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Belize District
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The Belize District is a district of the nation of Belize, with its district capital being the nation's largest city, Belize City.
Settlements San Pedro Town, which is situated on the island of Ambergris Caye, is also in the Belize District. Caye Caulker and St. George's Caye are the island villages in this district. Maskall, Bomba, Corozalito, Santana, Lucky Strike, Rockstone Pond, Boston, Crooked Tree, Biscayne, May Pen, Gardenia, Grace Bank, Sand Hill, Lord's Bank, Ladyville, Burrel Boom, Buttercup, Scotland Halfmoon, Flowers Bank, Bermudian Landing, Isabella Bank, Double Head Cabbage, Willows Bank, Saint Paul's Bank, Big Falls, Rancho Dolores, Hattieville, Freetown Sibun, Gracie Rock, La Democracia, and Gales Point are all mainland villages in the Belize District. The Crooked Tree and Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuaries, the Belize Zoo (30 miles west of Belize City), as well as the ancient Maya ruins of Altun Ha are all in this district.
History The Belize District was the area first settled by Europeans. They developed estates along the rivers and creeks; because these waterways were their transportation highways. Many of the estates were referred to as the owner's 'bank'(as in the banks of a river). Therefore, Mr. Lord's estate on the bank of the Belize River became Lord's Bank and Mr. Flowers' home place on this same river became Flowers Bank. Many of these old estates have grown into villages; while other places on our map such as Baker, Bob Eiley, Bocotora, Butcher Burns, Lime Walk, More Force, Nago Bank, Washing Tree, Cedar Bank, Churchyard, Eygpt, Watters Bank, and White Hill are old estates which did not become villages. Some places like Davis Bank and Tropical Park have now become parts of larger communities.
Geography Most of the Belize District is in the east central mainland of Belize; the Belize District also includes various offshore islands, including Ambergris Caye,Caye Caulker, St. George's Caye, Caye Chapel, English Caye and Goff's Caye. Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker are considered two of the country's primary tourism areas. The longest river in the country, the Belize River, passes through the district and joins the Caribbean Sea along its coast. The Northern River, Sibun River, and Manatee River are also in this District.
Population The 2005 mid-year population estimate of the Belize District was 87,000 with an estimated 69,200 of these living in the two urban areas. Belize City is by far the large of the two with an estimated population of 60,800. San Pedro Town has a population of about 8,900. The population of all the villages and outlying communities combined is about 17,800 persons.
Political divisions Politically, Belize District contains 13 Constituencies according to the Elections and Boundaries Department. 10 of these are in Belize City proper; the remainder are classified as rural.
Belize City Constituencies The 10 Constituencies that fall within the city limits of Belize are: Albert, Caribbean Shores, Collet, Fort George, Freetown, Lake Independence, Mesopotamia, Pickstock, Port Loyola, and Queen's Square.
Belize Rural North Belize Rural North contains the northern half of mainland Belize District, including Maskall, Lucky Strike and villages in the Belize River Valley and along the Northern Highway, except for Ladyville and Lord's Bank. Its current representative is Edmond Castro of the United Democratic Party.
Belize Rural Central Belize Rural Central is limited to the southern half of mainland Belize District and containing the important villages of Ladyville, Lord's Bank, Hattieville and Gales Point, Bermudian Landing, Burrel Boom Village. As of 2008, the UDP's Michael Hutchinson is area representative following his defeat of PUP veteran Ralph Fonseca.
Belize Rural South Belize Rural South contains the offshore islands of the Belize District. The larger islands are Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Caye Chapel, St. George's Caye, and the Turneffe Islands. Its main town is San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. The current representative is the UDP's Manuel Heredia; the PUP standard bearer is Merlene Spain.
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