Belize ( ( listen)) (Spanish: Belice) is a
country located on the eastern coast of Central
America.
Belize is bordered on the northwest by Mexico,
on the east by the Caribbean Sea, and on the
south and west by Guatemala.
It has an area of 22,800 square kilometres
(8,800 sq mi) and a population of 387,879
(2017).
Its mainland is about 290 km (180 mi) long
and 110 km (68 mi) wide.
It has the lowest population and population
density in Central America.
The country's population growth rate of 1.87%
per year (2015) is the second highest in the
region and one of the highest in the Western
Hemisphere.The Mayan civilization spread into
the area of Belize between 1500 B.C. and 300
A.D. and flourished until about 1200.
European exploration campaigns began in 1502
when Christopher Columbus sailed along the
Gulf of Honduras.
European settlement begun by English settlers
in 1638, this period was also marked by Spain
and Britain lay claim to the land until Britain
defeated the Spanish in the Battle of St.
George's Caye (1798).
It became a British colony in 1840, known
as British Honduras, and a Crown colony in
1862.
Independence was achieved from the United
Kingdom on 21 September 1981.
Belize has a diverse society, composed of
many cultures and languages that reflect its
rich history.
English is the official language of Belize,
while Belizean Creole is an unofficial native
language.
Over half the population is multilingual,
with Spanish being the second most common
spoken language.
It is known for its September Celebrations,
its extensive barrier reef coral reefs and
punta music.Belize's abundance of terrestrial
and marine species and its diversity of ecosystems
give it a key place in the globally significant
Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.
It is considered a Central American and Caribbean
nation with strong ties to both the American
and Caribbean regions.
It is a member of the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM), the Community of Latin American
and Caribbean States (CELAC), and the Central
American Integration System (SICA), the only
country to hold full membership in all three
regional organisations.
Belize is a Commonwealth realm, with Queen
Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state.
== Etymology ==
The original name of Belize was British Honduras.
The earliest known record of the name "Belize"
appears in the journal of the Dominican priest
Fray José Delgado, dating to 1677.
Delgado recorded the names of three major
rivers that he crossed while travelling north
along the Caribbean coast: Rio Soyte, Rio
Xibum and Rio Balis.
The names of these waterways, which correspond
to the Sittee River, Sibun River and Belize
River, were provided to Delgado by his translator.
It is likely that Delgado's "Balis" was actually
the Mayan word belix (or beliz), meaning "muddy-watered".Some
have suggested that the name derives from
a Spanish pronunciation of the name of the
Scottish buccaneer Peter Wallace, who established
a settlement at the mouth of the Belize River
in 1638.
There is no proof that Wallace settled in
this area and some scholars have characterized
this claim as a myth.
Writers and historians have suggested several
other possible etymologies, including postulated
French and African origins.
== History ==
=== 
Early history ===
The Maya civilization emerged at least three
millennia ago in the lowland area of the Yucatán
Peninsula and the highlands to the south,
in the area of present-day southeastern Mexico,
Belize, Guatemala, and western Honduras.
Many aspects of this culture persist in the
area despite nearly 500 years of European
domination.
Prior to about 2500 BC, 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 Maya core culture.
Between about 2500 BC and 250 AD, the basic
institutions of Maya civilisation emerged.
The peak of this civilization occurred during
the classic period, which began about 250
AD.
=== Maya civilization ===
The Maya civilization spread across what is
now Belize around 1500 BC, and flourished
there until about AD 900.
The recorded history of the middle and southern
regions is dominated by Caracol, an urban
political centre that may have supported over
140,000 people.
North of the Maya Mountains, the most important
political centre was Lamanai.
In the late Classic Era of Maya civilisation
(600–1000 AD), as many as 1 million people
may have lived in the area that is now Belize.When
Spanish explorers arrived in the 16th century,
the area that is now Belize included three
distinct Maya territories: Chetumal province,
which encompassed the area around Corozal
Bay; Dzuluinicob province, which encompassed
the area between the New River and the Sibun
River, west to Tipu; and a southern territory
controlled by the Manche Ch'ol Maya, encompassing
the area between the Monkey River and the
Sarstoon River.
=== Early colonial period (1506–1862) ===
Spanish conquistadors explored the land and
declared it a Spanish colony but chose not
to settle and develop because of its lack
of resources and the hostile Indian tribes
of the Yucatán.
English and Scottish settlers and pirates
known as the Baymen entered the area from
the 17th century, with Baymen first settling
on the coast of what is now Belize in 1638,
seeking a sheltered region from which they
could attack Spanish ships (see English settlement
in Belize).
The settlers established a trade colony and
port in what became the Belize District, and
during the 18th century, established a system
using black slaves to cut logwood (Haematoxylum
campechianum) trees.
This yielded a valuable fixing agent for clothing
dyes, and was one of the first ways to achieve
a fast black before the advent of artificial
dyes.
The Spanish granted the British settlers the
right to occupy the area and cut logwood in
exchange for their help suppressing piracy.
The British first appointed a superintendent
over the Belize area in 1786.
Before then the British government had not
recognized the settlement as a colony for
fear of provoking a Spanish attack.
The delay in government oversight allowed
the settlers to establish their own laws and
forms of government.
During this period, a few successful 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 of St. George's Caye was a 1798
military engagement off the coast of Belize
between an invading Spanish fleet and a small
force of Baymen and their slaves.
From 3 to 5 September, the Spaniards tried
to force their way through Montego Caye shoal,
but were blocked by defenders.
Spain's last attempt occurred on 10 September,
when the Baymen repelled the Spanish fleet
in a short engagement with no known casualties
on either side.
The anniversary of the battle is a national
holiday in Belize and is celebrated to commemorate
the "first Belizeans" and the defence of their
territory.
=== As part of the British Empire (1862–1981)
===
In the early 19th century, the British sought
to reform the settlers, threatening to suspend
the Public Meeting unless it observed the
government's instructions to eliminate slavery
outright.
After a generation of wrangling, slavery was
abolished in the British Empire in 1833, As
a result of their slaves' abilities in the
work of mahogany extraction, owners in British
Honduras were compensated at £53.69 per slave
on average, the highest amount paid in any
British territory.However, the end of slavery
did little to change the former slaves' working
conditions if they stayed at their trade.
A series of institutions restricted the ability
of individuals to buy land, in a debt-peonage
system.
Former "extra special" mahogany or logwood
cutters undergirded the early ascriptions
of the capacities (and consequently the limitations)
of people of African descent in the colony.
Because a small elite controlled the settlement's
land and commerce, former slaves had little
choice but to continue to work in timber cutting.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.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 privately held land and
eventually eliminated peonage.
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 colony's 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.
Economic conditions improved during World
War II as many Belizean men entered the armed
forces or otherwise contributed to the war
effort.
Following the war, the colony's economy stagnated.
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 expanded voting rights to all
adults.
The first election under universal suffrage
was held in 1954 and was decisively won by
the PUP, beginning a three-decade period in
which the PUP dominated the country's politics.
Pro-independence activist George Cadle Price
became PUP leader in 1956 and the effective
head of government in 1961, a post he would
hold under various titles until 1984.
Under a new constitution Britain granted British
Honduras self-government in 1964.
On 1 June 1973, British Honduras was officially
renamed Belize.
Progress toward independence, however, was
hampered by a Guatemalan claim to sovereignty
over Belizean territory.
=== Independent Belize (since 1981) ===
Belize was granted independence on 21 September
1981.
Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation
because of its longstanding territorial dispute
with the British colony, claiming that Belize
belonged to Guatemala.
About 1,500 British troops remained in Belize
to deter any possible incursions.With Price
at the helm, the PUP won all national elections
until 1984.
In that election, the first national election
after independence, the PUP was defeated by
the United Democratic Party (UDP).
UDP leader Manuel Esquivel replaced Price
as prime minister, with Price himself unexpectedly
losing his own House seat to a UDP challenger.
The PUP under Price returned to power after
elections in 1989.
The following year the United Kingdom announced
that it would end its military involvement
in Belize, and the RAF Harrier detachment
was withdrawn the same year, having remained
stationed in the country continuously since
its deployment had become permanent there
in 1980.
British soldiers were withdrawn in 1994, but
the United Kingdom left behind a military
training unit to assist with the newly created
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
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 PUP 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.
Barrow and the UDP were re-elected in 2012
with a considerably smaller majority.
Throughout Belize's history, Guatemala has
claimed ownership of all or part of Belizean
territory.
This claim is occasionally reflected in maps
drawn by Guatemala's government, showing Belize
as Guatemala's twenty-third department.
As of 2016, the border dispute with Guatemala
remains unresolved and quite contentious.
Guatemala's claim to Belizean territory rests,
in part, on Clause VII of the Anglo-Guatemalan
Treaty of 1859, which 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 (OAS), Mexico, and the United States.
Notably, both Guatemala and Belize participate
in confidence-building measures approved by
the OAS such as the Guatemala-Belize Language
Exchange Project.
=== Indigenous Land Claims ===
The impact of Guatemala’s land claim on
indigenous populations, however, has yet to
be investigated.
Belize backed the United Nations (UN) Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007,
which established legal land rights to indigenous
groups.
Other court cases have affirmed these rights
like the Supreme Court of Belize’s 2013
decision to uphold its ruling in 2010 that
acknowledges customary land titles as communal
land for indigenous peoples.
Another such case is the Caribbean Court of
Justice’s (CCJ) 2015 order on the Belizean
government, which stipulated that the country
develop a land registry to classify and exercise
traditional governance over Mayan lands.
Despite these rulings, Belize has made little
progress to support the land rights of indigenous
communities; for instance, in the two years
since the CCJ's decision, Belize's government
has been stagnant to launch the Mayan land
registry, rendering the group to take action
into its own hands.On April 15, 2018, Guatemala’s
government held a referendum to determine
if the country should take its territorial
claim on Belize to the International Court
of Justice (ICJ) to settle the long-standing
issue.
Guatemalans voted yes on the matter.
A similar referendum will be held in Belize
on April 10, 2019.
This claim involves approximately 53% of Belize’s
mainland, which includes significant portions
of three Belizean districts: Belize, Stann
Creek, and Toledo.
Roughly 43% of its population (≈154,949
Belizeans) resides in this region.
With 96.2% of the Belizean population identifying
with an indigenous group, a large sector of
the land Guatemala claims is home to them:
Belize district has about two-thirds of the
country’s Creole community, the Mopan and
Q’eqchi’ Mayans have established settlements
in Toledo, and the Garinagu have a strong
presence in both Stann Creek and Toledo.The
exact ramifications of these cases need to
be examined.
As of 2017, Belize still struggles to recognize
indigenous populations and their respective
rights.
According to the 50-page voluntary national
report Belize created on its progress toward
the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals,
indigenous groups are not factored into the
country’s indicators whatsoever.
In fact, the groups ‘Creole’ and ‘Garinagu’
are not included in the document, and ‘Maya’
and ‘Mestizo’ only occur once throughout
the entirety of the report.
It is yet to be seen if the Belizean government
will highlight the consequences of the territorial
claim on indigenous land rights prior to the
referendum vote in 2019.
== Government and politics ==
Belize is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
The structure of government is based on the
British parliamentary system, and the legal
system is modelled on the common law of England.
The symbolic head of state is Queen Elizabeth
II, who holds the title Queen of Belize.
The Queen lives in the United Kingdom, and
is represented in Belize by the Governor-General.
Executive authority is exercised by the cabinet,
which advises the Governor-General and is
led by the Prime Minister of Belize, who is
head of government.
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
comprises 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.
Legislative power is vested in both the government
and the Parliament of Belize.
Constitutional safeguards include freedom
of speech, press, worship, movement, and association.
The judiciary is independent of the executive
and the legislature.Members of the independent
judiciary are appointed.
The judicial system includes local magistrates
grouped under the Magistrates' Court, which
hears less serious cases.
The Supreme Court (Chief Justice) hears murder
and similarly serious cases, and the Court
of Appeal hears appeals from convicted individuals
seeking to have their sentences overturned.
Defendants may, under certain circumstances,
appeal their cases to the Caribbean Court
of Justice.
=== Political culture ===
Since 1974, the party system in Belize has
been dominated by the centre-left People's
United Party and the centre-right United Democratic
Party, although other small parties took part
in all levels of elections in the past.
Though none of these small political parties
has ever won any significant number of seats
and/or offices, their challenge has been growing
over the years.
=== Foreign relations ===
Belize is a full participating member of the
United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, Organization
of American States (OAS), Central American
Integration System (SICA), Caribbean Community
(CARICOM), CARICOM Single Market and Economy
(CSME), Association of Caribbean States (ACS),
and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ),
which currently serves as a final court of
appeal for only Barbados, Belize, and Guyana.
In 2001 the Caribbean Community heads of government
voted on a measure declaring that the region
should work towards replacing the UK's Judicial
Committee of the Privy Council with the Caribbean
Court of Justice.
It is still in the process of acceding to
CARICOM and SICA treaties, including trade
and single market treaties.
Belize is an original member (1995) of the
World Trade Organization (WTO), and participates
actively in its work.
The pact involves the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM)
subgroup of the Group of African, Caribbean,
and Pacific states (ACP).
CARIFORUM presently the only part of the wider
ACP-bloc that has concluded the full regional
trade-pact with the European Union.
=== Armed forces ===
The Belize Defence Force (BDF) serves as the
country's military and is responsible for
protecting the sovereignty of Belize.
The BDF, with the Belize National Coast Guard
and the Immigration Department, is a department
of the Ministry of Defence and Immigration.
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.
In 2005, the maritime wing became part of
the Belizean Coast Guard.
In 2012, the Belizean government spent about
$17 million on the military, constituting
1.08% of the country's gross domestic product
(GDP).After Belize achieved independence in
1981 the United Kingdom maintained a deterrent
force (British Forces Belize) in the country
to protect it from invasion by Guatemala (see
Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory).
During the 1980s this included a battalion
and No. 1417 Flight RAF of Harriers.
The main British force left in 1994, three
years after Guatemala recognized Belizean
independence, but the United Kingdom maintained
a training presence via the British Army Training
and Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) and 25 Flight
AAC until 2011 when the last British Forces
left Ladyville Barracks, with the exception
of seconded advisers.
=== Administrative divisions ===
Belize is divided into six districts.
These districts are further divided into 31
constituencies.
Local government in Belize comprises four
types of local authorities: city councils,
town councils, village councils and community
councils.
The two city councils (Belize City and Belmopan)
and seven town councils cover the urban population
of the country, while village and community
councils cover the rural population.
== Geography ==
Belize is 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 22,960 square
kilometres (8,865 sq mi), an area slightly
larger than El Salvador, Israel, New Jersey
or Wales.
The many lagoons along the coasts and in the
northern interior reduces the actual land
area to 21,400 square kilometres (8,263 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 1,124 m (3,688 ft).Belize's rugged geography
has also made the country's coastline and
jungle attractive to drug smugglers, who use
the country as a gateway into Mexico.
In 2011, the United States added Belize to
the list of nations considered major drug
producers or transit countries for narcotics.
=== Environment preservation and biodiversity
===
Belize has a rich variety of wildlife because
of its unique position between North and South
America and a wide range of climates and habitats
for plant and animal life.
Belize's low human population and approximately
22,970 square kilometres (8,867 sq mi) of
undistributed land make for an ideal home
for the more than 5,000 species of plants
and hundreds of species of animals, including
armadillos, snakes, and monkeys.The Cockscomb
Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is a nature reserve
in south-central Belize established to protect
the forests, fauna, and watersheds of an approximately
400 km2 (150 sq mi) area of the eastern slopes
of the Maya Mountains.
The reserve was founded in 1990 as the first
wilderness sanctuary for the jaguar and is
regarded by one author as the premier site
for jaguar preservation in the world.
=== Vegetation and flora ===
While over 60% of Belize's land surface is
covered by forest, some 20% of the country's
land is covered by cultivated land (agriculture)
and human settlements.
Savanna, scrubland and wetland constitute
the remainder of Belize's land cover.
Important mangrove ecosystems are also represented
across Belize's landscape.
As a part of the globally significant Mesoamerican
Biological Corridor that 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 in protecting biodiversity
and natural resources.
According to the World Database on Protected
Areas, 37% of Belize's land territory falls
under some form of official protection, giving
Belize one of the most extensive systems of
terrestrial protected areas in the Americas.
By contrast, Costa Rica only has 27% of its
land territory protected.Around 13.6% of Belize's
territorial waters, which contain the Belize
Barrier Reef, are also protected.
The Belize Barrier Reef is a UNESCO-recognized
World Heritage Site and is the second-largest
barrier reef in the world, behind Australia's
Great Barrier Reef.
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.
A similar study 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
(10,050 ha) 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 were 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 Group
on Earth Observations (GEO), of which Belize
is a member nation.
=== Geology, mineral potential, and energy
===
Belize is known to have a number of economically
important minerals, but none in quantities
large enough to warrant 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.
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.
=== Belize Barrier Reef ===
The Belize Barrier Reef is a series of coral
reefs straddling the coast of Belize, roughly
300 metres (980 ft) offshore in the north
and 40 kilometres (25 mi) in the south within
the country limits.
The Belize Barrier Reef is a 300 kilometres
(190 mi) long section of the 900 kilometres
(560 mi) long Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System,
which is continuous from Cancún on the northeast
tip of the Yucatán Peninsula through the
Riviera Maya up to Honduras making it one
of the largest coral reef systems in the world.
It is Belize's top tourist destination, popular
for scuba diving and snorkelling, and attracting
almost half of its 260,000 visitors.
It is also vital to its fishing industry.
In 1842 Charles Darwin described it as "the
most remarkable reef in the West Indies".
The Belize Barrier Reef was declared a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996 due to its
vulnerability and the fact that it contains
important natural habitats for in-situ conservation
of biodiversity.
==== Species ====
The Belize Barrier Reef is home to a large
diversity of plants and animals, and is one
of the most diverse ecosystems of the world:
70 hard coral species
36 soft coral species
500 species of fish
hundreds of invertebrate speciesWith 90% of
the reef still to be researched, some estimate
that only 10% of all species have been discovered.
==== Conservation ====
Belize became the first country in the world
to completely ban bottom trawling in December
2010.
In December 2015, Belize banned offshore oil
drilling within 1 km (0.6 mi) of the Barrier
Reef and all of its 7 World Heritage Sites.Despite
these protective measures, the reef remains
under threat from oceanic pollution as well
as uncontrolled tourism, shipping, and fishing.
Other threats include hurricanes, along with
global warming and the resulting increase
in ocean temperatures, which causes coral
bleaching.
It is claimed by scientists that over 40%
of Belize's coral reef has been damaged since
1998.
=== 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, from
1,350 mm (53.1 in) in the north and west to
over 4,500 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, less than 100 mm (3.9 in) of rainfall
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.
In 1978, Hurricane Greta caused more than
US$25 million in damages along the southern
coast.
On 9 October 2001, Hurricane Iris made landfall
at Monkey River Town as a 233 km/h (145 mph)
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 40 km (25 mi) north
of the Belize–Mexico border.
Dean caused extensive damage in northern Belize.
In 2010, Belize was directly affected by the
Category 2 Hurricane Richard, which made landfall
approximately 32 km (20 mi) south-southeast
of Belize City at around 00:45 UTC on 25 October
2010.
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.The most recent hurricane
to affect the nation was Hurricane Earl of
2016.
== Economy ==
Belize has a small, mostly private enterprise
economy that is based primarily on agriculture,
agro-based industry, and merchandising, with
tourism and construction recently assuming
greater importance.
The country is also a producer of industrial
minerals, crude oil, and petroleum.
As of 2017, oil production was 2,000 bbl/d
(320 m3/d).
In agriculture, sugar, like in colonial times,
remains the chief crop, accounting for nearly
half of exports, while the banana industry
is the largest employer.The new government
of Belize 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 remains a major economic development
challenge; Belize has the region's most expensive
electricity.
Trade is important and the major trading partners
are the United States, Mexico, the European
Union, and Central America.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).
A robust complex of credit unions began in
the 1940s under the leadership of Marion M.
Ganey, S.J., and is a continuing resource
for the betterment of the peoples across economic
and cultural lines.Belize is located on the
coast of Central America.
Based on its location, it is seen as a beautiful
destination for vacations.
However, also due to its location, it is currently
becoming known in the global arena for attracting
many drug trafficking entities in North America.
The Belize currency is pegged to the U.S.
dollar.
This entices drug traffickers and money launderers
who want to utilize their current economic
system.
In addition, Belize also offers nonresidents
the ability to establish offshore accounts.
Because of this loophole, it is desirable
for many drug traffickers and money launderers
to utilize Belize as a money laundering banking
entity.
As a result, the United States Department
of State has recently named Belize one of
the world’s "major money laundering countries."
2016 World Fact Book of the United States
Central Intelligence Agency
=== 
Industrial infrastructure ===
The largest integrated electric utility and
the principal distributor in Belize is Belize
Electricity Limited.
BEL was approximately 70% owned by Fortis
Inc., a Canadian investor-owned distribution
utility, which represented less than 2% of
Fortis assets.
Fortis took over the management of BEL in
1999, at the invitation of the government
of Belize in an attempt to mitigate prior
financial problems within the locally managed
utility.
In addition to its regulated investment in
BEL, Fortis owns Belize Electric Company Limited
(BECOL), a non-regulated hydroelectric generation
business that operates three hydroelectric
generating facilities on the Macal River.
On 14 June 2011, the government of Belize
nationalized the majority ownership interest
of Fortis Inc. in Belize Electricity Ltd.
The Belize utility encountered serious financial
problems after the country's Public Utilities
Commission (PUC) in 2008 disallowed "the recovery
of previously incurred fuel and purchased
power costs in customer rates and set customer
rates at a level that does not allow BEL to
earn a fair and reasonable return", Fortis
said in a June 2011 statement.
BEL appealed this judgment to the Court of
Appeal; however, a hearing is not expected
until 2012.
In May 2011, the Supreme Court of Belize granted
BEL's application to prevent the PUC from
taking any enforcement actions pending the
appeal.
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry
issued a statement saying the government had
acted in haste and expressed concern over
the message it sent to investors.
In August 2009, the government of Belize nationalized
Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), which now
competes directly with Speednet.
As a result of the nationalisation process,
the interconnection agreements are again subject
to negotiations.
Both BTL and Speednet boast a full range of
products and services including basic telephone
services, national and international calls,
prepaid services, cellular services via GSM
1900 megahertz (MHz) and 3G CDMA 2000 respectively,
international cellular roaming, fixed wireless,
dial-up and internet, high-speed DSL, internet
service, and national and international data
networks.
=== Tourism ===
A combination of natural factors—climate,
the Belize Barrier Reef, over 450 offshore
Cays (islands), excellent fishing, safe waters
for boating, scuba diving, and snorkelling,
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 sites—support
the thriving tourism and ecotourism industry.
It also has the largest cave system in Central
America.
Development costs are high, but the government
of Belize has made tourism its second development
priority after agriculture.
In 2012, tourist arrivals totalled 917,869
(with about 584,683 from the United States)
and tourist receipts amounted to over $1.3
billion.
=== Transport ===
== 
Society ==
=== 
Demographics ===
Belize's population is estimated to be 360,346
in 2017.
Belize's total fertility rate in 2009 was
3.6 children per woman.
Its birth rate was 27.33 births/1,000 population,
and the death rate was 5.8 deaths/1,000 population.
Substantial ethnic-demographic shift has been
occurring since 1980 when Creoles/Mestizo
ratio has shifted from 58/48 to now at 26/53,
with Creoles moving to the US and Mestizo
birth rate and entry from El Salvador.
Woods, Composition and Distribution of Ethnic
Groups in Belize 1997
=== Ethnic groups ===
==== 
The Maya ====
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 conflicts between
constantly warring tribes.
There were some who died of disease after
contact and invasion by Europeans.
Three Maya groups now inhabit the country:
The Yucatec (who came from Yucatán, Mexico,
to escape the savage Caste War of the 1840s),
the Mopan (indigenous to Belize but were forced
out to Guatemala by the British for raiding
settlements; they returned to Belize to evade
enslavement by the Guatemalans in the 19th
century), and Q'eqchi' (also fled from slavery
in Guatemala in the 19th century).
The latter groups are chiefly found in the
Toledo District.
The Maya speak their native languages and
Spanish, and are also fluent in English and
Belize Kriol.
==== Creoles ====
Creoles, also known as Kriols, make up roughly
21% of the Belizean population and about 75%
of the diaspora.
They are descendants of the Baymen slave owners,
and slaves brought to Belize for the purpose
of the logging industry.
These slaves were ultimately of West and Central
African descent (many also of Miskito ancestry
from Nicaragua) and born Africans who had
spent very brief periods in Jamaica and Bermuda.
Bay Islanders and ethnic Jamaicans came in
the late 19th century, further adding to these
already varied peoples, creating this ethnic
group.
For all intents and purposes, Creole is an
ethnic and linguistic denomination.
Some natives, even with blonde hair and blue
eyes, may call themselves Creoles.Belize Creole
English or Kriol developed during the time
of slavery, and historically was only spoken
by former slaves.
However, this ethnicity has become an integral
part of the Belizean identity, and as a result
it is now spoken by about 45% of Belizeans.
Belizean Creole is derived mainly from English.
Its substrate languages are the Native American
language Miskito, and the various West African
and Bantu languages brought into the country
by slaves.
Creoles 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), at around
4.5% of the population, are a mix of West/Central
African, Arawak, and Island Carib ancestry.
Though they were captives removed from their
homelands, these people were never documented
as slaves.
The two prevailing theories are that, in 1635,
they were either the survivors of two recorded
shipwrecks or somehow took over the ship they
came on.Throughout history they have been
incorrectly labelled as Black Caribs.
When the British took over Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines after the Treaty of Paris in
1763, they were opposed by French settlers
and their Garinagu allies.
The Garinagu eventually surrendered to the
British in 1796.
The British separated the more African-looking
Garifunas from the more indigenous-looking
ones.
5,000 Garinagu were exiled from the Grenadine
island of Baliceaux.
However, only about 2,500 of them survived
the voyage to Roatán, an island off the coast
of Honduras.
The Garifuna language belongs to the Arawakan
language family, but has a large number of
loanwords from Carib languages and from English.
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.According to one genetic
study, their ancestry is on average 76% Sub
Saharan African, 20% Arawak/Island Carib and
4% European.
==== Mestizos ====
The Mestizo culture are people of mixed Spanish
and Maya descent.
They originally came to Belize in 1847, to
escape the Caste War, which occurred when
thousands of Mayas rose against the state
in Yucatán and massacred over one-third of
the population.
The surviving others fled across the borders
into British territory.
The Mestizos are found everywhere in Belize
but most make their homes in the northern
districts of Corozal and Orange Walk.
Some other mestizos came from El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, & Nicaragua.
The Mestizos are the largest ethnic group
in Belize and make up approximately half of
the population.
The Mestizo towns centre on a main square,
and social life focuses on the Catholic Church
built on one side of it.
Spanish is the main language of most Mestizos
and Spanish descendants, but many speak English
and Belize Kriol fluently.
Due to the influences of Kriol and English,
many Mestizos speak what is known as "Kitchen
Spanish".
The mixture of Latin and Maya foods like tamales,
escabeche, chirmole, relleno, and empanadas
came from their Mexican side and corn tortillas
were handed down by their Mayan side.
Music comes mainly from the marimba, but they
also play and sing with the guitar.
Dances performed at village fiestas include
the Hog-Head, Zapateados, the Mestizada, Paso
Doble and many more.
==== German-speaking Mennonites ====
Some 4% of the population are German-speaking
Mennonite farmers and craftsmen.
The vast majority are so-called Russian Mennonites
of German descent who settled in the Russian
Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Most Russian Mennonites live in Mennonite
settlements like Spanish Lookout, Shipyard,
Little Belize, and Blue Creek.
These Mennonites speak Plautdietsch (a German
dialect) in everyday life, but use mostly
Standard German for reading (the Bible) and
writing.
The Plautdietsch-speaking Mennonites came
mostly from Mexico in the years after 1958
and they are trilingual with Spanish.
There are also some mainly Pennsylvania German-speaking
Old Order Mennonites who came from the United
States and Canada in the late 1960s.
They live primarily in Upper Barton Creek
and associated settlements.
These Mennonites attracted people from different
Anabaptist backgrounds who formed a new community.
They look quite similar to Old Order Amish,
but are different from them.
==== Other groups ====
The remaining 5% or so of the population consist
of a mix of Indians, Chinese, Whites from
the United Kingdom, United States and Canada,
and many other foreign groups brought to assist
the country's development.
During the 1860s, a large influx of East Indians
who spent brief periods in Jamaica 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 more Asian
settlers from mainland China, South Korea,
India, Syria, and Lebanon.
Said Musa, the son of an immigrant from Palestine,
was the Prime Minister of Belize from 1998
to 2008.
Central American immigrants from El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, & Nicaragua and expatriate
Americans and Africans also began to settle
in the country.
==== Emigration, immigration, and demographic
shifts ====
Creoles 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 US Census, the number
of Belizeans in the United States is approximately
160,000 (including 70,000 legal residents
and naturalized citizens), consisting mainly
of Creoles and Garinagu.Because of 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.
These two events have been changing the demographics
of the nation for the last 30 years.
=== Languages ===
English is the official language of Belize,
a former British colony.
Belize is the only country in Central America
whose official language is English.
Also, English is the primary language of public
education, government and most media outlets.
About half of Belizeans regardless of ethnicity
speak an English-based creole called Belizean
Creole (also referred to as Kriol) for most
informal, social and interethnic dialogue.
When a Creole language exists alongside its
lexifier language, as is the case in Belize,
a continuum forms between the Creole and the
lexifier language.
It is therefore difficult to substantiate
or differentiate the number of Creole speakers
compared to English speakers.
Belizean Creole might best be described as
the lingua franca of the nation.Approximately
50% of Belizeans self-identify as Mestizo,
Latino, or Hispanic and 30% speak Spanish
as a native language.
When Belize was a British colony, Spanish
was banned in schools but today it is widely
taught as a second language.
"Kitchen Spanish" is an intermediate form
of Spanish mixed with Belizean Creole, spoken
in the northern towns such as Corozal and
San Pedro.Over half the population is multilingual.
Being a small, multiethnic state, surrounded
by Spanish-speaking nations, multilingualism
is strongly encouraged.Belize is also home
to three Mayan languages: Q’eqchi’, Mopan
(an endangered language), and Yucatec Maya.
Approximately 16,100 people speak the Arawakan-based
Garifuna language, and 6,900 Mennonites in
Belize speak mainly Plautdietsch while a minority
of Mennonites speak Pennsylvania German.
=== Largest cities ===
=== Religion ===
According to the 2010 census, 40.1% of Belizeans
are Roman Catholics, 31.8% are Protestants
(8.4% Pentecostal; 5.4% Adventist; 4.7% Anglican;
3.7% Mennonite; 3.6% Baptist; 2.9% Methodist;
2.8% Nazarene), 1.7% are Jehovah's Witnesses,
10.3% adhere to other religions (Maya religion,
Garifuna religion, Obeah and Myalism, and
minorities of Mormons, Hindus, Buddhists,
Muslims, Bahá'ís, Rastafarians and other)
and 15.5% profess to be irreligious.
According to PROLADES, Belize was 64.6% Roman
Catholic, 27.8% Protestant, 7.6% Other in
1971.
Until the late 1990s, Belize was a Roman Catholic
majority country.
Catholics formed 57% of the population in
1991, and dropped to 49% in 2000.
The percentage of Roman Catholics in the population
has been decreasing in the past few decades
due to the growth of Protestant churches,
other religions and non-religious people.In
addition to Catholics, there has always been
a large accompanying Protestant minority.
It was brought by British, German, and other
settlers to the British colony of British
Honduras.
From the beginning, it was largely Anglican
and Mennonite in nature.
The Protestant community in Belize experienced
a large Pentecostal and Seventh-Day Adventist
influx tied to the recent spread of various
Evangelical Protestant denominations throughout
Latin America.
Geographically speaking, German Mennonites
live mostly in the rural districts of Cayo
and Orange Walk.
The Greek Orthodox Church has a presence in
Santa Elena.The Association of Religion Data
Archives estimates there were 7,776 Bahá'ís
in Belize in 2005, or 2.5% of the national
population.
Their estimates suggest this is the highest
proportion of Bahá'ís in any country.
Their data also states that the Bahá'í Faith
is the second most common religion in Belize,
followed by Hinduism (2.0%) and Judaism (1.1%).
Hinduism is followed by most Indian immigrants.
Muslims claim that there have been Muslims
in Belize since the 16th century having been
brought over from Africa as slaves, but there
are no sources for that claim.
The Muslim population of today started the
1980s.
Muslims numbered 243 in 2000 and 577 in 2010
according to the official statistics.
and comprise 0.16 percent of the population.
A mosque is at the Islamic Mission of Belize
(IMB), also known as the Muslim Community
of Belize.
Another mosque, Masjid Al-Falah, officially
opened in 2008 in Belize City.
=== Health ===
Belize has a high prevalence of communicable
diseases such as malaria, respiratory diseases
and intestinal illnesses.
=== Education ===
A number of kindergartens, secondary, and
tertiary schools in Belize provide quality
education for students—mostly funded by
the government.
Belize has about a dozen tertiary level institutions,
the most prominent of which is the University
of Belize, which evolved out of the University
College of Belize founded in 1986.
Before that St. John's College, founded in
1877, dominated the tertiary education field.
Education in Belize is compulsory between
the ages of 6 and 14 years.
As of 2010, the literacy rate in Belize was
estimated at 79.7%, one of the lowest in the
Western Hemisphere.
The educational policy is currently following
the "Education Sector Strategy 2011–2016",
which sets 3 objectives for the years to come:
Improving access, quality, and governance
of the education system by providing technical
and vocational education and training.
=== Crime ===
Belize has relatively high rates of violent
crime.
The majority of violence in Belize stems from
gang activity, which includes trafficking
of drugs and persons, protecting drug smuggling
routes, and securing territory for drug dealing.In
2015, 119 murders were recorded in Belize,
giving the country a homicide rate of 34 murders
per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest
in the world, but lower than the neighbouring
countries of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
Compared to the other districts in Belize,
Belize District (containing Belize City) had
the most murders by far compared to all the
other districts.
In 2015, 55% of the murders occurred in the
Belize District.
The violence in Belize City (especially the
southern part of the city) is largely due
to gang warfare.In 2015, there were 40 reported
cases of rape, 214 robberies, 742 burglaries,
and 1027 cases of theft.The Belize Police
Department has implemented many protective
measures in hopes of decreasing the high number
of crimes.
These measures include adding more patrols
to "hot spots" in the city, obtaining more
resources to deal with the predicament, creating
the "Do the Right Thing for Youths at Risk"
program, creating the Crime Information Hotline,
creating the Yabra Citizen Development Committee,
an organisation that helps youth, and many
other initiatives.
The Belize Police Department began an Anti-Crime
Christmas campaign targeting criminals; as
a result, the crime rates dropped in that
month.
In 2011, the government established a truce
among many major gangs, lowering the murder
rate.
=== Social structure ===
Belize's social structure is marked by enduring
differences in the distribution of wealth,
power, and prestige.
Because of the small size of Belize's population
and the intimate scale of social relations,
the social distance between the rich and the
poor, while significant, is nowhere as vast
as in other Caribbean and Central American
societies, such as Jamaica and El Salvador.
Belize lacks the violent class and racial
conflict that has figured so prominently in
the social life of its Central American neighbours.Political
and economic power remain vested in the hands
of the local elite.
The sizable middle group is composed of peoples
of different ethnic backgrounds.
This middle group does not constitute a unified
social class, but rather a number of middle-class
and working-class groups, loosely oriented
around shared dispositions toward education,
cultural respectability, and possibilities
for upward social mobility.
These beliefs, and the social practices they
engender, help distinguish the middle group
from the grass roots majority of the Belizean
people.
=== Women ===
In 2013, the World Economic Forum ranked Belize
101st out of 135 countries in its Global Gender
Gap Report.
Of all the countries in Latin America and
the Caribbean, Belize ranked 3rd from last
and had the lowest female-to-male ratio for
primary school enrollment.
In 2013, the UN gave Belize a Gender Inequality
Index score of 0.435, ranking it 79th out
of 148 countries.As of 2013, 48.3% of women
in Belize participate in the workforce, compared
to 81.8% of men.
13.3% of the seats in Belize's National Assembly
are filled by women.
== Culture ==
In Belizean folklore, there are the legends
of Lang Bobi Suzi, La Llorona, La Sucia, Tata
Duende, X'tabai, Anansi, Xtabay, Sisimite
and the cadejo.
Most of the public holidays in Belize are
traditional Commonwealth and Christian holidays,
although some are specific to Belizean culture
such as Garifuna Settlement Day and Baron
Bliss Day.
In addition, the month of September is considered
a special time of national celebration.
Besides Independence Day and St. George's
Caye Day, Belizeans also celebrate Carnival
during September, which typically includes
several events spread across multiple days.
In some areas of Belize, however, Carnival
is celebrated at the traditional time before
Lent (in February).
=== Cuisine ===
Belizean cuisine is an amalgamation of all
ethnicity in the nation, and their respectively
wide variety of foods.
It might best be described as both similar
to Mexican/Central American cuisine and Jamaican/Anglo-Caribbean
cuisine.
Breakfast typically consists of bread, flour
tortillas, or fry jacks that are often homemade.
Fry jacks are eaten with various cheeses,
refried beans, various forms of eggs or cereal,
along with powdered milk, coffee, or tea.
Midday meals vary, from foods such as rice
and beans with or without coconut milk, tamales
(fried maize shells with beans or fish), "panades",
meat pies, escabeche (onion soup), chimole
(soup), caldo, stewed chicken and garnaches
(fried tortillas with beans, cheese, and sauce)
to various constituted dinners featuring some
type of rice and beans, meat and salad or
coleslaw.
In rural areas, meals are typically more simple
than in cities.
The Maya use maize, beans, or squash for most
meals, and the Garifuna are fond of seafood,
cassava (particularly made into cassava bread
or Ereba) and vegetables.
The nation abounds with restaurants and fast
food establishments selling fairly cheaply.
Local fruits are quite common, but raw vegetables
from the markets less so.
Mealtime is a communion for families and schools
and some businesses close at midday for lunch,
reopening later in the afternoon.
Steak is also common.
=== Music ===
Punta is a popular genre of Garifuna music
and has become one of the most popular kinds
of music in Belize.
It is distinctly Afro-Caribbean, and is sometimes
said to be ready for international popularization
like similarly-descended styles (reggae, calypso,
merengue).
Brukdown is a modern style of Belizean music
related to calypso.
It evolved out of the music and dance of loggers,
especially a form called buru.
Reggae, dancehall, and soca imported from
Jamaica and the rest of the West Indies, rap,
hip-hop, heavy metal and rock music from the
United States, are also popular among the
youth of Belize.
=== Sports ===
The major sports in Belize are football, basketball,
volleyball and cycling, with smaller followings
of boat racing, athletics, softball, cricket,
rugby and netball.
Fishing is also popular in coastal 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
one of the most important Belize sports events.
This one-day sports event is meant for amateur
cyclists but has also gained worldwide popularity.
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 (now Phillip Goldson
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 by creating
a sporting event on the difficult terrain
of the Western Highway, which was then poorly
built.
Another major annual sporting event in Belize
is the La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge,
a 4-day canoe marathon held each year in March.
The race runs from San Ignacio to Belize City,
a distance of 180 miles (290 km).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.
The Belize national basketball team is the
only national team that has achieved major
victories internationally.
The team won the 1998 CARICOM Men's Basketball
Championship, held at the Civic Center in
Belize City, and subsequently participated
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.
Simone Biles, the winner of four gold medals
in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, is a dual citizen of the
United States and of Belize, which she considers
her second home.
Biles is herself Belizean-American in descent.
=== National symbols ===
The national flower is the black orchid (Prosthechea
cochleata, also known as Encyclia cochleata).
The national tree is the mahogany tree (Swietenia
macrophylla), which inspired the national
motto Sub Umbra Floreo, which means "Under
the shade I flourish".
The national animal is the Baird's tapir and
the national bird is the keel-billed toucan
(Ramphastos sulphuratus).
== See also ==
Index of Belize-related articles
Outline of Belize
== Notes ==
== 
References ==
== 
External links ==
Government of Belize – Official governmental
site
Wikimedia Atlas of Belize
Profile at U.S. Department of State
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
LANIC Belize page
"Belize".
The World Factbook.
Central Intelligence Agency.
Belize at UCB Libraries GovPubs
Belize at Curlie
Belize from the BBC News
Key Development Forecasts for Belize from
International Futures
Hydromet.gov.bz – Official website of the
Belize National Meteorological Service
