Belize

Belize
Coat of arms of Belize Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Sub Umbra Floreo (Latin) "Under the Shade I Flourish"
Anthem: Land of the Free
Capital	Belmopan 17°15′N 88°46′W
Largest city	Belize City
Official languages	English (de jure), Spanish (de facto)
Government	Commonwealth Realm
- Monarch	Elizabeth II
- Governor-General	Colville Young
- Prime Minister	Said Musa
Independence	from the United Kingdom
- Date	September 21, 1981
Area
- Total	22,966 km² (150th) 8,867 sq mi
- Water (%)	0.7
Population
- (July 2007 est.) estimate	294,385
- Density	12/km² 31/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$2.098 billion
- Per capita	$7,832
HDI  (2003)	0.753 (medium)
Currency	Dollar (BZD)
Internet TLD	.bz
Calling code	+501

Belize (IPA: [bəˈliːz]), formerly known as British Honduras, is a small nation on the eastern coast of Central America, on the Caribbean Sea bordered by Mexico to the northwest and Guatemala to the west and south. The country is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy which recognizes Queen Elizabeth II as Sovereign. The nation of Honduras is a near neighbour, 75 km away (47 miles) across the Gulf of Honduras to the east. The name is derived from the Belize River which Belize City, the former capital and largest city, is also named after. In Spanish it is usually called Belice. Belize was a British colony for more than a century, known as British Honduras, until 1973. It became an independent nation in 1981. Belize is a member of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Sistema de Integracion Centro Americana (SICA) and considers itself to be both Caribbean, and Central American. With 8,867 square miles (22,960 sq. km) of territory and only 291,800 people (Belize CSO, 2005 mid year est.), the population density is the lowest in the Central American region and one of the lowest in the world.

Geography

Belize is located between the Hondo and Sarstoon Rivers, with the Belize River flowing down in the centre of the country. The north of Belize consists mostly of flat, swampy coastal plains, in places heavily forested. The south contains the low mountain range of the Maya Mountains, whose Victoria Peak is the highest point in Belize at 1,160 m. All along the Caribbean coast are found coral reefs or cays. Belize is home to the longest barrier reef in the western hemisphere and the second longest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef.

The climate is tropical and generally very hot and humid. The rainy season lasts from May to November and hurricanes and floods are frequent natural hazards.

History

Xunantunich, Belize

The Maya civilization spread over Belize between 1500 B.C.E. and AD 300 and flourished until about AD 900.

The first Europeans arrived in the area in the early sixteenth century and settlement began with British privateers and shipwrecked English seamen as early as 1638.

The origin of the name Belize is unclear but one explanation is that it derives from the Spanish pronunciation of "Wallace", the name of the pirate who created the first settlement in Belize in 1638. Another possibility is that the name is from the Maya word belix, meaning "muddy water", applied to the Belize River.

Taking advantage of Spain’s inability to establish—and apparent lack of interest in establishing—control over present-day Belize, Englishmen began to cut logwood (Haematoxylon campechianum L.), a dyewood greatly valued in Europe as the principal dyestuff for the expanding woollen industry. By the 1770s, a second tropical exotic timber, mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King), replaced logwood as the main export from Belize. The economy of Belize remained based on the extraction of mahogany until the early 1900s when the cultivation of export crops such as citrus, sugar cane, and bananas came to dominate the economy.

The early settlement of Belize in the Bay of Honduras grew from a few habitations located at Belize Town and St George's Caye, into a de-facto colony of the United Kingdom during the late eighteenth century. In the early nineteenth century, the settlement was called the British Honduras, and in 1862 it became a Crown Colony.

Hurricane Hattie inflicted significant damage upon Belize in 1961. The government decided that having a coastal capital city that is below sea level was too risky. Over several years, the British colonial government designed a new capital Belmopan at the exact geographic centre of the country, and in 1970 began slowly moving the governing offices there.

British Honduras became a self-governing colony in January 1964 and was renamed Belize in June 1973; it was Britain's last colony on the American mainland. George Price led the country to full independence in September 1981 after delays caused by territorial disputes with neighbouring Guatemala, which did not formally recognise the country until 1992.

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 most eastern province. As of 2005, the border dispute with Guatemala remains unresolved and quite contentious, at various times the issue has involved mediation assistance from the United Kingdom and the CARICOM heads of Government.

Belize was recently the site of unrest directed at the country's ruling party concerning tax increases in the national budget.

Politics

Belizian protests, 21st January 2005

Belize is a parliamentary democracy and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The head of state is currently Queen Elizabeth II, represented in the country by a governor-general, who must be a Belizean.

The primary executive organ of government is the cabinet, led by a prime minister who is head of government. Cabinet ministers are members of the majority political party in parliament and usually hold elected seats within it concurrently with their cabinet positions.

The bicameral Belizean parliament is the National Assembly, which consists of a House of Representatives and a Senate. The 29 members of the House are popularly elected to a maximum 5-year term. Of the Senate's eight members, five are chosen by the prime minister, two by the leader of the opposition, and one by the governor general on the advice of the Belize Advisory Council. The Senate is headed by a president, who is a nonvoting member appointed by the governing party.

Belize is a full participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Economy

The majority of the Belizean economy is comprised of the tourism industry. Agriculture is also key part of the economy.

The small, essentially private enterprise economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism (especially scuba diving) and construction assuming greater importance. Sugar, the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of exports, while the banana industry is the country's largest employer. Citrus production has become a major industry along the Hummingbird Highway.

The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to GDP growth of 6.4% in 1999 and 10.5% in 2000. Growth decelerated in 2001 to 3% due to the global slowdown and severe hurricane damage to agriculture, fishing and tourism. Major concerns continue to be the rapidly expanding trade deficit and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors.

Demographics

Map of Belize

Belize's population is 294,385 (July 2007 est.). Emigration is relatively high, Approximately 105,000 Belizeans currently live abroad (mostly in the United States). Most Belizeans are of multiracial and multiethnic descent. However, for census purposes as well as Belizean custom, people are usually recognized by their father's ethnicity. About 49% are of mixed Maya and European descent (Mestizo). The first mestizos to settle in Belize were Mexicans fleeing from the Caste War of the Yucatan Peninsula in 1847-48. They founded the town of Corozal (1849) and their descendants can be found living today. A second and larger mestizo migration took place during the 1980’s with the arrival of thousands of refugees from Guatemala, and El Salvador. Until the early 1980’s, Belizean Creole constituted 70% of the population, but today they are about 25% of the population. This was due to refugees coming in from neighboring countries as well as emigration of thousands of Creoles. Creoles are descendants of African slaves brought primarily from Jamaica and Nicaragua’s Miskito Coast to cut down mahogany trees.

Though no longer the majority, Creole culture is still dominant in Belize (especially Belize City). The indigenous Mayas make up about 10% of the population. The Garifuna or (Garinagu) are descendants of Africans as well as Carib and Arawakan Amerindians and make up 6%. In the early 1600’s at least two thousand escaped their Spanish captives on the Island of San Vicente, what is now (Saint Vincent) . They are said to have never been slaves and they have retained many of their cultures and customs that would support this. When the English took control of the island, the “Red” Caribs were mostly killed off, and the “Black” Caribs were deported to Roatan Bay in Honduras . Many would settle in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Belize. The rest of the population are Chinese, East Indian, and North American peoples.

Memorial Park, Belize City

The Swing Bridge, on Haulover Creek. Belize City

The official language of Belize is English and sole language of instruction in its school systems. Around 80% of the population is literate in English and as much as 90% of the population is able to speak some English.The most common language however is Belizean Creole or Kriol. Kriol is the lingua franca in much of the country and is spoken by nearly everyone in Belize as either a first- or second-language (95% of all people in Belize City speak Belizean Creole and English soley). To speak it is to be Belizean.

Overall Kriol is spoken by 70% of the entire population as a first language (with around 20% speaking Creole solely and no Standard English). The next most widely spoken language is Spanish, which is spoken by approximately 30% of the population as a first, but mainly as a second-language according to the 2000 census. In Orange Walk and Corozal Districts, Spanish is the majority language (60%). Some communities in southern Belize mostly speak Garifuna and the Kekchi, Mopan, and Yucatan Maya languages. Despite the many languages (around 8 different languages in all) the 2000 census also estimated that around 70% of all Belizeans were bilingual or even "trilingual".

Culture and tourism

Belize boasts a rich mix of ethnicities including Creole, Maya, Mestizo, East Indian, Chinese, Garifuna and Mennonite. Among its other cultural attractions, it has thousands of Maya archaeological temples and in 2001 UNESCO declared the Garifuna language, dance and music a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity", along with Honduras and Nicaragua. Belize is the only country in Central America without a pacific coastline and also the only one with English as its official language. Ninety three percent (93%) of its land mass is under forest and it also possesses the largest cave system in Central America. As a result, Belize's biodiversity is rich, both marine and terrestrial, with a host of flora and fauna. Forty-two percent (42%) of its territory falls under some form of official protected status. As such conservation activities remain an important priority in government policy with the notable example of having the only jaguar reserve in the world among its protected areas. However, Belize is best known for its marine environment, in particular, for having the longest living barrier reef in the western hemisphere and the second longest contiguous reef in the world after Australia. Consequently, divers flock to Belize to enjoy its underwater attractions. Belize, as a consequence of its medley of cultural attractions, unique marine and terrestrial biodiversity, and conservation efforts, is fast becoming a hotspot for travellers seeking eco-tourism and adventure vacation experiences.

Mayan ruins in Belize

Altun Ha archaeological site, Belize.

Colonization, slavery, and immigration have played major roles in affecting the ethnic composition of the population and as a result, Belize is a country of various cultures, languages, and ethnic groups. Belize consist of Creole, Garifuna, Mestizo, Spanish, Maya, English, Mennonite, Lebanese, Chinese, and East Indian. Due to racial harmony and the religious tolerance of its various Christian peoples, all of these different elements have mixed and blended successfully, and Belize has gained a widespread reputation for its friendly peoples.

As a result of the country's long colonization by the British, English is the official language of Belize. Creole dialect frequently can be heard in the major cities and in the northern regions, Spanish is also widely spoken. Garifuna dialects are also heard, but it is not as predominant as the above languages.

Food, music and socialization are as diverse as the people with whom they are associated.

Religion

Belize is a predominantly Christian society. Roman Catholicism is accepted by about half of the population, and Protestantism by about a quarter. Much of the remaining population is comprised of Taoists, Buddhists and more recently introduced religions like Jainists, Islam, and Bahá'í. Hinduism is followed by most Asian immigrants; Islam is also common among the Middle-eastern immigrants and has also gained a following among Creoles and Garifuna. Religious freedom is guaranteed and churches dot the streets of Belize almost as frequently as places of business; Catholics frequently visit the country for special gospel revivals. Jehovah's Witnesses have also enjoyed significant increase in recent years and now make up around 2% of the population.

Further reading

• Belize Carlos Ledson Miller (novel)
• Belize: A Concise History P. A. B. Thomson
• Belize : Land of the Free By The Carib Sea Thor Janson
• Confederate Settlements in British Honduras Donald C., Jr. Simmons
• Fodor's Guide: Belize and Guatemala
• 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
• Moon Handbooks: Belize Chicki Mallan and Joshua Berman
• Our Man in Belize: A Memoir Richard Timothy Conroy
• 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
• Belize Tourism Board - Official Tourism site
• Belize by Naturalight - Belize Portal
• Belizean Journeys - Belize Online Magazine
• Belize Forums - Community Forums on Belize
• Belize.Net - Belize Specific Search Engine
• Conservation in Belize - Nature Conservacy on Belize coral reef
• Map
• Belize Travel Guide - Extensive articles on Belize

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