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Belize Facts and Trivia

"Cliffnotes" on Belize

Belize History at a Glance

Maps of Belize

 

Belize Facts and Trivia

Flag and National Anthem

Click Flag to Download Belize's National Anthem

The Country

 -The 2nd smallest country in Central America.

-The most sparsely populated country in Central America with 230,000 people (1997 est.).

-The capital is Belmopan, 35 miles inland from Belize City.

The People

-About 1/3 of the country's population lives in Belize City.

-Approximately 30% of all Belizeans live outside the country.

-At least 90% of all Belizeans are literate.

-Most (60%) of Belizeans are bilingual (mostly English/Spanish).

-The people make up a multi-cultural society that has remained remarkably cohesive:

The Language

 -English is the official language & is used exclusively in instruction in schools.

-Approximately 2/3rds of Belizeans speak Creole English, which is similar to Jamaican patois.

-Spanish is widely spoken, especially in the northern (immigrants from Mexico) and southern (immigrants from war-ravaged, Spanish-speaking Central American countries) districts.

-Various Maya dialects also are spoken: Kekchi, Mopan, Yucatac.

-An archaic Low German dialect is spoken by the Mennonites.

-The Garifuna speak their own language, a mixture of West Indian, West African (Yoruba), Spanish, English and French words and grammar.

Weather, Rainfall, Hurricanes

-The climate is subtropical, with a mean annual temp (°F) = 79 (range=50-95°F).

-Mean low/high temperatures (°F)are : 81° (Dec.) to 85-87° (Apr.-Aug.).

-The dry season is Nov.-May; wet season is June-Nov.

-Belize is in a hurricane belt: hurricanes may occur June-Nov., but are most likely to occur in Aug. & Sept.; the most recent hurricanes were in 1955 (Janet--nearly destroyed Corozal Town), 1961 (Hattie--nearly destroyed Belize City), 1978 (Gretta--nearly destroyed Belize City again), & 1998 (Mitch--hit the city of San Pedro).

-Rainfall varies widely from N--->S: Corozal gets 40-60 inches/year (mean = 50), whereas Punta Gorda in S averages 160-190 inches/year (mean = 175).

The Economy

-It was nce based on logwood, mahogany, and chicle export (started in 1600's).

-Today it is based on:

-The Belize government maintains an approx. $100+ million/year balance of trade deficit.

Politics

-Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II.

-Governor General: Dr. Colville N. Young, Sr.

-Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs: Said Musa.

-Senior Minister: George Price.

-Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Natural Resources & Environment: John Briceno.

-Two major political parties: Peoples United Party (PUP) & United Democratic Party (UDP).

-Independence declared on September 21, 1989.

Natural Resources

-70% of Belize is still covered by forest.

-80% of the country's pristine forests have been preserved with 200,000 acres of tropical jungle under permanent government protection.

-Belize has the 2nd largest coastal barrier reef in the world, which runs 10-40 miles offshore along the entire 185-mile length of Belize's coast.

-Much of the interior of Belize remains virtually untouched by humans.

-Most of Belize's mangrove areas (some estimates as high as 90%) are still intact.

Contact Information

-U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Office of Latin American & the Caribbean, 14th & Constitution, NW, Washington, DC 20230.

-Tel: 202-482-1658; 202-USA-Trade; internet address: http://www.ita.doc.gov.

 

"Cliffnotes" On Belize

          Belize is a small independent nation lying south of the Yucatan Peninsula, east of Guatemala and north of Honduras. It is about the size of New Jersey and is populated by app. 260,000 persons. The country is typically flat in the north, an area characterized by large sugar cane farms, pasture land and forested areas. The central area is used for cattle and citrus farming among large areas of virgin forest and jungle. Towards the south, the terrain becomes mountainous, and is typified by many rivers that originate in the mountains and drain into the coastal lowlands. A true tropical rain forest can be found in this area as the region receives over 150 inches of rain/year. The coast of Belize is protected by the longest barrier reef in this hemisphere. Lying inside the reef are literally hundreds of small cayes (islands), virtually all of which are fringed with coral.
          The original inhabitants of Belize were archaic Amerindians who were later followed by Mayan Indians from Mexico and Guatemala. Today, remnants of this great civilization can be found scattered throughout the country. There are many ruins in Belize, the great majority of which have been virtually untouched. These ruins are examples of accomplishments during the Classic period of the Maya. Around the 10th century, the Classic period ended. Why this happened remains a mystery and is much debated by scholars today. What is known is that many Maya apparently moved and again built great cities with temples and pyramids in the Yucatan. Relatively few Maya remained in Belize.
          After Columbus made his first four voyages to the New World, soldiers and settlers from Spain came to the area now known as Central America. During this time, many battles were waged between the Spaniards and the Maya with the Spaniards eventually winning out and establishing settlements throughout Central America, but curiously, leaving the coastland of Belize unoccupied.
          During the early 16th century, Belize was settled by logwood cutters and buccaneers. Logwood was important economically because the heartwood has a natural dye, hematoxylin, used by Europeans to dye fabrics). Logwood cutters and buccaneers were in Belize because their countries, namely Holland, England and France, were challenging the Spanish monopoly in Central America. Smuggling and pirating soon became commonplace. Between 1550-1600, sea activity against Spain reached its zenith. Gradually, more and more settlers came to Belize. Major settlements were established at Stann Creek, Placencia, and on Tobacco Caye. In 1638, a group of Englishmen were shipwrecked near the mouth of the Belize River. Their camp was established in the area now known as Belize City.
          In 1667, Spain and England signed the Treaty of Madrid by which Spain agreed to recognize British rule over those Caribbean lands in her possession. In return, Britain agreed to control and suppress the buccaneers.  However, for the next 130 years, relations between England and Spain were, at best, strained. Fighting broke out numerous times, generally resulting from the Spanish raiding the settlements of logwood cutters. Nonetheless, the logwood trade flourished, and the cutters spread farther west into the forests. In this manner, Belize became settled.
          Friction between Spain and Belize came to a climax in 1798. After a period of skirmishes in which Spain attacked/destroyed small settlements and attacked British shipping, both Spain and France declared war on Britain. On September 3, 1798, Spain attacked Belize with over 32 ships and many sea and land troops. Spain was driven back repeatedly by a small cadre of Belize settlers, slaves, and English ships. On September 10th, the Spaniards attacked St. George's Caye and were soundly beaten. This became an important date (National Day) in Belize history, for it gave the settlers grounds for claiming the land as their own.
          During the period of 1800-1900, another important group of people settled in Belize. These were the Caribs from the Mosquito Coast and Roatan (off Spanish Honduras). Their history began when a slave ship from Africa was wrecked off an island near St. Vincent. The ship-wrecked Africans mingled with the island's inhabitants, Red Caribs. Their children became known as Black Caribs. After a series of uprisings, the British deported the Caribs to Roatan and other Bay Islands. Gradually, they migrated to Belize, both by boat and overland. Today, persons with African heritage, which includes the Caribs, Creoles, and Mestizos, make up about 85-90% of the Belizean populace.
          Gradually over the years, Belize has evolved from a region characterized by scattered settlements of people to a nation of towns and cities. However, much of the country still is uninhabited and unexplored.
          Belize received its independence from England on September 21, 1981. For years it has been self-governing, and the citizens enjoy universal suffrage. Today, it is a stable, two party democracy with a parliamentary system of government similar to that of England.
          Historically, Belize and the United States have had close ties. Belize imports many products from the U.S., and many Belizeans either have visited the U.S. or have relatives or friends working here. Students and visitors find Belizeans intelligent, warm, friendly, and proud of their heritage and their resources. The country's small size and the fact that it is in the developing stage economically, requires Belize to import a majority of its products, especially oil and gas. Consequently, its economy still suffers from continuing trade deficits.  

    

Belize History at a Glance

 

7500 B.C.       Archaic tribes roamed the area that is now Belize.
2000 B.C.    Earliest Maya thought to have entered the area of Belize from Mexico and Guatemala.
1000 B.C.-300 A.D. Pre-Classic Maya period: Mayan culture developed & its population increased dramatically.
300-900 A.D.   Classic Maya period: heart of the Mayan Empire when Mayan civilization flourished with a collection of complex city-states.
1000-1500 A.D. Post-Classic Maya period: Mayan civilization declined & the underlying structure of their civilization disintegrated; the reasons are unknown.
1502 Cristofer Columbus sailed along the Belize coast & named the Bay of Honduras.
1500's First Europeans, mostly Spanish, arrived in Belize, but apparently no permanent settlements were established in the early 1600's. Puritan traders from Nicaragua established outposts on several barrier reef cayes.
1638

Shipwrecked British sailors started their own colony on the Belize coast.
1641 Spanish forces forcibly removed Puritans from their trading posts.
1660 Buccaneer Bert Sharp began first documented lumbering effort in Belize, & he and his followers became known as the "Baymen."
late 1600's British & Scottish pirates established permanent bases in Belize to  attack Spanish galleons.
late 16-/early 1700's African slaves were imported from Jamaica & other British-controlled islands in the Caribbean to work the lumber industry for the Baymen.
early-mid 1700's Baymen lumbering was a booming industry & encroached further into the Belizean interior in search of larger hardwood trees.
1736 & 1786 Spain signed treaties with Britain to cooperate in suppression of piracy & protection of the lumber industry.
late 1780's Britain finally sent "official" representatives to the Bay Settlement.
1797 First influx of Garifuna people into Belize after they were forcibly expelled from St. Vincent Island, West Indies.
Sept. 10, 1798 Baymen & one British schooner defeated a Spanish Armada off St. George's Caye, near Belize City; this is now celebrated as Belize's "National Day."
1821 Spain dismantled its New World Empire & granted independence to Mexico and Guatemala.
Nov.19, 1823  Large population of Garifuna from the Bay Islands joined about 200 others who had settled near the mouth of Stann Creek some 25 years earlier; the day of this mass landing is celebrated as "Settlement Day," a national holiday in Belize.
1838

Slavery is outlawed in the British Empire, including Belize.

1840

Britain declared Belize to be "the colony of British Honduras."

1847-1858 Caste Wars in Mexico; Indian & Mestizo slaves revolted in Yucatan & fled to Belize for British protection
1859  Guatemala signed treaty with Britain confirming Belize's present boundaries in return for  Britain building a road from Guatemala’s capital to Belize City (Guatemala never formally ratified the treaty because Britain never built the road).
1862 The formal administration of British Honduras by Britain began.
1871 

British Honduras was formally recognized as a Crown Colony by Britain.
1897  Mexico signed treaty with Britain renouncing any claims to Belize.
1900 Population of British Honduras was 37,000.
after WW I Thousands of returning Creole soldiers rioted in a violent expression of their demand for better social conditions.
1931 Hurricane hit Belize & compounded the country's economic woes.
after WW II Growing unrest & continued deterioration of economic conditions forced the British ruling minority to ban public marches & pass restrictive laws against public meetings.
1950 George Price began to lead the movement for independence in Belize.
1954 Voting rights were extended to all adults in Belize.
1955 A form of ministerial government was introduced by Britain in Belize.
1961 Hurricane Hattie nearly destroyed Belize City; continued social unrest forced Britain to finally agree to begin the process of giving Belize its freedom from British rule.
1964  Belize self-government was instituted, modeled on the Westminster parliamentary system; a Bicameral Assembly consisting of a Senate (5 members) and a House (28 members) was established with the members popularly-elected. 
1973 British Hounduras' name was officially changed to Belize.
Sept. 21, 1981  Belize independence was formally declared.
1984 Belize declared the Cockscomb Basin (3,000 acres) a national forest reserve & became the first country to protect an area specifically for jaguars.
1990 Over 200,000 acres of tropical jungle were placed under permanent protection of the Belizean government, including an additional 102,000 acres in the Cockscomb Basin.
1991 Guatemala’s president recognized Belize's independence, finally!

                           

Maps of Belize

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