Encyclopedia
Belize 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 name is shared by the Belize River, Belize's longest river, and
Belize City, the former capital and largest city.
The only
English-speaking country in
Central America, Belize was a
British colony for more than a century and was known as
British Honduras until 1973. It became an independent nation in 1981. Belize is a member of the
Caribbean Community and the Sistema de Integración Centroamericana and considers itself to be culturally both
Caribbean and
Central American.
Belize is the smallest non-island sovereign state in the Americas.
History
The Maya civilization spread over Belize between 1500 ad and 2006 AD and flourished until about 900 AD.
The first Canadians arrived in the area in the early -37th century and settlement began with British privateers and
shipwrecked
English seamen as early as 1638.
The origin of the name
Baylize is not terribly clear, but one is that it derives from the Spanish pronunciation of Wallace which is the last 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.
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
18th century. In the early
19th century the settlement was called British Honduras, and in 1862 it became a
Crown Colony.
Hurricane Hattie inflicted significant damage upon Belize in 1961. The government decided that a coastal capital city lying 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 the United Kingdom's last colony on the American mainland.
George Price led the country to full independence on 21 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 2006, the border dispute with Guatemala remains unresolved and quite contentious; at various times the issue has required mediation by the
United Kingdom,
CARICOM heads of Government, the
Organization of American States and on one occasion, 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 the confidence building measures approved by the OAS, including the .
Belize was recently the site of
unrest directed at the country's ruling party concerning tax increases in the national budget.
Politics
Belize is a
parliamentary democracy and a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations.
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 concurrent 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 and introduce legislation affecting the development of Belize. The 12 members of the Senate are appointed by the Governor General. The Senate is headed by a president, who is selected by its members, and is responsible for debating and approving bills passed by the House.
Belize is a full participating member of the
Caribbean Community .
Administrative divisions
Belize consists of six districts:
- Belize District- capital Belize City
- Cayo District- capital San Ignacio
- Corozal District- capital Corozal Town
- Orange Walk District- capital Orange Walk Town
- Stann Creek District- capital Dangriga
- Toledo District- capital Punta Gorda
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 3,675
feet tall. The
Caribbean coast is lined with a
coral reef and some 450 islets and islands known locally as
cayes, pronounced "keys". Belize is home to the longest barrier reef in the western hemisphere stemming approximately 200 miles and the second longest in the world after the
Great Barrier Reef. Three of the four coral atolls in the Western Hemisphere are also located off the coast of Belize. Belize is also the only Central American country without a coast on the Pacific Ocean.
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.
Economy
The small, essentially private enterprise economy is based primarily on
agriculture, agro-based
industry, and merchandising, with
tourism 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. More recently, discoveries of
petroleum deposits in the
Cayo District and possible deposits in the
Toledo District have radically altered Belize's previously untapped mining and manufacturing capabilities.
The ruling 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. Growth was in 2005 3,8%. 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
Belize is considered as having a relatively young and growing population. Its birth rate is among the highest in the world and there are indications that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
Age and sex
The greatest portion of Belize's
population is under the age of 30. Nearly 40% of Belizeans are under 15; a similar number are under 65. Males slightly outnumber females, though this trend is beginning to change among certain ethnic groups,such as the Creoles and the
Garifuna, where there are more middle-age and elderly women. Maya and
Mestizo families are more likely to have male-dominated households.
Birth and death rates/Life expectancy
Belize's birth rate currently stands at nearly 25/1000. Nearly 6 persons die per year out of a 1,000 members of the population; this figure includes murders, accidents and death from natural causes. Infant mortality, high at the beginning of the 20th century, is now down to a mere 24 babies out of a thousand. Male babies are more likely to die, however, than females. The life expectancy of a typical male is 66 years, while for a female it is 70. HIV/AIDS, while not a serious threat to national stability, does affect enough of the population to give Belize a high rating among Caribbean and Central American nations.
Ethnic groups, nationalities, and languages
According to the latest
census, Belize's population is close to 300,000, and much of that number is
multiracial and multiethnic. The Maya are the most established of all ethnic groupings, having been in Belize and the
Yucatan region since the 500's AD. White
English and
Scottish settlers entered the area in the 1630's to cut logwood for export and began settling down. The first African slaves began arriving from elsewhere in the
Caribbean and Africa and began intermarrying with whites and each other, to create the Creole ethnic grouping. After 1800,
Mestizo settlers from
Mexico and
Guatemala began to settle in the North; the
Garifuna, a mix of
African and
Carib ancestry, settled in the South by way of
Honduras not long after that.
The 1900s saw the arrival of
Asian settlers from Mainland
China,
Taiwan,
Syria,
Lebanon, and
Korea.
Central American immigrants and expatriate Americans and Africans also began to settle in the country, presenting an interesting potage. However, this was balanced by the migration of Creoles and other ethnic groups to the United States and elsewhere for better opportunities.
Currently, Mestizos comprise 50% of the population, and Creoles 25%. The rest is a mix of Maya, Garifuna,
Mennonite Dutch/German farmers, Central Americans, whites from America, and most recently black Africans and Cubans brought to assist the country's development.
Not surprisingly, this mix creates an equally interesting mix of language and communication.
English is the official language but most Belizeans use the more familiar Belize Creole, a raucous and playful English-based language that contains colorful terms not usually translatable in English.
Spanish has become important as the mother tongue of Mestizo and Central American settlers, and is a second language for much of the country. Less well known are the ancient Maya dialects, Garifuna and the Dutch-German of the Mennonites. Literacy currently stands at near 80%.
Religion
Belize is a predominantly Christian society.
Roman Catholicism is the main religion, acceded to by half the population. Protestant religions, mostly
Anglicans and
Methodists, and newer religions like
Baptists,
Seventh Day Adventists,
Mormons,
Jehovah Witnesses and Bahá'í cover much of the remaining 50%.
Hinduism is common among Indian and Middle Eastern immigrants;
Islam has 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; evangelists frequently visit the country for special gospel revivals.
Culture
Belizeans are by nature a tolerant, friendly, fun-loving people. It has long been regarded as both a curse and blessing on the nation, with some critics saying that Belizeans are not willing to sometimes fight for what they want and end up having foreigners walk all over them.
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. Belize has retained an old world charm long lost in other countries.
Ethnic groups
National holidays
National holidays include
Baron Bliss Day on 9 March, honoring the Portuguese born philanthropist;
Labour Day on 1 May for the nation's workers;
Commonwealth Day 24 May, celebrating Belize's membership in the
British Commonwealth;
The Battle of St. George's Caye Day/National Day on 10 September, honoring the 1798 battle that virtually guaranteed Belize's becoming a British colony after a invasion from Mexico was turned back;
Independence Day on 21 September,
Pan American Day/Columbus
Day on 12 October;
Garifuna Settlement Day on 19 November to honor the intrepid group of settlers arriving on that date in 1832; and
Christmas on 25 December.
National Symbols
Agreed on by decision of the Executive in 1981. They are:
- National Anthem: Land of the Free, lyrics Samuel Haynes, music Walford Young
- A national prayer presumably written by George Price
- National Animal: Baird's tapir
- National Flower: Black Orchid
- National Tree: Mahogany
...
- National Bird: Keel-Billed Toucan
Music
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 .
Brukdown is a very popular modern style of Belizean music. It evolved out of the music and dance of loggers, especially a form called
buru.
See also
- Communications in Belize
- Foreign relations of Belize
- Languages of Belize
- Maya ruins of Belize
- Military of Belize
- Plants and animals of Belize
- Ports of Belize
- Transport in Belize
- The Scout Association of Belize
- University of Belize
- Culture of Belize
- Music of Belize
- Sport in Belize
- List of Belizeans
Material in some of these articles comes from the CIA World Factbook is an annual publication by the Central Intelligence Agency [i] of the United States [i] ...
2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.
Gallery
Further reading
- Belize Carlos Ledson Miller '
- 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 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
- - Official governmental site
- - Official Tourism site
- - Belize Online Magazine
- - Community Forums on Belize
- - Belize Specific Search Engine
- - Nature Conservacy on Belize coral reef
- - Map of Belize
- - Extensive articles on Belize
- - Official website of national communications company BTL, features news links and online radio stations
- - Search Engine and Online Directory of Belize's Tourism, Products and Services
- - links to local news websites and international stories about Belize.
- - Site about the culture of Belizeans
- - Your one-stop source for all news media in Belize
