the small
geographical area. The south contains the low mountain range of the Maya
Mountains. The highest point in Belize is Doyle's Delight at 1124 m (3688 ft).21
The Caribbean coast is lined with a coral reef and some 450 islets and islands
known locally as cayes (pronounced "keys"). They total about 690 square
kilometres (266 sq mi), and form the approximately 320-kilometre (199 mi) long
Belize Barrier Reef, the longest in the Western Hemisphere and the second
longest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef. Three of merely four coral
atolls in the Western Hemisphere are located off the coast of Belize.

18 "Nation News 2006". Nationnews.com. 15 May 2010. . Retrieved 29 August 2010.

19 "ACP-EU summit 2000". Hartford-hwp.com. . Retrieved 29 August 2010.
20 "Guatemala-Belize Language Exchange Project". Guatemalabelize.com. . Retrieved 29 August 2010.
21 "BERDS Topography". Biodiversity.bz. . Retrieved 29 August 2010.
Climate
Belize has a tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons, although
there are significant variations in weather patterns by region. Temperatures vary
according to elevation, proximity to the coast, and the moderating effects of the
northeast trade winds off the Caribbean. Average temperatures in the coastal
regions range from 24 °C (75.2 °F) in January to 27 °C (80.6 °F) in July.
Temperatures are slightly higher inland, except for the southern highland
plateaus, such as the Mountain Pine Ridge, where it is noticeably cooler year
round. Overall, the seasons are marked more by differences in humidity and
rainfall than in temperature.
Average rainfall varies considerably, ranging from 1350 mm (53.1 in) in the north
and west to over 4500 mm (177.2 in) in the extreme south. Seasonal differences
in rainfall are greatest in the northern and central regions of the country where,
between January and April or May, fewer than 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain fall per
month. The dry season is shorter in the south, normally only lasting from
February to April. A shorter, less rainy period, known locally as the "little dry,"
usually occurs in late July or August, after the initial onset of the rainy season.
Hurricanes have played key—and devastating—roles in Belizean history. In 1931
an unnamed hurricane destroyed over two-thirds of the buildings in Belize City
and killed more than 1,000 people. In 1955 Hurricane Janet levelled the northern
town of Corozal. Only six years later, Hurricane Hattie struck the central coastal
area of the country, with winds in excess of 300 km/h (186 mph) and 4 m (13.1 ft)
storm tides. The devastation of Belize City for the second time in thirty years
prompted the relocation of the capital some 80 kilometres (50 mi) inland to the
planned city of Belmopan. Hurricane Greta caused more than US$25 million in
damages along the southern coast in 1978. On 9 October 2001, Hurricane Iris
made landfall at Monkey River Town as a 145 mph (233 km/h) Category Four
storm. The storm demolished most of the homes in the village, and destroyed the
banana crop. In 2007 Hurricane Dean made landfall as a Category 5 storm only
25 miles north of the Belize/Mexico border. Dean caused extensive damage in
northern Belize.
The most recent hurricane to affect Belize directly was the Category 2 Hurricane
Richard, making landfall approximately 20 miles south-southeast of Belize City at
around 0045 UTC on 25 October 2010.22 The storm moved inland towards
Belmopan, causing estimated damage of BZ$33.8 million ($17.4 million
2010 USD), primarily from damage to crops and housing.23

22 Daniel Brown/Robbie Berg (25 October 2010). "Hurricane Richard Discussion Seventeen". National Hurricane Center. .
Retrieved 25 October 2010.
23 http://www.reporter.bz/index.php?mod=article&cat=Headline&article=4721
Vegetation
While over 60% of Belize's land surface is covered by forest,24 recent studies
indicate that some ~20% of the country's land is covered by cultivated land
(agriculture) and human settlements.25 Savannah, scrubland and wetland
constitute the remainder of Belize's land cover. Important mangrove ecosystems
are also represented across Belize's landscape.2627 As a part of the globally
significant Mesoamerican Biological Corridor which stretches from southern
Mexico to Panama, Belize's biodiversity – both marine and terrestrial – is rich,
with abundant flora and fauna. Belize is also a leader where it comes to
protecting its biodiversity and natural resources. Recent (July 2010)
information28 from the Association of Protected Areas Management
Organizations of Belize (APAMO) indicates that some 36% of Belize's land
territory falls under some form of official protected status, giving Belize one of
the most extensive systems of terrestrial protected areas in the Americas.
Neighboring Costa Rica, by contrast, only has 25.8% of its land territory
protected.29 Some 13% of Belize's territorial waters – home to the Belize Barrier
Reef System – are also protected. The Belize Barrier Reef System both
constitutes a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site and the second largest
barrier reef in the world, second only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

24 Cherrington, E.A., Ek, E., Cho, P., Howell, B.F., Hernandez, B.E., Anderson, E.R., Flores, A.I., Garcia, B.C., Sempris,
E., and D.E. Irwin. (2010) “Forest Cover and Deforestation in Belize: 1980–2010.” Water Center for the Humid Tropics
of Latin America and the Caribbean. Panama City, Panama. 42 pp. [0]
25 "Biodiversity in Belize – Ecosystems Map". Biological-diversity.info. 23 August 2005. . Retrieved 29 August 2010.
26 Murray, M.R., Zisman, S.A., Furley, P.A., Munro, D.M., Gibson, J., Ratter, J., Bridgewater, S., Mity, C.D., and C.J.
Place. 2003. "The Mangroves of Belize: Part 1. Distribution, Composition and Classification." Forest Ecology and
Management 174: 265–279
27 Cherrington, E.A., Hernandez, B.E., Trejos, N.A., Smith, O.A., Anderson, E.R., Flores, A.I., and B.C. Garcia. 2010.
"Identification of Threatened and Resilient Mangroves in the Belize Barrier Reef System." Technical report to the World
Wildlife Fund. Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC) / Regional
Visualization & Monitoring System (SERVIR). 28 pp.
http://maps.cathalac.org/Downloads/data/bz/bz_mangroves_1980-2010_highres.pdf
28 "Belize protected areas 26% - not 40-odd percent". Amandala. . Retrieved 29 August 2010.
29 http://www.unep-wcmc.org/wdpa/statistics/2010MDG_National_Stats.xls
Forests and deforestation
A remote sensing study conducted by the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of
Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC) and NASA, in collaboration with
the Forest Department and the Land Information Centre (LIC) of the Government
of Belize's Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE), and
published in August 2010 revealed that Belize's forest cover in early 2010 was
approximately 62.7%, down from 75.9% in late 1980.30 A similar study31 by Belize
Tropical Forest Studies and Conservation International revealed similar trends in
terms of Belize's forest cover. Both studies indicate that each year, 0.6% of
Belize's forest cover is lost, translating to the clearing of an average of 24,835
acres (9,982 hectares) each year. The USAID-supported SERVIR study by
CATHALAC, NASA, and the MNRE also showed that Belize's protected areas
have been extremely effective in protecting the country's forests. While only
some 6.4% of forests inside of legally declared protected areas were cleared
between 1980 and 2010, over a quarter of forests outside of protected areas had
been lost between 1980 and 2010. As a country with a relatively high forest
cover and a low deforestation rate, Belize has significant potential for
participation in initiatives such as REDD. Significantly, the SERVIR study on
Belize's deforestation was also recognized by the intergovernmental Group on
Earth Observations (GEO), of which Belize is a member nation.32

Geology, mineral potential, and energy

Although a number of economically important minerals exist in Belize, none has
been found in quantities large enough to warrant their mining. These minerals
include dolomite, barite (source of barium), bauxite (source of aluminium),
cassiterite (source of tin), and gold. In 1990 limestone, used in road-building,
was the only mineral resource being exploited for either domestic or export use.
The similarity of Belizean geology to that of oil-producing areas of Mexico and
Guatemala prompted oil companies, principally from the United States, to
explore for petroleum at both offshore and on-land sites in the early 1980s.
Initial results were promising, but the pace of exploration slowed later in the
decade, and production operations had been halted. As a result, Belize remains
almost totally dependent on imported petroleum for its energy needs. In 2006,
the cultivation of newly discovered crude oil in the town of Spanish Lookout, has
presented new prospects and problems for this developing nation.33 The country
also possess considerable potential for hydroelectric and other renewable energy
resources, such as solar and biomass. In the mid-1980s, one Belizean
businessman even proposed the construction of a wood-burning power station
for the production of electricity, but the idea foundered in the wake of ecological
concerns and economic constraints.

30
31 "Biodiversity in Belize – Deforestation". Biological-diversity.info. 23 August 2009. . Retrieved 29 August 2010.
32 http://www.earthobservations.org/art_010_002.shtml
33 Burnett, John (2006). Maya Homeland. Large Oil Field Is Found in Belize; the Angling Begins, 4 January
2007.
Economy
Belize has a small, essentially private enterprise economy that is based primarily
on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and
construction recently assuming greater importance. In 2006, the exploitation of a
newly discovered crude oil field near the town of Spanish Lookout, has presented
new prospects and problems for this developing nation.34 It has yet to be seen if
significant economic expansion will be made by this. To date, oil production
equal 3000 bbl/d (480 m3/d) (2007 est.) and oil exports equal 1960 bbl/d
(312 m3/d) (2006 est.). The country is a producer of industrial minerals.35 Sugar,
the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of exports, while the banana industry is
the country's largest employer.36
The new government faces important challenges to economic stability. Rapid
action to improve tax collection has been promised, but a lack of progress in
reining in spending could bring the exchange rate under pressure. The tourist
and construction sectors strengthened in early 1999, leading to a preliminary
estimate of revived growth at 4%. Infrastructure continues to be a major
challenge for the economic development of Belize.37 Belize has the most
expensive electricity in the region. Trade is important and the major trading
partners are the United States, Mexico, the European Union, and Central
America.38

Banking
Belize has five commercial banks, of which the largest and oldest is Belize Bank.
The other four banks are Heritage Bank, Atlantic Bank, FirstCaribbean
International Bank, and Scotiabank (Belize).

Tourism
A combination of natural factors—climate, the Belize Barrier Reef, over 1,000
offshore Cayes (islands), excellent fishing, safe waters for boating, scuba diving,
and snorkeling, numerous rivers for rafting, and kayaking, various jungle and
wildlife reserves of fauna and flora, for hiking, bird watching, and helicopter
touring, as well as many Maya ruins—support the thriving tourism and
ecotourism industry. Of the hundreds of cave systems, it also has the largest cave
system in Central America. Development costs are high, but the Government of
Belize has designated tourism as its second development priority after
agriculture. In 2007, tourist arrivals totalled 251,655 (with more than 210,000
from the U.S.) and tourist receipts amounted to $183.3 million.

34
35 Dan Oancea: Mining in Central America http://magazine.mining.com/Issues/0901/MiningCentralAmerica.pdf
36
37 "Background Note: Belize". Department of State, United States. .
38
Attractions
•Click on the icon "show" on the right to display the content of this
section →
Education
They are a number of kindergartens and secondary and tertiary schools in Belize.
They provide quality education for students which is mostly funded by the
government. Belize possess about 5 tertiary level institutions offering associates,
bachelors, and undergraduate degrees. The biggest university would be the
University of Belize. The university has 6 campuses country wide offering
accounting, management, education, science, agriculture and other degrees.
Transport
There are about 6 to 10 bus companies in Belize. These bus companies service
routes from mainly the city, which is the heart of all transportation, to
neighbouring villages like Ladyville and Sandhill to all other districts which are
Corozal, Cayo Orange Walk, Toledo and Stann Creek. The bus prices to
neighbouring villages from the city range from $1.00 BZE Dollars to $2.50 BZE
Dollars. From Belize City to out districts prices range from $4.00 – $9.00 BZE
Dollars.
Politics
Belize is a parliamentary democracy, a Commonwealth realm, and therefore a
member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The structure of government is based on the British parliamentary system, and
the legal system is modelled on the Common Law of England. The current head
of state is Elizabeth II, Queen of Belize. Since the Queen primarily resides in the
United Kingdom, she is represented in Belize by the Governor-General. However,
the cabinet, led by the Prime Minister of Belize, who is head of government,
acting as advisors to the Governor-General, in practice exercise executive
authority. Cabinet ministers are members of the majority political party in
parliament and usually hold elected seats within it concurrent with their cabinet
positions.
The bicameral National Assembly of Belize is composed of a House of
Representatives and a Senate. The 31 members of the House are popularly
elected to a maximum five-year term and introduce legislation affecting the
development of Belize. The Governor-General appoints the 12 members of the
Senate, with a Senate president selected by the members. The Senate is
responsible for debating and approving bills passed by the House.
Belize is a full participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM),
the Central American Integration System (SICA), The United Nations, and the
Organization of American States. It is still in the process of acceding to Caricom
and SICA treaties, including trade and single market treaties.
Districts and constituencies
Belize is divided into 6 districts:
 1. Belize District
2. Cayo District
3. Corozal District
4. Orange Walk District
5. Stann Creek District
6. Toledo District

These districts are further divided into 31 constituencies.

Armed Forces
The Belize Defence Force (BDF) is the Military of Belize, and is responsible for
protecting the sovereignty of Belize. The BDF, along with the Belize National
Coast Guard, and the Immigration Department, is a department of the Ministry
of Defence and Immigration, which is headed by Carlos Perdomo; the BDF itself
is commanded by Brigadier General Dario Tapia. In 1997, the regular army
numbered over 900, the reserve army 381, the air wing 45 and the maritime
wing 36, amounting to an overall strength of approximately 1400.39 In 2005, the
maritime wing became part of the Belizean Coastguard.40 In the same year, the
government spent $1.2 million on the military, constituting 1.87% of the
country's gross domestic product (GDP).41
After Belize achieved independence in 1981 the United Kingdom maintained a
deterrent force in the country to protect it from invasion by Guatemala (see
Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory). The main British force left in 1994,
three years after Guatemala recognised Belizean independence, but the United
Kingdom maintains a training presence via the British Army Training and
Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) and 25 Flight Army Air Corps.42
Demographics
Ethnic group Population % of total*
Mestizos 121,275 34%
Kriols 98,695 25%
Spanish 59,153 15%
Maya 37,819 11%
Garifuna 18,909 6%
Others 31,335 9%
* Percentage of total Belizean population

39 Dion E. Phillips , "The Military of Belize" http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/belize/conference/papers/phillips.html,

2002
40 "Channel 5 Belize", http://www.channel5belize.com/archive_detail_story.php?story_id=15230 December 13, 2007.
41 "Belize", CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bh.html
42
Colonisation, slavery, and immigration have played major roles in affecting the
ethnic composition of the population and as a result, Belize is a country with
numerous cultures, languages, and ethnic groups.434445 The country's population
is currently estimated to be a little over 333,000.46 Mestizos comprise about 34%
of the population, Kriols 25%, Spanish 15%, Maya 11%, and Garinagu 6%.47

Population and Housing

According to the 2010 Housing and Population Census, the total population of
Belize is 312,971. The total number of households in Belize was 79,598 and the
average household size was 3.9. The homeless population was amounted to 118
total of which 113 were males and 5 were females. The institutional population
were discovered to be 1,957; 1,665 being male and 292 being females. The total
population in urban Belize was 139,069; 68,020 males and 71,049 females.
39,104 total households in 2010 and a 3.6 average household size. The total
population in rural Belize was 171,827; 88,261 males and 83,566 females. 40,494
total households in 2010 and a 4.2 average household size.

Maya and early settlers

The Maya are thought to have been in Belize and the Yucatán region since the
second millennium BC; however, much of Belize's original Maya population was
wiped out by disease and conflicts between tribes and with Europeans. Three
Maya groups now inhabit the country: The Yucatec (who came from Yucatán,
Mexico to escape the Caste War of the 1840s), the Mopan (indigenous to Belize
but were forced out by the British; they returned from Guatemala to evade
slavery in the 19th century), and Kekchi (also fled from slavery in Guatemala in
the 19th century).48 The later groups are chiefly found in the Toledo District.
White, initially Spanish conquistadors explored and declared the land a Spanish
colony but chose not to settle due to the lack of resources such as gold and the
strong defence of the Yucatán by the Maya. Later English and Scottish settlers
and pirates known as the "Baymen" entered the area in the 16th and 17th
century respectively and established a logwood trade colony in what would
become the Belize District.49

43 Volz, Joe and Coy, Cissie, "Belize: Central American Jewel," on aarp.org
44 Smith, Vicki (2007), "Belize beckons with unspoiled Caribbean isles, friendly faces, rich marine life," The San
Diego Union-Tribune, 18 February 2007, at SignOnSanDiego.com
45 Link, Matthew R. (2002), "Central America's perfect, penny-pinching blend of island beaches, virgin rain forest, and
Maya mysteries,", Budget Travel, January/February 2002 issue at budgettravelonline.com
46
47 "Belize 2000 Housing and Population Census". Belize Central Statistical Office. 2000. . Retrieved 9 September 2008.
48 Cho, Julian (1998). Maya Homeland. University of California Berkeley Geography Department and the Toledo Maya of
Southern Belize. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
49
Kriols
Kriols make up roughly 25% of the Belizean population and about 75% percent of
the Diaspora.50 They are descendants of the Baymen slave owners, and slaves
brought to Belize for the purpose of the logging industry.51 These slaves were
mostly Black (many also of Miskito ancestry) from Nicaragua and born Africans
who had spent very brief periods in Jamaica.52 Bay Islanders and more Jamaicans
came in the late-19th century, further adding these all ready varied peoples,
creating this ethnic group.
For all intents and purposes, Kriol is an ethnic and linguistic denomination, but
some natives, even those blonde and blue-eyed, may call themselves Kriol,
defining it as more a cultural attribute and not limited to physical appearance.53
Kriol was historically only spoken by them, but this ethnicity has become
synonymous with the Belizean national identity, and as a result it is now spoken
by about 75% of Belizeans.5455 Kriols are found all over Belize, but predominantly
in urban areas such as Belize City, coastal towns and villages, and in the Belize
River Valley.

Garinagu
The Garinagu (singular Garifuna) are a mix of African, Arawak, and Carib
ancestry.56 More precisely, the average Garifuna is 76% Sub Saharan African,
20% Arawak/Carib and 4% European.57
Throughout history they have been incorrectly labeled as Black Caribs. When the
British took over Saint Vincent after the Treaty of Paris in 1763, they were
opposed by French settlers and their Carib allies. The Caribs eventually
surrendered to the British in 1796. The British separated the more African-
looking Caribs from the more indigenous looking ones. 5,000 Garinagu were
exiled, but only about 2,500 of them survived the voyage to Roatán, an island off
the coast of Honduras.

50 (Johnson,Melissa A.)The Making of Race and Place in Nineteenth-Century British Honduras.

Environmental History, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct. 2003), pp. 598–617, [1]
51 "Belize-Guatemala Territorial Issue – Chapter 1". Belizenet.com. . Retrieved 29 August 2010.
52 (Johnson,Melissa A.) The Making of Race and Place in Nineteenth-Century British Honduras.
Environmental History, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct. 2003), pp. 598–617,
53
54
55
56
57 Crawford, M.H. 1997 Biocultural adaptation to disease in the Caribbean: Case study of a migrant population. Journal of
Caribbean Studies. Health and Disease in the Caribbean. 12(1): 141–155. on [2]
Because Roatán was too small and infertile to support their population, the
Garinagu petitioned the Spanish authorities of Honduras to be allowed to settle
on the mainland coast. The Spanish employed them as soldiers, and they spread
along the Caribbean coast of Central America. The Garinagu settled in Seine
Bight, Punta Gorda and Punta Negra, Belize by way of Honduras as early as
1802. However, in Belize 19 November 1832 is the date officially recognized as
"Garifuna Settlement Day" in Dangriga.58

Mestizos and Spanish

Around the 1840s, Mestizo, Spanish, and Yucatec settlers from Mexico began to
settle in the north due to the Caste War of Yucatán.5960 Currently, the Mestizos
are the largest ethnic group in Belize, making up 34% of the population in 2000,
and Spanish make up 15%. They predominate in the Corozal, Orange Walk, and
much of the Cayo district, as well as San Pedro town in Ambergris Caye.61
The Mestizo culture was originated from a mixture of Spanish and Maya. The
Mestizo towns of Belize have much more in common with neighbouring Yucatán
and most of Guatemala and Central America than central, southern or coastal
Belize. Towns centre on a main square, and social life focuses on the Catholic
Church built on one side of it. Most Mestizos and Spanish speak Spanish, English
and Kriol fluently.62

Other groups
The remaining 9% is a mix of Mennonite farmers, Indians, Chinese, whites from
the United States and Canada, and many other foreign groups brought to assist
the country's development. During the 1860s, a large influx of Indians and
American Civil War veterans from Louisiana and other Southern states
established Confederate settlements in British Honduras and introduced
commercial sugar cane production to the colony, establishing 11 settlements in
the interior. The 20th century saw the arrival of Asian settlers from mainland
China, South Korea, India, Syria, and Lebanon. Central American immigrants
and expatriate Americans and Africans also began to settle in the country.63

58
59 "Mestizo location in Belize; Location". . Retrieved 14 February 2008.
60 "Northern Belize Caste War History; Location". . Retrieved 14 February 2008.
61
62
63
Emigration, immigration, and demographic shifts
Kriols and other ethnic groups are emigrating mostly to the United States, but
also to the United Kingdom and other developed nations for better opportunities.
Based on the latest U.S. Census, the number of Belizeans in the United States is
approximately 160,000 (including 70,000 legal residents and naturalised
citizens), consisting mainly of Kriols and Garinagu.64
Due to conflicts in neighbouring Central American nations, Mestizo refugees
from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have fled to Belize in significant
numbers during the 1980s, and have been significantly adding to this group.65
These two events have been changing the demographics of the nation for the last
30 years.66
According to estimates by the CIA in 2009, Belize's total fertility rate currently
stands at approximately 3.6 children per woman. Its birth rate is 27.33
births/1,000 population, and the death rate is 5.8 deaths/1,000 population.67

Language
English is the only official language of Belize due to being a former British
colony. It is the main language used in government and education.68 Although
only 5.6% of the population speaks it as the main language at home, 54% can
speak it very well, and another 26% can speak some English.
•Spanish is the second most extensivley spoken language in Belize. It is
commonly spoken at home by 50% of the population and spoken as a second
language by many Belizeans.
•Kriol is the most extended language when mother tongue and second/third
language speakers are included. 37% of Belizeans consider their primary
language to be Kriol, an English Creole of words and syntax from various African
languages (namely Akan, Igbo, and Twi),69 and other languages (Miskito, Central
American Spanish). It is also a second or third language for another 40% of the
multilingual country.70 Kriol shares similarities with many Caribbean English
Creoles as far as phonology and pronunciations are concerned. Also, many of its
words and structures are both lexically and phonologically similar to English, its
superstrate language. Due to the fact that it is English-based, all Kriol speakers
can understand English. A number of linguists classify Belizean Kriol as a
separate language, while others consider it to be a dialect of English.

64 "Diaspora of Belize" Council on Diplomacy, Washington, D.C. and Consulate General of Belize.
65 "Mestizo location in Belize; Location". . Retrieved 14 February 2008.
66
67
68 "Belize: Language and Religion". Belize: Language and Religion. Microsoft Corporation. . Retrieved 9
September 2008.
69 http://www.kriol.org.bz/
70
•Maya languages such as Kekchi, Mopan and Yucatec are spoken by less than 5%
of the population,71 which is also the case with Garifuna (being
Arawakan/Maipurean-based and with elements of the Carib language, French,
English, and Spanish)72 and the Plautdietsch dialect of the Mennonites. Literacy
currently stands at nearly 80%. In 2001, UNESCO declared the Garifuna
language, dance, and music a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage
of Humanity".
English is the primary language of public education, with Spanish taught in
primary and secondary school as well. Bilingualism is very common.
English & Spanish Language Proficiency73
Language Speaks Very Well Speaks Some Total
English 54% 26% 80%
Spanish 52% 11% 63%
Languages in Belize according to 2000 census74

Language Mother tongue Percentage Second Percentage

speakers language
speakers
Kriol 67,527 32.9% 88,822 49.4%
Spanish 101,422 46.0% 8,121 34.0%
English 7,946 3.9% 59,551 20.9%
Garifuna 16,029 6.1% 71 0.2%
Maya Kek'chi 11,142 4.9% 314 4.5%
Maya Mopan 9,909 3.4% 493 3.0%
Plautdietsch 6,783 3.3% 24 3.2%
Chinese 1,607 0.8% 29 0.7%
Maya Yucateco 1,176 0.6% 13 0.3%
Hindi 280 0.1% 3 0.1%
Others / no 1,402 0.7% 1,192 0.6%
answer

71
72 "Belize: Language and Religion". Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. "Garifuna". Ethnologue:
Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Retrieved on 14
March 2007.. . Retrieved 9 September 2008.
73
74 "Ethnologue report for Belize". Ethnologue.com. . Retrieved 29 August 2010.
Religion
Religious freedom is guaranteed in Belize. Nearly 80% of the inhabitants are
Christian, with 49.6% of Belizeans being Roman Catholics and 29% Protestants.75
Foreign Catholics frequently visit the country for special gospel revivals. The
Greek Orthodox Church has a presence in Santa Elena.76 Jehovah's Witnesses
have experienced a significant increase in membership in recent years.
According to the Witnesses, around 3% of the population attended at least one
religious meeting in 2007.77 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
claims 3,300 members in the country78
Other non-Christian minorities include: Hinduism, followed by most Indian
immigrants, and Islam, common among Middle Eastern immigrants and has
gained a following among some Kriols.
Culture

Cuisine
Belizean cuisine is inspired by British, Mexican and Western Caribbean cooking.
The basic ingredients are rice and beans, which are often eaten with chicken,
pork, veal, fish or vegetables. Coconut milk and fried plantains are added to the
dishes to create a truly tropical taste. Exotic ingredients include armadillo meat,
venison and fried paca (called Gibnut in Kriol). Conch soup is a traditional dish
which has a characteristic taste and thick consistency due to added okra,
potatoes, yams, cassava flour and a touch of toasted habanero. Immigration has
brought Garifuna dishes based on fish and plantains, and among the best known
are Hudut, Darasa, Ereba, Bundiga, and so on. Belizean food is almost always
accompanied by white rice in coconut milk.

Sports
The major sports in Belize are football, basketball, volleyball and cycling, with
smaller followings of boat racing, track & field, softball and cricket. Fishing is
also popular in areas of Belize. The Cross Country Cycling Classic, also known as
the "cross country" race or the Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic, is
considered to be one of the most important Belize sports events. This one-day
sports event is meant for amateur cyclists but has also gained a worldwide
popularity.

75 "[3]", International Religious Freedom Report 2008

76 "Orthodox Church of Belize homepage". Orthodoxchurch.bz. 22 August 1982. . Retrieved 29 August 2010.
77 " 2007 Report of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide", Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
78 Belize. LDS Newsroom. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
This cycling event in Belize has seven rider categories based on rider rating, age,
and gender. Action-packed and thrilling, this most interesting sporting event
allows for the participation of tourists and visitors alike from all over the world.
The cycling routes offer enchanting and mesmerizing views across the
resplendent greenery of the forest areas and the meandering rivers. This makes
the event even more popular among the tourists.
The history of Cross Country Cycling Classic in Belize dates back to the period
when Monrad Metzgen picked up the idea from a small village on the Northern
highway. The people from this village used to cover long distances on their
bicycles to attend the weekly game of cricket. He improvised on this observation
and added thrill by sowing the idea of a sporting event in the difficult terrain of
western highways, which were then poorly built.
On Easter day, citizens of Dangriga participate in a yearly fishing tournament.
First, second, and third prize are awarded based on a scoring combination of
size, species, and number. The tournament is broadcast over local radio stations,
and prize money is awarded to the winners.
Belize's National Basketball Team is the only National Team that has achieved
major victories internationally. During the 1998 Caricom Men's Basketball
Championship, held at the Civic Center in Belize City. Belize went on to win the
championship and proceeded to participate in the 1999 Centrobasquet
Tournament in Havana. The National Team finished seventh of eight teams after
winning only 1 game despite playing close all the way. In a return engagement at
the 2000 CARICOM championship in Barbados, Belize placed fourth. Shortly
thereafter, Belize moved to the Central American region and won the Central
American Games championship in 2001. The team has failed to duplicate this
success, most recently finishing with a 2 and 4 record in the 2006 COCABA
championship. The team finished second in the 2009 COCABA tournament in
Cancun, Mexico where it went 3–0 in group play. Belize won its opening match in
the Centrobasquet Tournament, 2010, defeating Trinidad and Tobago, but lost
badly to Mexico in a rematch of the COCABA final. A tough win over Cuba set
Belize in position to advance, but they fell to Puerto Rico in their final match and
failed to qualify.

Folklore
In their folklore, we find the legends of Lang Bobi Suzi, La Llorona, Cadejo, La
Sucia, Luguchu Ellis, Tata Duende, Chatona, X'tabai, and Anansi.

Holidays
The following holidays are observed in Belize.79
Date English Name Remarks

79 "National Holidays of Belize" Council on Diplomacy, Washington, D.C. and Consulate General of Belize. Retrieved 5
February 2008.
1 January New Year's Day
9 March Baron Bliss Day Henry Edward Ernest
Victor Bliss, commonly
known as Baron Bliss (16
February 1869 – 9 March
1926), was a British-born
traveller who willed some
two million U.S. dollars to
a trust fund for the benefit
of the citizens of what was
then the colony of British
Honduras, now Belize.
variable Easter Good Friday and Easter
Sunday (both Christian
days marking the death
and resurrection of Jesus
Christ respectively) are
both public holidays. When
holidays fall on a Sunday,
the Monday is given as a
public holiday. Therefore
"Easter Monday", the
Monday following Easter
Sunday, is a public holiday.
In Dangriga, Easter marks
the community's annual
fishing tournament, which
is broadcast via local radio
and offers prize money to
the first, second, and third
place.
1 May Labour Day Address by the Minister of
Labour or a
representative, followed
by parades and rallies held
throughout the country.
Kite contests, cycle races,
harbour regatta, and horse
races are also held.
24 May Commonwealth Day Celebrated nationwide as
the Queen's birthday.
National Sports Council
holds horse races in Belize
City at the National
Stadium and in Orange
Walk Town at the People's
Stadium. Cycle races are
held between Cayo and
Belmopan. The three-day
Toledo Cacao Festival is
held in the Toledo District
over the Commonwealth
Day Holiday Weekend.
First Monday in July CARICOM Day Celebrated Throughout
the Caricom region. Not
celebrated in Belize as a
holiday.
10 September St. George's Caye Day The Battle of St. George's
Caye was a short military
engagement that lasted
from 3 to 10 September
1798, fought off the coast
of what is now Belize.
However, the name is
typically reserved for the
final battle that occurred
on 10 September.
21 September Independence Day The day Belize declared
independence from the
United Kingdom in 1981.
12 October Pan American Day Celebrated mainly in
Orange Walk, Cayo and
Corozal where the Mestizo
culture is predominant.
Fiestas and beauty
contests are held to
celebrate Mestizo culture.
Horse and cycle races
countrywide. Tourism
Week: Activities include
silent and Dutch auction,
grand vacation raffle
drawing and fair.
19 November Garifuna Settlement Day Festivals, parades, and re-
 enactments, marking the
first arrival of the Garifuna
in 1832 in Dangriga. The
annual Battle of the Drums
competition is held in
Punta Gorda Town on the
Saturday preceding
Garifuna Settlement Day.
25 December Christmas The Christian celebration
of the birth of Jesus Christ.
26 December Boxing Day A Commonwealth gift-
giving traditional holiday.
National Symbols

Black Orchid
The National Flower of Belize is the Black Orchid (Prosthechea cochleata), also
known as Encyclia cochleata).80

Mahogany Tree
The National Tree of Belize is the Mahogany Tree (Swietenia macrophylla), one
of the magnificent giants of the Belize rain forest. Rising straight and tall to over
a hundred feet from great buttresses at the roots, it emerges above the canopy of
the surrounding trees with a crown of large, shining green leaves. In the early
months of the year, when the leaves fall and new red-brown growth appears, the
tree can be spotted from a great distance. The tree puts out a great flush of small
whitish flowers – the blossom for dark fruits, which are pear-shaped capsules
about six inches long. When the fruits mature they split into five valves, freeing
large winged seeds which are carried away by the wind. They fall on the shaded
protection of the forest floor and germinate to begin a new life cycle. The
mahogany tree matures in 60 to 80 years.
British settlers exploited the Belizean forest for mahogany, beginning around the
middle of the 17th century. It was originally exported to the United Kingdom in
the form of squared logs, but shipments now consist mainly of sawn lumber. The
motto "Sub Umbra Florero" means: Under the shade (of the mahogany tree) I
flourish.81

80 "National Symbols of Belize" Council on Diplomacy, Washington, D.C. and Consulate General of Belize. Retrieved 5
February 2008.
81 "National Symbols of Belize" Council on Diplomacy, Washington, D.C. and Consulate General of Belize.
Keel Billed Toucan
The Keel Billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) is the National Bird of Belize. It
is noted for its great, canoe-shaped bill and its brightly coloured green, blue, red
and orange feathers. Toucans are found in open areas of the country with large
trees. It is mostly black with bright yellow cheeks and chest, red under the tail
and a distinctive white patch at the base of the tail.They make a monotonous
frog-like croak. Toucans like fruits, and eat by cutting with the serrated edge of
their bills. Toucans nest in holes in trees, using natural holes or holes made by
woodpeckers, often enlarging the cavity by removing soft, rotten wood. They lay
two to four eggs which are incubated by both parents. The nesting stage lasts
from six to seven weeks.

Tapir
Belize's National Animal is the Baird's Tapir, the largest land mammal of the
American tropics. It is also known as the mountain cow, although it is actually
related to the horse and the rhinoceros. It is protected under Belizean law.
National heroes
The three people who have received Belize's highest honours, Order of National
Hero and Order of Belize, are:
•Phillip Goldson
•Monrad Metzgen
•George Cadle Price

Further reading
•Belize In Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture Ian Peedle
•Belize: A Concise History P. A. B. Thomson
•Belize: Land of the Free By The Carib Sea Thor Janson
•Belize: Reefs, Rain Forests, and Mayan Ruins Dick Lutz
•Confederate Settlements in British Honduras Donald C.Simmons, Jr.
•Education and Multi-cultural Cohesion in Belize, 1931–1981 Peter Ronald
Hitchen Unpublished PhD Thesis. University of Central Lancashire, England.
April 2002.
•Escaping the Rat Race – Freedom in Paradise: Real-life Stories About Living,
Working, Investing, and Retiring in Belize by Dr. Helga Peham, 2007.
•Fodor's Guide: Belize and Guatemala
•Forest Cover and Deforestation in Belize: 1980–2010 CATHALAC / NASA /
Belize Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment / SERVIR. August
2010.
•Formerly British Honduras: A Profile of a New Nation of Belize William David
Stetzekorn
•Insight Guide: Belize Huw Hennessy
•Lonely Planet World Guide: Belize Carolyn Miller Caelstrom and Debra Miller
•The Making of Belize Anne Sutherland
•Monrad Metzgen: Notes on British Honduras.
•Monrad Metzgen, Henry Edney and Conrad Cain Handbook of British
Honduras:
•Monrad Metzgen: Shoulder to Shoulder or the Battle of St George's Caye, 1798.
•Moon Handbooks: Belize Chicki Mallan and Joshua Berman
•Our Man in Belize: A Memoir Richard Timothy Conroy
•The Belize Debt-for-Nature Swap: Foundations of a Framework for Program
Evaluation Emil A. Cherrington. Unpublished Master of Science thesis, College
of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. June 2004.
96 pp.
•The Guatemalan Claim to Belize: A Handbook on the Negotiations James S.
Murphy
•The Rough Guide: Belize Peter Eltringham
•Time Among the Maya: Travels in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico Ronald Wright
•Thirteen Chapters of A History of Belize Assad Shoman
•Traveller's Wildlife Guide: Belize and Northern Guatemala Les Beletsky
External links
•Government of Belize – Official governmental site
•Chief of State and Cabinet Members
•Belize National Emergency Management Organization – Official governmental
site
•Belize Wildlife Conservation Network – Belize Wildlife Conservation Network
•CATHALAC – Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the
Caribbean
•SERVIR – Regional Visualization & Monitoring System for Mesoamerica
•Belize information on globalEDGE
•LANIC Belize page
•Belize entry at The World Factbook
•Belize at UCB Libraries GovPubs
•Belize at the Open Directory Project
•Wikimedia Atlas of Belize
•Belize travel guide from Wikitravel

History of Belize
The history of Belize dates back thousands of years. The Maya civilization
spread into the area of Belize between 1500 BC and AD 200 and flourished until
about AD 1200. Several major archeological sites—notably Cahal Pech, Caracol,
Lamanai, Lubaantun, Altun Ha, and Xunantunich—reflect the advanced
civilization and much denser population of that period. The first recorded
European settlement was established by shipwrecked English seamen in 1638.
Over the next 150 years, more English settlements were established. This period
also was marked by piracy, indiscriminate logging, and sporadic attacks by pre-
America natives and neighboring Spanish settlements.82
Great Britain first sent an official representative to the area in the late 18th
century, but Belize was not formally termed the "Colony of British Honduras"
until 1840. It became a crown colony in 1862. Subsequently, several
constitutional changes were enacted to expand representative government. Full
internal self-government under a ministerial system was granted in January
1964. The official name of the territory was changed from British Honduras to
Belize in June 1973, and full independence was granted on September 21,
1981.83
Ancient Maya civilization
Extent of the Maya civilization

82 "Background Note: Belize". U.S. Department of State (August 2008). This article incorporates text from this
source, which is in the public domain.
83
The Maya civilization emerged at least three millennia ago in the lowland area of
the Yucatán Peninsula and the highlands to the south, in what is now
southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, western Honduras, and Belize. Many aspects
of this culture persist in the area despite nearly 500 years of European
domination. Prior to about 2500 B.C., some hunting and foraging bands settled in
small farming villages; they later domesticated crops such as corn, beans,
squash, and chili peppers. A profusion of languages and subcultures developed
within the Mayan core culture. Between about 2500 B.C. and A.D. 250, the basic
institutions of Mayan civilization emerged. The peak of this civilization occurred
during the classic period, which began about A.D. 250.84 The recorded history of
the center and south is dominated by Caracol, where the inscriptions on their
monuments was, as elsewhere, in the Lowland Maya aristocratic tongue Classic
Ch'olti'an.85 North of the Maya Mountains, the inscriptional language at Lamanai
was Yucatecan as of 625 CE.86 The last date recorded in Ch'olti'an within
Belizean borders is 859 CE in Caracol, stele 10. Yucatec civilisation, in Lamanai,
lasted longer.
Farmers engaged in various types of agriculture, including labor-intensive
irrigated and ridged-field systems and shifting slash-and-burn agriculture. Their
products fed the civilization's craft specialists, merchants, warriors, and priest-
astronomers, who coordinated agricultural and other seasonal activities with a
cycle of rituals in ceremonial centers. These priests, who observed the
movements of the sun, moon, planets, and stars, developed a complex
mathematical and calendrical system to coordinate various cycles of time and to
record specific events on carved stelae. The Maya were skilled at making pottery,
carving jade, knapping flint, and making elaborate costumes of feathers. The
architecture of Mayan civilization included temples and palatial residences
organized in groups around plazas. These structures were built of cut stone,
covered with stucco, and elaborately decorated and painted. Stylized carvings
and paintings, along with sculptured stelae and geometric patterns on buildings,
constitute a highly developed style of art.87

84 Bolland, Nigel. "Belize: Historical Setting". In A Country Study: Belize (Tim Merrill, editor). Library of Congress
Federal Research Division (January 1992). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in
the public domain.
85 Houston, Stephen D.; John Robertson and David Stuart (2000). "The Language of Classic Maya Inscriptions". Current
Anthropology 41 (3): 321–356. ISSN 0010-3204. PMID 10768879.
86 Michael P. Closs, <a href=http://www.mesoweb.com/bearc/cmr/21_text.html>The Hieroglyphic Text of Stela 9,
Lamanai, Belize</a>, 13 from Closs, 1987
87
Belize boasts important sites of the earliest Mayan settlements, majestic ruins of
the classic period, and examples of late postclassic ceremonial construction.
About five kilometers west of Orange Walk, is Cuello, a site from perhaps as
early as 2,500 B.C. Jars, bowls, and other dishes found there are among the
oldest pottery unearthed in present-day Mexico and Central America. Cerros, a
site on Chetumal Bay, was a flourishing trade and ceremonial center between
about 300 B.C. and A.D. 100. One of the finest carved jade objects of Mayan
civilization, the head of what is usually taken to be the sun god Kinich Ahau, was
found in a tomb at the classic period site of Altún Ha, thirty kilometers northwest
of present-day Belize City. Other Mayan centers located in Belize include
Xunantunich and Baking Pot in Cayo District, Lubaantún and Nimli Punit in
Toledo District, and Lamanai on Hill Bank Lagoon in Orange Walk District.88
In the late classic period, probably at least 400,000 people inhabited the Belize
area. People settled almost every part of the country worth cultivating, as well as
the cay and coastal swamp regions. But in the 10th century, Mayan society
suffered a severe breakdown. Construction of public buildings ceased, the
administrative centers lost power, and the population declined as social and
economic systems lost their coherence. Some people continued to occupy, or
perhaps reoccupied, sites such as Altún Ha, Xunantunich, and Lamanai. Still,
these sites ceased being splendid ceremonial and civic centers. The decline of
Mayan civilization is still not fully explained. Rather than identifying the collapse
as the result of a single factor, many archaeologists now believe that the decline
of the Maya was a result of many complex factors and that the decline occurred
at different times in different regions.89
Conquest and early colonial period

Pre-Columbian Mayan societies and the conquest

Many Maya were still in Belize when the Europeans came in the 16th and 17th
centuries. Archaeological and ethnohistorical research confirms that several
groups of Mayan peoples lived in the area now known as Belize in the 16th
century. The political geography of that period does not coincide with present-
day boundaries, so several Mayan provinces lay across the frontiers of modern
Belize, Mexico, and Guatemala.90
Spain soon sent expeditions to Guatemala and Honduras, and the conquest of
Yucatán began in 1527. Though the Maya offered stiff resistance to Spanish
"pacification", diseases contracted from the Spanish devastated the indigenous
population and weakened its ability to resist conquest. In the 17th century,
Spanish missionaries established churches in Mayan settlements with the
intention of converting and controlling these people.91

88
89
90
91
Piracy along the coast increased during this period. In 1642, and again in 1648,
pirates sacked Salamanca de Bacalar, the seat of Spanish government in
southern Yucatán. The abandonment of Bacalar ended Spanish control over the
Mayan provinces of Chetumal and Dzuluinicob.92
Between 1638 and 1695, the Maya living in the area of Tipu enjoyed autonomy
from Spanish rule. But in 1696, Spanish soldiers used Tipu as a base from which
they pacified the area and supported missionary activities. In 1697 the Spanish
conquered the Itzá, and in 1707, the Spanish forcibly resettled the inhabitants of
Tipu to the area near Lago Petén Itzá. The political center of the Mayan province
of Dzuluinicob ceased to exist at the time that British colonists were becoming
increasingly interested in settling the area.93

Colonial rivalry between Spain and Britain

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Spain tried to maintain a monopoly on trade and
colonization in its New World colonies, but northern European powers were
increasingly attracted to the region by the potential for trade and settlement.
These powers resorted to smuggling, piracy, and war in their efforts to challenge
and then destroy Spain's monopoly. In the 17th century, the Dutch, English, and
French encroached on Spain's New World possessions.94
Early in the 17th century, in southeastern Mexico and on the Yucatán Peninsula,
English buccaneers began cutting logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum),
which was used in the production of a textile dye. According to legend, one of
these buccaneers, Peter Wallace, called "Ballis" by the Spanish, settled near and
gave his name to the Belize River as early as 1638. English buccaneers began
using the coastline as a base from which to attack Spanish ships. Buccaneers
stopped plundering Spanish logwood ships and started cutting their own wood in
the 1650s and 1660s. Logwood extraction then became the main reason for the
English settlement for more than a century. A 1667 treaty, in which the European
powers agreed to suppress piracy, encouraged the shift from buccaneering to
cutting logwood and led to more permanent settlement.95

92
93
94
95
Conflict continued between Britain and Spain over the right of the British to cut
logwood and to settle in the region. In 1717 Spain expelled British logwood
cutters from the Bay of Campeche west of the Yucatán.96 During the 18th
century, the Spanish attacked the British settlers repeatedly. The Spanish never
settled in the region, however, and the British always returned to expand their
trade and settlement. The 1763 Treaty of Paris conceded to Britain the right to
cut logwood but asserted Spanish sovereignty over the territory. When war broke
out again in 1779, the British settlement was abandoned until the Treaty of
Versailles in 1783 allowed the British to again cut logwood in the area. By that
time, however, the logwood trade had declined and Honduras Mahogany
(Swietenia macrophylla) had become the chief export.97

Beginnings of self-government and the plantocracy

The British were reluctant to set up any formal government for the settlement
for fear of provoking the Spanish. On their own initiative, settlers had begun
electing magistrates to establish common law as early as 1738. In 1765 these
regulations were codified and expanded into Burnaby's Code. When the settlers
began returning to the area in 1784, Colonel Edward Marcus Despard was
named superintendent to oversee the Settlement of Belize in the Bay of
Honduras. The 1786 Convention of London allowed the British settlers to cut and
export timber but not to build fortifications, establish any form of government, or
develop plantation agriculture. Spain retained sovereignty over the area.98
The last Spanish attack on the British settlement, the Battle of St. George's Caye,
occurred two years after the outbreak of war in 1796. The British drove off the
Spanish, thwarting Spain's last attempt to control the territory or dislodge other
settlers.99
Despite treaties banning local government and plantation agriculture, both
activities flourished. In the late 18th century, an oligarchy of relatively wealthy
settlers controlled the political economy of the British settlement. These settlers
claimed about four-fifths of the available land; owned about half of all slaves;
controlled imports, exports, and the wholesale and retail trades; and determined
taxation. A group of magistrates, whom they elected from among themselves,
had executive as well as judicial functions. The landowners resisted any
challenge to their growing political power.100

96
97
98
99
100
Slavery in the settlement, 1794-1838
The earliest reference to African slaves in the British settlement appeared in a
1724 Spanish missionary's account, which stated that the British recently had
been importing them from Jamaica, Bermuda, and other Central American
British Colonies. A century later, the total slave population numbered about
2,300. Most slaves were born in Africa, and many slaves at first maintained
African ethnic identifications and cultural practices. Gradually, however, slaves
assimilated and a new, synthetic Kriol culture was formed.101
Slavery in the settlement was associated with the extraction of timber, because
treaties forbade the production of plantation crops. Settlers needed only one or
two slaves to cut logwood, but as the trade shifted to mahogany in the last
quarter of the 18th century, the settlers needed more money, land, and slaves for
larger-scale operations. Other slaves worked as domestic helpers, sailors,
blacksmiths, nurses, and bakers. The slaves' experience, though different from
that on plantations in other colonies in the region, was nevertheless oppressive.
They were frequently the objects of "extreme inhumanity," as a report published
in 1820 stated. In the 18th century, many slaves escaped to Yucatán, and in the
early 19th century a steady flow of runaways went to Guatemala and down the
coast to Honduras.102
One way the settler minority maintained its control was by dividing the slaves
from the growing population of free Kriol people who were given limited
privileges. Though some Kriols were legally free, their economic activities and
voting rights were restricted. Privileges, however, led many free blacks to stress
their loyalty and acculturation to British ways.103
The act to abolish slavery throughout the British colonies, passed in 1833, was
intended to avoid drastic social changes by effecting emancipation over a five-
year transition period, by implementing a system of "apprenticeship" calculated
to extend masters' control over the former slaves, and by compensating former
slave owners for their loss of property. After 1838, the masters of the settlement
continued to control the country for over a century by denying access to land and
by limiting freedmen's economic freedom.104

101
102
103
104
Emigration of the Garifuna
At the same time that the settlement was grappling with the ramifications of the
end of slavery, a new ethnic group—the Garifuna—appeared. In the early 19th
century, the Garifuna, descendants of Carib peoples of the Lesser Antilles and of
Africans who had escaped from slavery, arrived in the settlement. The Garifuna
had resisted British and French colonialism in the Lesser Antilles until they were
defeated by the British in 1796. After putting down a violent Garifuna rebellion
on Saint Vincent, the British moved between 1,700 and 5,000 of the Garifuna
across the Caribbean to the Bay Islands (present-day Islas de la Bahía) off the
north coast of Honduras. From there they migrated to the Caribbean coasts of
Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and the southern part of present-day Belize.
By 1802 about 150 Garifuna had settled in the Stann Creek (present-day
Dangriga) area and were engaged in fishing and farming.105
Other Garifuna later came to the British settlement of Belize after finding
themselves on the wrong side in a civil war in Honduras in 1832. Many Garifuna
men soon found wage work alongside slaves as mahogany cutters. In 1841
Dangriga, the Garifuna's largest settlement, was a flourishing village. The
American traveler John Stephens described the Garifuna village of Punta Gorda
as having 500 inhabitants and producing a wide variety of fruits and
vegetables.106
The British treated Garifuna as squatters. In 1857 the British told the Garifuna
that they must obtain leases from the crown or risk losing their lands, dwellings,
and other buildings. The 1872 Crown Lands Ordinance established reservations
for the Garifuna as well as the Maya. The British prevented both groups from
owning land and treated them as a source of valuable labor.107

Constitutional developments, 1850-62

In the 1850s, the power struggle between the superintendent and the planters
coincided with events in international diplomacy to produce major constitutional
changes. In the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1850, Britain and the United States
agreed to promote the construction of a canal across Central America and to
refrain from colonizing any part of Central America. The British government
interpreted the colonization clause as applying only to any future occupation. But
the United States government claimed that Britain was obliged to evacuate the
area, particularly after 1853, when President Franklin Pierce's expansionist
administration stressed the Monroe Doctrine. Britain yielded on the Bay Islands
and the Mosquito Coast in eastern Nicaragua. But in 1854, Britain produced a
formal constitution establishing a legislative for its possession of the settlement
in present-day Belize.108

105
106
107
108
The Legislative Assembly of 1854 was to have eighteen elected members, each of
whom was to have at least £400 sterling worth of property. The assembly was
also to have three official members appointed by the superintendent. The fact
that voters had to have property yielding an income of £7 a year or a salary of a
£100 a year reinforced the restrictive nature of this legislature. The
superintendent could defer or dissolve the assembly at any time, originate
legislation, and give or withhold consent to bills. This situation suggested that
the legislature was more a chamber of debate than a place where decisions were
made. The Colonial Office in London became, therefore, the real political-
administrative power in the settlement. This shift in power was reinforced when
in 1862, the Settlement of Belize in the Bay of Honduras was declared a British
colony called British Honduras, and the crown's representative was elevated to a
lieutenant governor, subordinate to the governor of Jamaica.109
Under the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1850 between the U.S. and Britain, neither
country was to undertake any control, colonization or occupation of any part of
Central America, but it was unclear if it applied to Belize. In 1853, a new
American government attempted to have Britain leave Belize. In 1856, the
Dallas-Clarendon Treaty between the two governments recognized Belize
territory as British. The Sarstoon River was recognized as the southern border
with Guatemala. The Anglo-Guatemalan Treaty of 1859 was signed, setting the
present-day western boundary and temporarily settling the question of
Guatemala's claim on the territory. Only the northern border with Mexico was
undefined.
British Honduras (1862-1981)

Mayan emigration and conflict

As the British consolidated their settlement and pushed deeper into the interior
in search of mahogany in the late 18th century, they encountered resistance from
the Maya. In the second half of the 19th century, however, a combination of
events outside and inside the colony redefined the position of the Maya.110
During the Caste War in Yucatán, a devastating struggle that halved the
population of the area between 1847 and 1855, thousands of refugees fled to the
British settlement. Though the Maya were not allowed to own land, most of the
refugees were small farmers who were growing considerable quantities of crops
by the mid-19th century. One group of Maya, led by Marcos Canul, attacked a
mahogany camp on the Bravo River in 1866. A detachment of British troops sent
to San Pedro was defeated by the Maya later that year. Early in 1867, British
troops marched into areas in which the Maya had settled and destroyed villages
in an attempt to drive them out. The Maya returned, however, and in April 1870,
Canul and his men occupied Corozal.111 An unsuccessful 1872 attack by the Maya
on Orange Walk was the last serious attack on the British colony.112

109
110
111
112
In the 1880s and 1890s, Mopán and Kekchí Maya fled from forced labor in
Guatemala and settled in several villages in southern British Honduras. Under
the policy of indirect rule, a system of elected alcaldes (mayors) linked these
Maya to the colonial administration. However, the remoteness of their
settlements resulted in the Mopán and Kekchí Maya becoming less assimilated
into the colony than the Maya of the north, where a Mestizo culture emerged. By
the end of the 19th century, the ethnic pattern that remained largely intact
throughout the 20th century was in place: Protestants largely of African descent,
who spoke either English or Creole and lived in Belize Town; the Roman Catholic
Maya and Mestizos who spoke Spanish and lived chiefly in the north and west;
and the Roman Catholic Garifuna who spoke English, Spanish, or Garifuna and
settled on the southern coast.113

Formal establishment of the colony, 1862-71

Largely as a result of the costly military expeditions against the Maya, the
expenses of administering the new colony of British Honduras increased, at a
time when the economy was severely depressed. Great landowners and
merchants dominated the Legislative Assembly, which controlled the colony's
revenues and expenditures. Some of the landowners were also involved in
commerce but their interest differed from the other merchants of Belize Town.
The former group resisted the taxation of land and favored an increase in import
duties; the latter preferred the opposite. Moreover, the merchants in the town
felt relatively secure from Mayan attacks and were unwilling to contribute
toward the protection of mahogany camps, whereas the landowners felt that they
should not be required to pay taxes on lands given inadequate protection. These
conflicting interests produced a stalemate in the Legislative Assembly, which
failed to authorize the raising of sufficient revenue. Unable to agree among
themselves, the members of the Legislative Assembly surrendered their political
privileges and asked for establishment of direct British rule in return for the
greater security of crown colony status. The new constitution was inaugurated in
April 1871 and the new legislature became the Legislative Council.114
Under the new constitution of 1871, the lieutenant governor and the Legislative
Council, consisting of five ex officio or "official" and four appointed or "unofficial"
members, governed British Honduras. This constitutional change confirmed and
completed a change in the locus and form of power in the colony's political
economy that had been evolving during the preceding half century. The change
moved power from the old settler oligarchy to the boardrooms of British
companies and to the Colonial Office in London.115

113
114
115
The colonial order, 1871-1931
The forestry industry's control of land and its influence in colonial decision-
making slowed the development of agriculture and the diversification of the
economy. Though British Honduras had vast areas of sparsely populated, unused
land, landownership was controlled by a small European monopoly, thwarting the
evolution of a Creole landowning class from the former slaves.116
Landownership became even more consolidated during the economic depression
of the mid-19th century. Major results of this depression included the decline of
the old settler class, the increasing consolidation of capital, and the
intensification of British landownership. The British Honduras Company (later
the Belize Estate and Produce Company) emerged as the predominant
landowner, with about half of all the privately held land in the colony. The new
company was the chief force in British Honduras's political economy for over a
century.117118
This concentration and centralization of capital meant that the direction of the
colony's economy was henceforth determined largely in London. It also signaled
the eclipse of the old settler elite. By about 1890, most commerce in British
Honduras was in the hands of a clique of Scottish and German merchants, most
of them newcomers. The European minority exercised great influence in the
colony's politics, partly because it was guaranteed representation on the wholly
appointed Legislative Council. In 1892, the governor appointed several Creole
members, but whites remained the majority.119
Despite the prevailing stagnation of the colony's economy and society during
most of the century prior to the 1930s, seeds of change were being sown. The
mahogany trade remained depressed, and efforts to develop plantation
agriculture failed. A brief revival in the forestry industry took place early in the
20th century as new demands for forest products came from the United States.
Exports of chicle, a gum taken from the sapodilla tree and used to make chewing
gum, propped up the economy from the 1880s. A short-lived boom in the
mahogany trade occurred around 1900 in response to growing demand for the
wood in the United States, but the ruthless exploitation of the forests without
any conservation or reforestation depleted resources.120
Creoles, who were well-connected with businesses in the United States,
challenged the traditional political-economic connection with Britain as trade
with the United States intensified. In 1927, Creole merchants and professionals
replaced the representatives of British landowners (except for the manager of
the Belize Estate and Produce Company) on the Legislative Council. The
participation of this Creole elite in the political process was evidence of
emerging social changes that were largely concealed by economic stagnation.121

116
117
118
119
120
121
An agreement between Mexico and Britain in 1893 set the boundary along the
Rio Hondo, though the treaty was not finalized until 1897.

Panoramic view of Belize City, c. 1914

Genesis of modern politics, 1931-54

The Great Depression shattered the colony's economy, and unemployment
increased rapidly. On top of this economic disaster, the worst hurricane in the
country's recent history demolished Belize Town on September 10, 1931, killing
more than 1,000 people. The British relief response was tardy and inadequate.
The British government seized the opportunity to impose tighter control on the
colony and endowed the governor with the power to enact laws in emergency
situations. The Belize Estate and Produce Company survived the depression
years because of its special connections in British Honduras and London.122
Meanwhile, workers in mahogany camps were treated almost like slaves. The law
governing labor contracts, the Masters and Servants Act of 1883, made it a
criminal offense for a laborer to breach a contract. In 1931 the governor, Sir John
Burdon, rejected proposals to legalize trade unions and to introduce a minimum
wage and sickness insurance. The poor responded in 1934 with a series of
demonstrations, strikes, petitions, and riots that marked the beginning of
modern politics and the independence movement. Riots, strikes, and rebellions
had occurred before, but the events of the 1930s were modern labor
disturbances in the sense that they gave rise to organizations with articulate
industrial and political goals. Antonio Soberanis Gómez and his colleagues of the
Labourers and Unemployed Association (LUA) attacked the governor and his
officials, the rich merchants, and the Belize Estate and Produce Company,
couching their demands in broad moral and political terms that began to define
and develop a new nationalistic and democratic political culture.

122
The labor agitation's most immediate success was the creation of relief work by a
governor who saw it as a way to avoid civil disturbances. The movement's
greatest achievements, however, were the labor reforms passed between 1941
and 1943. Trade unions were legalized in 1941, and a 1943 law removed breach-
of-labor-contract from the criminal code. The General Workers' Union (GWU),
registered in 1943, quickly expanded into a nationwide organization and
provided crucial support for the nationalist movement that took off with the
formation of the People's United Party (PUP) in 1950. The 1930s were therefore
the crucible of modern Belizean politics. It was a decade during which the old
phenomena of exploitative labor conditions and authoritarian colonial and
industrial relations began to give way to new labor and political processes and
institutions. The same period saw an expansion in voter eligibility. In 1945 only
822 voters were registered in a population of over 63,000, but by 1954 British
Honduras achieved suffrage for all literate adults.123
In December 1949, the governor devalued the British Honduras dollar in
defiance of the Legislative Council, an act that precipitated Belize's
independence movemtn. The governor's action angered the nationalists because
it reflected the limits of the legislature and revealed the extent of the colonial
administration's power. The devaluation enraged labor because it protected the
interests of the big transnationals while subjecting the working class to higher
prices for goods. Devaluation thus united labor, nationalists, and the Creole
middle classes in opposition to the colonial administration. On the night that the
governor declared the devaluation, the People's Committee was formed and the
nascent independence movement suddenly matured.124
Between 1950 and 1954, the PUP, formed upon the dissolution of the People's
Committee on September 29, 1950, consolidated its organization, established its
popular base, and articulated its primary demands. By January 1950, the GWU
and the People's Committee were holding joint public meetings and discussing
issues such as devaluation, labor legislation, the proposed West Indies
Federation, and constitutional reform. As political leaders took control of the
union in the 1950s to use its strength, however, the union movement declined.125
The PUP concentrated on agitating for constitutional reforms, including
universal adult suffrage without a literacy test, an all- elected Legislative
Council, an Executive Council chosen by the leader of the majority party in the
legislature, the introduction of a ministerial system, and the abolition of the
governor's reserve powers. In short, PUP pushed for representative and
responsible government. The colonial administration, alarmed by the growing
support for the PUP, retaliated by attacking two of the party's chief public
platforms, the Belize City Council and the PUP. In 1952 he comfortably topped
the polls in Belize City Council elections. Within just two years, despite
persecution and division, the PUP had become a powerful political force, and
George Price had clearly become the party's leader.126

123
124
125
126
The colonial administration and the National Party, which consisted of loyalist
members of the Legislative Council, portrayed the PUP as pro-Guatemalan and
even communist. The leaders of the PUP, however, perceived British Honduras as
belonging to neither Britain nor Guatemala. The governor and the National Party
failed in their attempts to discredit the PUP on the issue of its contacts with
Guatemala, which was then ruled by the democratic, reformist government of
President Jacobo Arbenz. When voters went to the polls on April 28, 1954, in the
first election under universal literate adult suffrage, the main issue was clearly
colonialism—a vote for the PUP was a vote in favor of self-government. Almost 70
percent of the electorate voted. The PUP gained 66.3 percent of the vote and
won eight of the nine elected seats in the new Legislative Assembly. Further
constitutional reform was unequivocally on the agenda.127

Decolonization and the border dispute with Guatemala

British Honduras faced two obstacles to independence: British reluctance until
the early 1960s to allow citizens to govern themselves, and Guatemala's
complete intransigence over its long-standing claim to the entire territory
(Guatemala had repeatedly threatened to use force to take over British
Honduras). By 1961, Britain was willing to let the colony become independent.
Negotiations between Britain and Guatemala began again in 1961, but the
elected representatives of British Honduras had no voice in these talks. George
Price refused an invitation to make British Honduras an "associated state" of
Guatemala, reiterating his goal of leading the colony to independence. In 1963
Guatemala broke off talks and ended diplomatic relations with Britain. Talks
between Guatemala and British Honduras started and stopped abruptly during
the late 1960s and early 1970s. From 1964 Britain controlled only British
Honduran defense, foreign affairs, internal security, and the terms and
conditions of the public service, and in 1973 the colony's name was changed to
Belize in anticipation of independence.128

127
128
By 1975, the Belizean and British governments, frustrated at dealing with the
military-dominated regimes in Guatemala, agreed on a new strategy that would
take the case for self-determination to various international forums. The Belize
government felt that by gaining international support, it could strengthen its
position, weaken Guatemala's claims, and make it harder for Britain to make any
concessions. Belize argued that Guatemala frustrated the country's legitimate
aspirations to independence and that Guatemala was pushing an irrelevant claim
and disguising its own colonial ambitions by trying to present the dispute as an
effort to recover territory lost to a colonial power. Between 1975 and 1981,
Belizean leaders stated their case for self-determination at a meeting of the
heads of Commonwealth of Nations governments, the conference of ministers of
the Nonaligned Movement, and at meetings of the United Nations (UN). Latin
American governments initially supported Guatemala. Between 1975 and 1979,
however, Belize won the support of Cuba, Mexico, Panama, and Nicaragua.
Finally, in November 1980, with Guatemala completely isolated, the UN passed a
resolution that demanded the independence of Belize.129
A last attempt was made to reach an agreement with Guatemala prior to the
independence of Belize. The Belizean representatives to the talks made no
concessions, and a proposal, called the Heads of Agreement, was initialed on
March 11, 1981. However, when ultraright political forces in Guatemala labeled
the proponents as sellouts, the Guatemalan government refused to ratify the
agreement and withdrew from the negotiations. Meanwhile, the opposition in
Belize engaged in violent demonstrations against the Heads of Agreement. A
state of emergency was declared. However, the opposition could offer no real
alternatives. With the prospect of independence celebrations in the offing, the
opposition's morale fell. Independence came to Belize on September 21, 1981
after the Belize Act 1981, without reaching an agreement with Guatemala.130
Independent Belize

Tourism in Belize
The tourism industry is an important part of the economy of Belize, in 2007
contributing to over 25% of all jobs, and making up over 18% of the GDP.131 This
constituted 590 million BZD (295 million USD), according to the Belize
government, up 90 million BZD (45 million USD) from the year before.132
Important tourist attractions in Belize include the natural attractions of land and
sea, making the areas important in Ecotourism, as well as the historic ruins of
Belize's Pre-Columbian Maya civilization.
Tourism is the domain of the Ministry of Tourism, within which the Belize
Tourism Board works as a link between the private and public sector.133

129
130
131Barrow, Dean (2008-05-15). "Key Note Address by Prime Minister, Hon. Dean Barrow to the 10th Annual Industry
Presentation". belizemediacenter.org. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
132
133"Mission Statement". Belize Tourism Board. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
A combination of natural factors—climate, the Belize Barrier Reef (longest in the
Western Hemisphere), 127 offshore Cayes (islands), excellent fishing, safe waters
for boating, scuba diving, and snorkeling, numerous rivers for rafting, and
kayaking, various jungle and wildlife reserves of fauna and flora, for hiking, bird
watching, and helicopter touring, as well as many Maya ruins—support the
thriving tourism and ecotourism industry. Development costs are high, but the
Government of Belize has designated tourism as its second development priority
after agriculture. In 2007, tourist arrivals totaled 251,655 (more than 210,000
from the U.S.) and tourist receipts amounted to $183.3 million
Attractions, landmarks and points of interest
- Belize District-
•Altun Ha - Orange Walk District-
•The Great Blue Hole
•La Isla Bonita Ambergris Caye •Lamanai
•Hol Chan Marine Reserve •Rio Bravo Conservation and
Management Area
•Museum of Belize
•The Bliss Centre for the Performing
Arts - Cayo District-
•Old Belize Museum and Cucumber
Beach.
•Caracol
•The Belize Zoo (Called, "The Best little
•Xunantunich
zoo in the world")
•Cahal Pech
•Caye Caulker
•Blue Hole (park)
•Belikin Beer Brewery
•Guanacaste National Park
•San Pedro Town
•Chiquibul National Park
•Numerous Cayes (islands)- Stann
Creek District- •Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
•Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary •Barton Creek and Actun Tunichil
and Jaguar Reserve Muknal Caves
•Placencia •1,000 ft. Falls
•Hopkins •Chaa Creek
•Victoria Peak •Big Rock Falls
•Numerous Cayes •Belize Botanic Gardens
•Doyle's Delight, Belize's highest point
at 1,124 m (3,688 ft).
Great Blue Hole
The Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize. It
lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 70 kilometres (43 mi) from
the mainland and Belize City. The hole is circular in shape, over 300 metres
(984 ft) across and 124 metres (407 ft) deep.134 It was formed during several
episodes of Quaternary glaciation when sea levels were much lower - the
analysis of stalactites found in Great Blue Hole shows that formation has taken
place 153,000; 66,000; 60,000; and 15,000 years ago.135 As the ocean began to
rise again, the caves were flooded.136 The Great Blue Hole is a part of the larger
Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a World Heritage Site of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).137
Exploration
This site was made famous by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who declared it one of the
top ten scuba diving sites in the world. In 1971, he brought his ship, the Calypso,
to the hole to chart its depths.138 Investigations by this expedition confirmed the
hole's origin as typical karst limestone formations, formed before rises in sea
level in at least four stages, leaving ledges at depths of 21, 49 and 91 meters (69,
161 and 299 ft). Stalactites were retrieved from submerged caves, confirming
their previous formation above sea level. Some of these stalactites were also off-
vertical by 5°139 in a consistent orientation, thus indicating that there had also
been some past geological shift and tilting of the underlying plateau, followed by
a long period in the current plane.
Initial measured depth of Great Blue Hole was 125 metres (410 ft) which is the
most often cited depth up to this day. An expedition by the Cambrian Foundation
in 1997 measured the hole's depth as 124 metres (407 ft)140141 at its deepest
point. This difference in measurement can be explained by ongoing
sedimentation or by imprecision in earlier measurements. The purpose of this
expedition was the collection of core samples from the floor of the Blue Hole and
documentation of the cave system.142 To accomplish these tasks, all of the divers
had to be certified in cave diving and mixed gases.143
Tourism

134The Great Blue Hole of Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize, Central America: Deep Technical Diving
to Collect Sea-Level Records. Transactions of the Fifteenth Caribbean Geological Conference. .
135"Great Blue Hole". Wondermondo. .
136"Belize Blue Hole reef". NASA. .
137"World Heritage Nomination - IUCN Summary Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (Belize)". IUCN/WCMC. .
138Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1973). Galapagos - Titicaca - The Blue Holes. London: Cassell.
139
140
141
142Tysall, Terrance N (1999). "The Belize Blue Hole Exploration Project.". In: Hamilton RW, Pence DF, Kesling
DE, eds. Assessment and Feasibility of Technical Diving Operations for Scientific Exploration.
(American Academy of Underwater Sciences). . Retrieved 2011-01-08.
143
This is a popular spot amongst recreational scuba divers, who are lured by the
opportunity to dive in crystal-clear water and meet several species of fish,
including giant groupers, nurse sharks and several types of reef sharks such as
the Caribbean reef shark and the Blacktip shark. Other species of sharks, like
the bull shark and hammerheads, have been reported there, but are not regular
sightings. Usually, dive trips to the Great Blue Hole are full-day trips, which
include one dive in the Blue Hole and two further dives in nearby reefs. Recently
diving is also offered from the island Long Caye in the Lighthouse Reef only a
couple of miles away from the Great Blue Hole. They offer 2 dives in the Blue
Hole: North side and South side.
On-shore caves of similar formation, as large collapsed sinkholes, are well known
in Belize and in the Yucatán Peninsula, where they are known as cenotes.

Cayo District
Cayo District
— District —

Location of the district in Belize

Country Belize

Capital San Ignacio

Location of the district in
Population Belize
(2009)144
- Total 80800
Website www.gotocayobelize.com
Cayo District is a district in the west of the nation of Belize. The District capital
is the town of San Ignacio.
Geography
The Cayo District is the largest district in Belize. It is located on the western side
of the country which borders Guatemala. The nation's capital, Belmopan, is
geographically located within the district. Also in the Cayo district are the twin
towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena. The twin towns are surrounded by rural
villages such as Seven Miles (El Progresso), San Antonio, Valley of Peace, St.
Margaret's, Roaring Creek, Armenia, San Jose Succotz, Arenal, Buena Vista,
Calla Creek, Esperanza, Cristo Rey, Georgeville, Unitedville, Blackman Eddy,
Ontario, Camalote, Los Tambos, More Tomorrow and Spanish Lookout.
The Cayo district also contains the Pre-Columbian Maya ruins of Xunantunich,
Cahal Pech, Chaa Creek, and Caracol. Major rivers in the Cayo District include
the Macal River and the Mopan River.

144"Mid‐Year Population by District and Sex, 2009". Statistical Institute of Belize. .

Importance and location
The Cayo District is primarily an agricultural district, with the chief crops being
citrus, (oranges, grapefruit, and tangerine), as well as bananas. Recently oil was
found in Spanish Lookout and is now in production. There are 2 major highways
in the District. The Western Highway runs from Belize City to the Guatemalan
border, and the Hummingbird Highway which starts in Belmopan and ends at the
juncture of the Coastal Road and the Southern Highway in the Stann Creek
District. In addition to the ruins listed above there are several other important
nature reserves including two National Parks, Blue Hole (park) and Guanacaste
National Park. Ecotourism is also an integral part of the region's economy.
According to the 2000 census, Cayo District had a population of 53,715 people.
Political divisions
Politically, Cayo is divided into six constituencies, described in detail here:
•Belmopan: Containing the capital and surrounding suburbs; newly created.
John Saldivar (UDP) is the sitting representative.
•Cayo Northeast: Another new constituency centered on Spanish Lookout. The
UDP's Elvin Penner is the sitting representative.
•Cayo North: Current representative Salvador Fernandez (UDP).
•Cayo Central: Current representative Rene Montero (UDP).
•Cayo West: The UDP's Erwin Contreras, former footballer, is the standing rep
for this seat.
•Cayo South: Currently held by Ramon Witz of the UDP.
Archaeological sites
A number of important Mayan archaeological sites lie within the Cayo District.
Among these are Xunantunich, Chaa Creek145 and Cahal Pech.146
Population and Housing
2010 Population and Housing Census has Cayo district's total population as
73,202 residents,of this 36,803 are males and 36,399 are females. The total
number of households is 15,497 and the average household size is 4.7.
Rural and Urban Development
The total population in Cayo urban area was 36,455; 17,939 males and 18,516
females. 7,468 total households in 2010 and a 4.9 average household size. The
total population in Cayo rural area was 36,747; 18,864 males and 17,883
females. 8,029 total households in 2010 and a 4.6 average household size.
External links
•Map
•GoToCayoBelize.com

145C.Michael Hogan, Chaa Creek, Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham, 2007

146Distribution of Early Middle Formative Period Sites
Actun Tunichil Muknal
Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM), also locally known as "Xibalba", is a cave in
Belize, near San Ignacio, Cayo District, notable as a Maya archaeological site
that includes skeletons, ceramics, and stoneware. One in particular is the famous
"Monkey Pot", one of only four located across Central America. The most famous
of the human remains is known as "The Crystal Maiden", the skeleton of a
teenage girl, probably a sacrifice victim, whose bones have been completely
calcified by the natural processes of the cave, giving it a sparkling, crystallized
appearance. There are several areas of skeletal remains in the main chamber.
The ceramics at the site are significant partly because they are marked with "kill
holes", which indicates they were used for ceremonial purposes. Many of the
Mayan artifacts and remains are completely calcified to the cave floor. The
Mayans also modified cave formations here, in some instances to create altars
for the offerings, in others to create silhouettes of faces and animals, or to
project a shadow image into the cave. The cave is extensively decorated with
cave formations in the upper passages. Part of the cave extends over the border
into Guatemala, where it ends.
Animal life in the cave includes a large population of bats, large freshwater
crabs, crayfish, catfish and other tropical fish. Large invertebrates like
Amblypygi and various predatory spiders also inhabit the cave. Agouti and otters
may also use the cave. These and many other species are quite common in river
caves of this size in Belize.
Other Mayan archaeological sites in the vicinity are Cahal Pech, Chaa Creek, El
Pilar and Xunantunich.
Tourism
The Belize Tourism Board has granted licenses to a small group of agents to
conduct tours to this cave, in an attempt to balance its protection against tourist
revenue.
The cave is located in the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve. The main cave system
is about 3 miles long and consists of a long river passage for approximately two
miles, which ends at an upstream sump. A series of upper prehistoric passages
continues another mile past the sump through massive breakdown boulders and
giant rooms. The cave can be exited through a tight squeeze ending in a giant
sink hole collapse in the jungle. The cave's upper passage called "The Cathedral"
is located about 1/3 of the way in from the lower entrance. Here 14 skeletal
remains have been found, and numerous examples of ancient Maya pottery
remain.
References
•Marachov, Nick and Williams, Nick (ed) Below Belize ca. 1991.
•Miller, Tom Tunichil Muknal The Canadian Caver vol 21 no 2, 1989.
•Williams, Nick An Introduction to Cave Exploration in Belize. Journal of Cave
and Karst Studies 58(2):69-75
•C.Michael Hogan, Chaa Creek, Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham, 2007
•Cahal Pech archaeological site, Belize
External links
•Actun Tunichil Muknal on MayaBelize.ca

Lamanai

Location
Country: Belize

History
Excavation and maintenance
Architecture
Lamanai (from Lama'anayin, "submerged crocodile" in Yucatec Maya) is a
Mesoamerican archaeological site, and was once a considerably sized city of the
Maya civilization, located in the north of Belize, in Orange Walk District. The
site's name is pre-Columbian, recorded by early Spanish missionaries, and
documented over a millennium earlier in Maya inscriptions as Lam'an'ain.
History
Lamanai was occupied as early as the 16th century BC.147 The site became a
prominent centre in the Pre-Classic Period, from the 4th century BC through the
1st century CE. In 625 CE, "Stele 9" was erected there in the Yucatec language
of the Maya. 148 Lamanai continued to be occupied up to the 17th century AD.
During the Spanish conquest of Yucatán Spanish friars established two Roman
Catholic churches here, but a Maya revolt drove the Spanish out.149 The site was
subsequently incorporated by the British in British Honduras, passing with that
colony's independence to Belize.
Site description
The vast majority of the site remained unexcavated until the mid-1970s.
Archaeological work has concentrated on the investigation and restoration of the
larger structures, most notably the Mask Temple, Structure N10-9 ("Temple of
the Jaguar Masks") and High Temple. The summit of this latter structure affords
a view across the surrounding jungle to a nearby lagoon, part of New River.
A significant portion of the Temple of the Jaguar Masks remains under grassy
earth or is covered in dense jungle growth. Unexcavated, it would be
significantly taller than the High Temple.
Archaeological investigations

147Lamanai Archaeological Project site

148Michael P. Closs The Hieroglyphic Text of Stela 9, Lamanai, Belize, Retrieved 6/26/2009
149
The first detailed description of the ruins was made in 1917 by Thomas Gann.
Archeological excavations at the site began in 1974 under David M. Pendergast
of the Royal Ontario Museum, which continued through 1988. Further
excavations and restoration work is being conducted as of 2004. The ruins are
being excavated by a team from the nearby villages of Indian Church and San
Carlos. The current project is co-directed by Dr. Elizabeth Graham (Institute of
Archaeology, University College London) and Dr. Scott Simmons (University of
North Carolina at Wilmington).150 Since 2006 research at the site has been
directed mostly towards artifact analysis. Major excavations will resume when
funding for more artifact processing, analyses and storage is acquired.
Modern site and tourism
Lamanai is accessible to tourists by organised day boat trips from Orange Walk
Town along the New River. A small museum exhibits local artefacts and provides
a historical overview. Tourist facilities and small shops are available.

Belizean Kriol people

Belizean Kriols

Notable Kriols:
Colville Young

Total population
approx. 160,000 (including 24.9% of the Belizean population)151
Regions with significant populations

Belize
Los Angeles
Chicago
New York City
Houston
United Kingdom
150
151"Diaspora of Belize" Council on Diplomacy, Washington, DC and Consulate General of Belize.
Languages
Predominantly Kriol, English
Religion
Predominantly Protestant, with a minority of Catholic, Muslim, Rastafarian
Related ethnic groups
Belizeans, Nicaraguan Creoles, Jamaicans, Baymen, Caracoles, Raizales, Afro-
Caribbeans, West Indians, West Africans.
The Belizean Creoles or (locally known as Kriols) are Creole descendants of
English and Scottish (the Baymen) log cutters, as well as Black African slaves
brought to Belize.152 Other small minorities include Creoles and the Miskito from
Nicaragua, Jamaicans, and other West Indians who assisted in the logging
industry.153 These varied peoples have all mixed to create this ethnic group. Kriol
was historically only spoken by them, but this ethnicity has become synonymous
with the Belizean national identity, and as a result the Kriol is now spoken by
about 75% of Belizeans.154 Found predominantly in urban areas such as Belize
City, this group is also found in most coastal towns and villages, and in the Belize
River Valley.
==The Term "Kriol" or Creole Until the early 1980s, Belizean Kriols constituted
close to 60% of the population of Belize, but today they are about 25% of the
population. This was due to an influx of Central American refugees coming in
from neighboring countries, as well as emigration of approximately 85,000 Kriols
abroad, primarily to the United States.155 Today, identifying as a Kriol may
confuse some; a blonde, blue-eyed Kriol is not an uncommon sight as the term
also denotes a culture more than physical appearance.156 In Belize, Kriol is the
standard term for any person of at least partial Black African descent and who is
not Garinagu, or any person that speaks Kriol as a first or sole language. This
includes immigrants from Africa and the West Indies who have settled in Belize
and intermarried with locals. Indeed, the concept of Kriol and that of ‘mixture’
have almost become synonymous to the extent that any individual with Afro-
European ancestry combined with any other ethnicity—whether Mestizo,
Garifuna or Maya—is now likely to be considered "Kriol".
History

152Belize-Guatemala Territorial Issue - Chapter 1

153(Johnson,Melissa A.) The Making of Race and Place in Nineteenth-Century British Honduras.
Environmental History, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct., 2003), pp. 598-617,
154
155
156
According to local research, the Belizean Creole descended from polyglot
Buccaneers and European settlers who took over the logwood trade in 17th
century, along with African slaves they imported to help cut and ship the
logwood. The National Kriol Council of Belize says that black slaves had been
established on the Central American coast from the 16th century and earlier and
were working for the Spanish further down the coast. By 1724, the British too
were acquiring slaves from Jamaica and elsewhere to cut logwood and later
mahogany. By most accounts, they led a better life than most in the West Indies,
but were still mistreated, systematically raped, beaten and bullied. Many ran
away to neighboring Spanish colonies, or formed small maroon settlements in
the forest. These slaves reputedly assisted in the defense of the fledgling
settlement for much of the late 18th century, particularly in the 1798 Battle of St.
George's Caye,157 though this is still a very controversial and political issue in
Belize.
The Creoles settled mainly in Belize Town (now Belize City) and along the banks
of the Belize River in the original logwood settlements including Burrell Boom,
Bermudian Landing, Crooked Tree, Gracie Rock, Rancho Dolores,lemonal,
Flowers Bank and Belmopan City. There were also substantial numbers in and
around the plantations south of Belize City, at All Pines and Placencia. Many
Kriols were involved in the trade in live sea turtles, and other fisheries. As the
19th century progressed, they spread out to all the districts, particularly
Dangriga and Monkey River, as the colony grew. Their sense of pride led to
occasional clashes with authority, such as the 1894 currency devaluation riots,
that foreshadowed greater conflicts to come.
In the 20th century, the Creoles took the lead in organizing the development of
the settlement. Riots in 1919 and 1934, combined with terrible conditions
resulting from a disastrous hurricane in 1931, led to Belize's first trade unions
and eventually to its first political party, the People's United Party (PUP). Creoles
continue to lead the nation in politics. But conditions in Belize City worsened
after another major hurricane in 1961 and shortly thereafter large scale
migration began (and continues) to the United States and England, where
successful individuals sent back money to assist those they left behind. Attempts
to unite Creoles for development, such as the United Black Association for
Development, met mixed results.
Culture
As part of the September celebrations the annual Creole Festival was held today
on the grounds of the House of Culture. The festival is notable because it is part
of an effort by Belize's Creole population to assert itself as a distinct group, rich
with its own traditions that go way deeper than just a plate of rice and beans.
Today the Creole Council, the National Library Service, and the favorite pastimes
of the Kriols are story telling, particularly of the trickster spider Anansi,
construction of handicraft, and also having a good "bruk down" party with family
and friends.

157
Maypole
Maypole, is a celebration include a maypole, which is a tall wooden pole,
decorated with several long colored ribbons suspended from the top. This is
similar to Palo de Mayo or Maypole in RAAS region in Nicaragua. There is no
definite answer as to how it got to Nicaragua. Many historians point out that
there are many differences in the celebration and that it came from the
Nicaraguan Creoles that inhabited Nicaragua's Caribbean coast, other historians
believe it came indirectly from Jamaica.158
The traditional fire sambai of Gales Point Manatee is an unusual Kriol dance
which survives from colonial times, when slaves met in different parts of Belize
City in "tribes" based on their African region of origin to celebrate Christmas
holidays. Traditionally the group would form a big circle in the night around a
full moon in the center of a square, and one person at a time would go in the
middle of the ring to dance. The male dance is a little bit different than the
female because it is a fertility dance. The dance marks the time when girls and
boys are considered sexually mature.
Music
From colonial days, music and dance have been an essential part of the Kriol
culture. Drum-led dancing was a major part of Christmas and other celebrations
in Kriol communities. A style of music called Brukdown originated from the all
night brams or parties thrown by Kriol families that focuses both on social
commentary and hijinks. Brukdown is a genre of Belizean music. Its most well-
known performer and innovator, Wilfred Peters is regarded as a Belizean
national icon. It is a Kriol mixture of European harmonies, African syncopated
rhythms and call-and-response format and lyrical elements from the native
peoples of the area. In its modern form, brukdown is rural folk music, associated
especially with the logging towns of the Belizean interior. Traditional instruments
include the banjo, guitar, drums, dingaling bell, accordion and a donkey's
jawbone played by running a stick up and down the teeth. Brukdown remains a
rural, rarely recorded genre. This music and the party associated with it are on
the decline as youths adopt the culture of the outside world.
Food and drink

158Flores, Yadira (2004). "Palo de Mayo: Bailando alrededor de un árbol" (in Spanish). El Nuevo Diario. . Retrieved
2007-07-26.
Among the main staples of a Creole dinner are rice and beans with some type of
meat for example stewed chicken, baked chicken, stewed pork, stewed beef etc.
and salad, whether potato, vegetable, or coleslaw, seafoods including fish, conch,
lobster, some game meats including iguana, deer, peccary and gibnut; and
ground foods such as cassava, potatoes, cocoa and plantains. Fresh juice or
water are typically served, occasionally replaced by soft drinks and alcoholic
beverages (homemade wines made from sorrel, berries, cashew, sorosi,
grapefruit and rice are especially common). Usually to be seen on a breakfast
table are delicious creole bread and Kriol bun, johnny-cakes and frycakes (also
called fry jacks). In recent years Creoles have adopted foods from other groups,
particularly "Spanish" dishes made with tortillas, as a more general national
Belizean cuisine has developed.159
Creole in general eat a relatively balanced diet. The Bile Up (or Boil Up) is one
cultural dish of the Belizean Creoles. It is a combination boiled eggs, fish and/or
pig tail, with number of ground foods such as cassava, green plantains, yams,
sweet potatoes, and tomato sauce. Other important Kriol foods are Cowfoot
Soup, a thick stew with cocoyam and tripe, and a wide variety of dishes made
with fish. Coconut milk and oil are common ingredients, though they have
become increasingly rare and expensive due to the plague of lethal yellowing
which killed most of the coconut trees in the 1990s. In Belize, cassava was
traditionally made into "bammy," a small fried cassava cake related to Garifuna
cassava bread. The cassava root is grated, rinsed well, dried, salted, and pressed
to form flat cakes about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. The cakes are
lightly fried, then dipped in coconut milk and fried again. Bammies were usually
served as a starchy side dish with breakfast, with fish dishes or alone as a snack.
Cassava Pone (Plastic Cake) is a traditional Belizean Creole and pan-West Indian
cassava flour cake sometimes made with coconuts and raisins. Other common
deserts include Sweet Potato Pone, Bread Pudding, stretch-mi-guts (a kind of
taffy), tableta (coconut crisp), wangla (sesame) and powderbun, as well as a
variety of pies.
Creole organizations
•Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)
•United Black Association for Development Education Foundation (UEF)
•National Kriol Council (NKC)
•Creole Gyal Prodokshans (local production company)
References

•Krohn, Lita and Froyla Salam. Readings in Belizean History 3rd ed. 2005: Print
Belize, Belize.
•National Kriol Council Website [4]
•Shoman, Assad. 13 Chapters of A History of Belize. 1994: Angelus Press, Belize.
•St. John's College. Notes and Readings in Introductory Anthropology. 2006.
159Wilk, Richard (2006). "Home Cooking in the Global Village". Berg Publishers, Oxford UK.
•Photos of Belize Creoles

Culture of Belize
The Belizean culture is made up of influences and people from Kriol, Maya,
Garinagu (also known as Garifuna), Mestizo (a mixture of Spanish and Native
Americans), Mennonites who are of German descent, with a blend of many other
cultures from Chinese to Lebanese. It is a unique blend that emerged through
the country's long and occasionally violent history.160
Courtesy is important to most Belizeans. It is not uncommon for Belizeans to
greet each other on the street even if they have never seen each other before, or
for acquaintances to spend minutes at a time chatting, oblivious to what is
happening around them. Another aspect of the culture is the idea of the mystical
healing and Obeah. However, there is still talk of evil shaman practices like
putting "Obeah" on certain houses. This is known to be done by burying a bottle
with the 'evil' under a tree close by the house.
Folklore
In their folklore, we find the legends of La Llorona, Cadejo, La Sucia, the Tata
Duende and X'tabai.
Marriage and Family
Belizean marriages are commonly celebrated with church weddings and colorful
receptions featuring food, drink and dance. An increasing number of Belizean
families are headed by single parents, especially mothers. Due to this trend,
many of the present-day youths approve to pursue marriage and get involved in
common law relationships with their partners. It is not common to encounter
youths living with their parents around the age of 20 or above.
As a consequence of this trend, the most common family structure in Belize is the
single-parent family. However, there is a nominal number of grandparents raising
the children, with or without the help of one of the parents. Most Belizean
families either own or rent some type of house, typically wooden or concrete, and
built to withstand minor fires and floods. However, when the hurricane seasons
come around, most people will evacuate.
Food and Eating

160Peedle, Ian. Belize in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture.
Belizeans of all ethnicities eat a wide variety of foods. Breakfast consists of
bread, flour tortillas, johnny cakes, or fry jacks that are often homemade. It is
eaten with various cheeses (Dutch cheese, band back cheese, craft cheese, etc.)
refried beans, various forms of eggs or cereal (corn flakes, oatmeal) sweetened
with condensed milk. Morning beverages include milk, coffee, tea, Milo,
Ovaltine, Cocoa, orange juice (fresh or concentrated). Eating breakfast is called
"drinking tea." Midday meals vary, from lighter foods like beans and rice with or
without coconut milk, tamales, panades, (fried maize (corn) shells with beans or
fish) and meat pies, escabeche (onion soup), chilmole (black soup made with
black recardo), stew chicken and garnaches (fried tortillas with beans, cheese,
and cabbage sauce) to various constituted dinners featuring some type of rice
and beans, meat and salad or coleslaw. In the rural areas meals may be more
simplified than in the cities; the Maya use recardo, corn or maize for most of
their meals, and the Garifuna are fond of fish and other seafood, cassava
(particularly made into hudut) and vegetables. Local fruits and certain
vegetables are quite common. Mealtime is a communion for families and schools
and some businesses close at midday for lunch, reopening later in the afternoon.
Socializing
Belizeans are informal and friendly in greeting one another; it is considered rude
not to greet even a slight acquaintance, the clerk or receptionist when entering a
place of business. It is, however, considered impolite to greet by first names,
(gial, and bwai are common and acceptable) unless one has already established a
relationship of some depth (you have had one or more conversations together). A
simple nod of the head or shouting is acceptable when passing someone on the
street, and acquaintances might also be greeted with any number of introductory
phrases as covered here:
•Maanin! (“Good morning!”)
•Weh di go aan? ("What is going on?")
•Hey Bali! ("Hi Buddy!")
Other acceptable greetings are handshakes, combinations of palms and fingers
touching, thumbs locking and slaps on the back, or even a kiss on the cheek for
someone to show great appreciation and trust. Formal situations call for use of
titles and surnames, and children are expected to address their elders with
Miss/Mister and answer “Yes, ma’am” or “No, sir” when asked questions but
often do not.
Since the late introduction of television in 1980, visiting with friends is not as
common as it used to be. When such a visit does occur Belizeans generally take
care to make even unexpected guests feel at home. However, arranged visits are
more commonly practiced, arriving without previous notice to a friend’s home
may be seen as impolite or dangerous.
Recreation and sports
The most popular sports are soccer and basketball, and there is enthusiastic
support for league teams formed since the early 1990s. Other sports enjoyed in
Belize include volleyball, track and field, jai-alai, boxing, cycling, and softball,
which all have established associations. Catching on in recent years are
triathlon, canoeing, chess, darts, billiards, martial arts and even ice hockey (in
the Western Cayo District among the Mennonite population). An international
cross-country cycling race is held every Easter weekend. Belize has the world’s
second largest barrier reef and hundreds of small islands, called cayes, that are
popular recreation areas for urban people, particularly during school vacations
and Easter.
Music and the arts
Punta is by the far most popular genre of Garifuna music and has become the
most popular genre in all of Belize. It is distinctly Afro-Caribbean, and is
sometimes said to be ready for international popularization like similarly-
descended styles (reggae, calypso, merengue, etc.). Established stars include
Andy Palacio, Herman "Chico" Ramos, "Mohobub" Flores, Adrian "The Doc"
Martinez, and Lindsford "Supa G" Martinez. A slower, more melodic variant,
known as Paranda, has been catching on recently behind the talents of
Honduras' Aurelio Martinez and Paul Nabor of Punta Gorda; Nabor's signature
track "Naguya Nei" is considered the informal popular anthem of the Garifuna
nation.
Brukdown is a very popular modern style of Belizean music related to Calypso. It
evolved out of the music and dance of loggers, especially a form called buru. Its
greatest proponents include Wilfred Peters and Gerald "Lord" Rhaburn of Belize
City and Leela Vernon of Punta Gorda.
Reggae, Dancehall, and Soca imported from Jamaica and the rest of the West
Indies, and Rap, Hip-Hop, heavy metal and rock music from the United States,
are also popular among the youth of Belize. Belize's recording industry turns out
a few CDs each year; the majority of musical exposure occurs at monthly
concerts featuring Belizean and international artists sharing the same card, or
else DJ's mixing music at local nightclubs.
Drama and Acting have also become a part of the Belizean culture. Many plays
have taken place at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts and the George
Price Center for Peace and development. Several plays that have had a dramatic
impact are "Tigga Dead" written by the Governor General. Also "Stop! Stop the
Bus" directed by Beverly Swasey.
References and notes

•Peedle, Ian (1999). Belize in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture.
Interlink Books.
External links
•web site for the Belizean author Zee Edgell
•Moon Belize Handbook
•Belize Travel Planner
•http://www.peacecorner.org/belize_cuisine.htm
•http://www.frommers.com/destinations/belize/3284020880.html
•The CIA Fact Book

Music of Belize
The music of Belize has a mix of Kriol, Mestizo, Garifuna, and Maya influences.
After many centuries of Maya habitation, British colonizers arrived in the area in
the 17th century. Belize was Britain's only colony in Spanish-dominated Central
America until self-government in 1964 and gaining full Independence in 1981.
Belize is still part of the Commonwealth of Nations. Far more influential than this
presence, however, was the importation of African slaves.
European and African influences
Europeans brought polkas, waltzes, schottisches and quadrilles, while Africans
brought numerous instruments and percussion-based musics, including marimba.
African culture resulted in the creation of brukdown music in interior logging
camps, played using banjo, guitar, drums, dingaling bell, accordion and an ass's
jawbone played by running a stick up and down the teeth.
Mestizo music
Mestizo culture in north and west Belize, and also Guatemala, is characterised
by marimba, a xylophone-like instrument descended from an African instrument.
Marimba bands use trap drums, double bass and sometimes other instruments.
Famous performers include Alma Belicena and the Los Angeles Marimba Band.
In Benque Viejo Del Carmen, the Los Angeles Marimbas were owned by the
Castellanos family, whose patriarch, Ernesto Castellanos was both musician and
master marimba maker. They gave scheduled weekend performances at the Los
Angeles Club (also owned by the Castellanos Family) on Church Street in Benque
Viejo Del Carmen. Although Alma Belicena was known as the mobile marimba
band who participated in many events around the country, their variety of music
was limited to cultural styles. Los Angeles Marimbas on the other hand remained
fixed in their own home, rarely making external appearances, yet they were so
skilled and diversified in music genres that actually listening to them was a treat
and perfect marimba experience.
Kriol Music
Among the most popular styles created by Kriol musicians is brukdown.
Brukdown evolved out of the music and dance of loggers, especially a form called
buru. Buru was often satirical in nature, and eventually grew more urban,
accompanied by a donkey's jawbone, drums and a banjo. The word brukdown
may come from broken down calypso, referring to the similarities between
brukdown and Trinidadian calypso music; the presence of large numbers of
Jamaicans in Belize also led to an influence from mento music.
In modern forms, new instruments have been added to brukdown. The "boom
and chime groups" use bass guitar, electric guitar and congas, for example.
Popular brukdown groups include The Tigers, The Mahogany Chips, Mimi
Female Duet and Brad Pattico [5]. Brukdown remains a rural, rarely recorded
genre.
Garifuna music
The Garifuna (also called Garinagu) are descended from escaped Island Caribs
who were deported from St. Vincent to Central America (especially Honduras
and also Belize) in 1802 by the British when they conquered St. Vincent. The
Garifunas kept themselves apart from the social system then dominant, leading
to a distinctive culture that developed throughout the 20th century.
Forms of Garifuna folk music and dance encompass many styles including: punta,
hungu-hungu, combination, wanaragua, abaimahani, matamuerte, laremuna
wadaguman, gunjai, charikanari, sambai, charikanari, eremuna egi, paranda,
berusu, punta rock, teremuna ligilisi, arumahani, and Mali-amalihani. Punta and
Punta rock are the most popular forms of dance music in Garifuna culture. Punta
is performed around holidays and at parties, and other social events. Punta lyrics
are usually composed by the women. Chumba and hunguhungu are circular
dances in a three beat rhythm, which are often combined with punta. There are
other songs typical to each gender, women having eremwu eu and abaimajani,
rhythmic a cappella songs, and laremuna wadaguman, men's work songs.
Drums play a very important role in Garifuna music. There are primarily two
types of drums used:
1. The Primero (tenor drum)
2. The Segunda (bass drum)
These drums are typically made of hollowed-out hardwood such as mahogany or
mayflower, with the skins coming from the peccary (wild bush pig), deer, or
sheep. Also used in combination with the drums are the sisera. These shakers
are made from the dried fruit of the gourd tree, filled with seeds, then fitted with
hardwood handles.
In contemporary Belize there has been a resurgence of Garifuna music,
popularized by musicians such as Andy Palacio, Mohobub Flores, & Adrian
Martinez. These musicians have taken many aspects from traditional Garifuna
music forms and fused them with more modern sounds in a style described as a
mixture of punta rock and paranda. One great example is Andy Palacio's album
"Watina," released on the Belizean record label "Stone Tree Records."
Modern music
Belize's musical base has expanded considerably in recent years with the
addition of local reggae, Hip Hop and jazz stars. Belize counts among its local
reggae stars Dan Marcus I and Dan Man, as well as other groups such as
Belizean Entertainment Official Site; various hip-hop groups often open for more
accomplished international stars at local concerts, and there has even been a
jazz revival, with an annual jazz festival and at least three popular jazz music
programs on local radio.
This surge in local music can be attributed in some ways to the international
popularity of such television stations as BET and MTV , which present hip-hop as
something to aspire to and admire. In addition, there has been a concerted effort
to promote local music among the Belizean population, mixing in local and hip-
hop/Jamaican dance hall style with Belizean heritage music. Artists such as ILLA-
G and Bobbo youth from Caye Caulker (An island village off the cost) are among
those creating a new more commercially influenced rap/reggae music form.
Belizean Artists
Some notable Belizean artists are:
•Andy Palacio
•Chico Ramos
•Bella Carib
•Paul Nabor
•ILYA Rosado a.k.a "ILLA-G"
•Lloyd & Reckless
•Punta Rebels
•Mr. Peters Boom & Chime
•Lord Rhaburn
•Lela Vernon
•Santino's Messengers
•Bobbo Youth
•Aaron "Bruno" Arana
•Jon Santos, singer of the band "Fallzone"
•Bobby Amaru, singer of the band "Burn Season"
References
•Graham, Ronnie. "Drum'n'Flute Legacies". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and
Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music,
Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 325–331.
Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
•[6]
External links
•Belize Music Blog - Contains news, articles and updates about belizean music
and artists
•BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Andy Palacio and the Garifuna. Accessed
November 25, 2010.
•BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Son Jarocho and the Malinto choir. Accessed
November 25, 2010.