Belize

Belize, also known as Belize Kriol English: Bileez, is a country in Central America’s northeastern region (/bɪˈliːz, bɛ-/, bih-LEEZ, beh-). Mexico borders it to the north, Guatemala borders it to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea borders it to the east. To the southeast, it borders Honduras by water as well. Belize is regarded as a part of the Caribbean area and the former British West Indies. It is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Between 1500 BC and 300 AD, the Maya civilization expanded into the Belize region, flourishing until around 1200 AD. Along the Gulf of Honduras, Christopher Columbus’ voyage in 1502–04 marked the beginning of European contact. English colonists started exploring Europe in 1638.

Both Spain and Britain claimed the territory until the Battle of St. George’s Caye (1798), when Britain overcame the Spanish. In 1840, it became a British colony, and in 1862, it became a Crown colony.

On September 21, 1981, Belize became independent of the United Kingdom. With King Charles III serving as both the nation’s head of state and monarch and being represented by a governor-general, it is the only nation in mainland Central America that is a Commonwealth realm.

Belize holds a pivotal position in the internationally significant Mesoamerican Biological Corridor due to its profusion of terrestrial and marine plants and animals, as well as the diversity of its habitats, which includes large coral reefs.[15] It is regarded as a country in the Caribbean and Central America with close connections to both continents.

With a population of 397,483 in 2022, it occupies an area of 22,970 square kilometers (8,867 square miles). Its continental area is around 110 km (68 mi) broad and 290 km (180 mi) long. It is the least populous nation in Central America in terms of both density and population. With an estimated population growth rate of 1.87% annually as of 2018, it ranks second in the area and among the highest in the Western Hemisphere.

The largest city is Belize City, which bears the same name as the capital, Belmopan. The population of the nation is multilingual and consists of many cultural backgrounds. The most commonly spoken dialect is Belizean Creole, and it is the only nation in Central America where English is the official language.

The German dialects, Garifuna, and Mayan languages are the most widely spoken languages, with Spanish coming in second. Because of the population’s varied linguistic backgrounds, more than half of them speak more than one language. Punta music and September celebrations are well-known.

Name

The term “Belize” first appears in writing in 1677 in the notebook kept by the Dominican friar Fray José Delgado. Rio Soyte, Rio Kibum, and Rio Balis are the names of three significant rivers that Delgado encountered while traveling north along the Caribbean coast. Delgado’s translator gave him the names of these rivers, which are the Sittee River, Sibun River, and Belize River.

Despite the fact that there is no such Mayan term as belix (or Beliz), it has been suggested that Delgado’s “Balis” was indeed the word. It means “muddy water.” According to more contemporary theories, the term “bel Itza” (meaning “the way to Itza”) is derived from a Mayan word.

In the 1820s, the Creole elite of Belize developed the tale that the toponym Belize arose from the Spanish pronunciation of the name of a Scottish buccaneer, Peter Wallace, who built a town near the mouth of the Belize River in 1638.

Wallace’s very existence is regarded as fiction, and there is little evidence that buccaneers made this region their home. Other potential etymologies have been proposed by authors and historians, including hypothesized French and African roots.

History

Early history

In the lowlands of the Yucatán Peninsula and the highlands to the south, in what is now southeast Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and western Honduras, the Maya civilization first appeared at least three millennia ago. Despite over 500 years of European dominance, many features of this culture still exist in the region. Some tribes of hunters and gatherers established themselves in tiny farming communities around 2500 BC, and they tamed crops like maize, beans, squash, and chili peppers.

In the lowlands of the Yucatán Peninsula and the highlands to the south, in what is now southeast Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and western Honduras, the Maya civilization first appeared at least three millennia ago.

Despite over 500 years of European dominance, many features of this culture still exist in the region. Some tribes of hunters and gatherers established themselves in tiny farming communities around 2500 BC, and they tamed crops like maize, beans, squash, and chili peppers.

Throughout the Maya core civilization, a multitude of languages and subcultures emerged. The fundamental institutions of Maya civilization arose between 250 AD and 2500 BC.

Maya civilization

Around 1500 BC, the Maya civilization began to expand throughout what is now Belize, and it reached its height of prosperity around 900 AD. The center of political activity and an urban center for over 140,000 people, Caracol, is the main focus of the middle and southern areas’ documented history. Lamanai was the most significant political center to the north of the Maya Mountains. The region that is now Belize was home to between 400,000 and 1,000,000 individuals during the late Classic Period of the Maya Civilization (600–1000 AD).

At least three separate Maya territories existed in the region that is now Belize when Spanish explorers first landed there in the sixteenth century:

• The province of Chetumal, encompassing the region surrounding Corozal Bay
• The province of Dzuluinicob covered the region west of Tipu, between the Sibun River and the lower New River.
• a region between the Monkey River and the Sarstoon River that is under the Manche Ch’ol Maya’s sovereignty in the south.

Early era of colonization (1506–1862)

Despite their exploration and declaration of the region as part of the Spanish Empire, the Yucatán tribes’ resistance to Spanish colonization prevented the conquistadors from settling the area.

The coast of what is now Belize was sometimes frequented by English pirates who were looking for a protected area from which to attack Spanish ships (see English colony in Belize) and down logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum) trees. In what would become the Belize District, the first permanent British colony was built about 1716.

In the 18th century, they instituted a system whereby Africans in slavery were employed to down logwood trees. Before the invention of artificial dyes, this produced a useful fixing agent for textile dyes and was one of the earliest methods to get a quick black. In return for the British helping to put an end to piracy, the Spanish allowed the settlers to live there and harvest logwood.

Because of concern of inciting a Spanish assault, the British administration refused to acknowledge the settlement as a colony. The settlers were able to enact their own laws and systems of governance because of the lapse in official supervision. A few settlers took control of the Public Meeting, the local legislature, and the majority of the settlement’s land and lumber during this time. It was not until 1786 that the British appointed their first superintendent over the Belize region.

Every time there was a conflict with Britain in the eighteenth century, Belize was assaulted by the Spanish. The final of these military conflicts took place in 1798 in the Battle of St. George’s Caye, which pitted an army of Baymen and their slaves against a Spanish navy.

The Spanish attempted to break through the Montego Caye shoal from September 3 to 5, but the defenders stopped them. The Baymen successfully repulsed the Spanish fleet on September 10th, ending Spain’s final effort with no reported losses on either side. Belize has made the anniversary of the fight a national holiday, honoring the “first Belizeans” and their defense of land they wrested from the Spanish dominion.

During the British Empire’s existence (1862–1981)

The British attempted to reform the settlers at the beginning of the 19th century by threatening to suspend Public Meetings if they did not follow the government’s directive to completely abolish slavery. throughout 1833, slavery was outlawed throughout the British Empire following a decade of disputes.

Due to the skill with which their African slaves extracted mahogany, proprietors in British Honduras received the greatest compensation of any British territory: £53.69 on average per African slave. The Africans who were held in slavery at the time did not get this type of compensation, nor have they done so since.

If former slaves continued in their trade, the abolition of slavery had minimal effect on their working circumstances. In a debt-peonage system, a number of organizations limited the ability of freed Africans to purchase land. Those of African heritage in the colony was first attributed certain skills, and subsequently limits, based on their employment as “extra special” mahogany or logwood cutters. Formerly enslaved Africans were forced to continue working in timber cutting since a tiny elite controlled the settlement’s land and trade.

Following Central America’s liberation from Spanish domination in 1836, the British asserted their authority to govern the area. It was legally designated as British Honduras in 1862 by the United Kingdom, which also made it a British Crown Colony under Jamaica. The richest residents have chosen a notables assembly by a central vote since 1854. This assembly was later superseded by a legislative council that was chosen by the British king.

Belize began to draw British investors while it was still a colony. Among the British businesses that controlled the colony in the late 19th century was the Belize Estate and Produce Company, which eventually bought half of all privately held land and eventually eradicated peonage. The colony’s reliance on the mahogany trade during the remainder of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century may be partially attributed to Belize Estate’s influence.

The colony’s economy nearly collapsed during the Great Depression of the 1930s when British demand for wood fell. A destructive hurricane that hit the colony in 1931 made the impact of widespread unemployment worse. The government’s failure to establish a minimum wage or recognize labor unions contributed to the perception that its relief efforts were insufficient. As more Belizean males joined the military services or made other contributions to the war effort, the country’s economic situation improved during World War II.

The colony’s economy languished after the war. The devaluation of the British Honduras dollar by Britain in 1949 resulted in worsening economic conditions and the formation of the People’s Committee, which called for independence. The People’s United Party (PUP), the successor of the People’s Committee, pushed for constitutional amendments that would have given all adults the ability to vote.

The PUP handily prevailed in the nation’s first election held under universal suffrage in 1954, ushering in a three-decade period during which the PUP controlled politics. George Cadle Price, an activist for independence, rose to prominence as the PUP’s leader in 1956 and, in 1961, as the official head of state. He would serve in this capacity under several titles until 1984.

One obstacle to Belize’s independence was Guatemala’s claim of control over its territory. Under a new constitution, Britain gave British Honduras self-government in 1964. British Honduras was formally renamed as Belize on June 1, 1973.

Independent Belize (since 1981)

September 21, 1981, saw the independence of Belize. Due to a long-standing territorial dispute, Guatemala refused to acknowledge the new country, believing Belize was part of Guatemala. Approximately 1,500 British troops stayed in Belize following independence in order to prevent any potential invasions by Guatemala.

Up until 1984, the PUP, led by George Cadle Price, won every national election. The United Democratic Party beat the PUP in that election, which was the first national election held following independence (UDP). Prime Minister Price was succeeded by Manuel Esquivel of the UDP after Price unexpectedly lost his House seat to a UDP opponent.

Following the 1989 elections, Price led the PUP back to power. The United Kingdom said the following year that it would remove its military forces from Belize; the RAF Harrier detachment had been constantly stationed in the nation since its deployment there had become permanent in 1980.

Esquivel was appointed prime minister a second time when the UDP won back control of the government in the 1993 national election. Not long later, Esquivel said that a deal signed with Guatemala during Price’s presidency would be suspended, arguing Price had made too many compromises to win Guatemalan acceptance. The 130-year-old border conflict between the two nations may have been lessened by the agreement. Even if the two nations collaborated in other areas, border tensions persisted into the early 2000s.

One of the most pristine ecosystems in the Western Hemisphere, the Belize Barrier Reef, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.

In 1998, the PUP emerged victorious in the national elections, and its leader, Said Musa, took the oath of office as prime minister. Musa remained prime minister as the PUP retained its majority in the 2003 elections. He promised to make improvements to the undeveloped and often unreachable southern region of Belize.

Discontent with the PUP government, especially tax hikes in the national budget, led to riots in Belize in 2005. Dean Barrow took office as prime minister on February 8, 2008, following his UDP’s resounding victory in the national elections. In 2012, Barrow and the UDP were re-elected with a much lower majority. In November 2015, Barrow led the UDP to victory in its third straight general election, giving the party 19 seats instead of 17. He said that this would be his final election as party leader, and the party was getting ready to choose his replacement.

With 26 seats out of 31, the People’s United Party (PUP), led by Johnny Briceño, beat the United Democratic Party (UDP) on November 11, 2020, to establish the new government of Belize for the first time since 2003. On November 12, Briceño was sworn in as prime minister.

Belize became the second nation in Central America to get a WHO certification for the eradication of malaria in 2023.

Geographical

Belize is located in northern Central America along the Caribbean coast. It borders the Mexican state of Quintana Roo to the north, the Guatemalan Department of Petén to the west, and the Guatemalan Department of Izabal to the south. The second-longest barrier reef in the world is located in the Caribbean Sea to the east, flanking a large portion of the 386 km (240 mi) of mostly swampy coastline.

The nation spans 22,960 square kilometers (8,865 square miles), making it somewhat bigger than Israel, El Salvador, New Jersey, or Wales. The real land area is just 21,400 square kilometers (8,263 square miles) due to the numerous lagoons in the northern interior and along the beaches. It is the only nation in Central America devoid of a Pacific shoreline.

Belize’s overall land border length is 516 kilometers (321 mi), with a roughly rhombus-shaped form that spans 280 kilometers (174 mi) north-south and 100 kilometers (62 mi) east-west. Much of the country’s northern and southern borders are marked by the wavy paths of two rivers, the Sarstoon River and the Hondo River. The western boundary passes over the highland plateau and lowland woodland as it travels north-south without adhering to any natural characteristics.

The majority of Belize’s north is made up of low, marshy coastal lowlands that are occasionally densely wooded. Even for such a tiny geographic region, the flora is quite varied. The modest Maya Mountain range is located in the south. At 1,124 meters (3,688 feet), Doyle’s Delight is the highest peak in Belize.

Due to its rough terrain, drug traffickers have found Belize’s shoreline and rainforest to be appealing. They utilize Belize as a point of entry into Mexico. Belize was included by the United States on its list of countries that are either major producers or transit hubs for drugs in 2011.

Environment preservation and biodiversity

Due to its location between North and South America, as well as its diverse range of temperatures and habitats for both plant and animal life, Belize is home to a broad diversity of animals. With just 22,970 square kilometers (8,867 sq mi) of undisturbed land and a low human population, Belize provides a perfect habitat for hundreds of animal species, including snakes, armadillos, and monkeys, as well as over 5,000 plant species.

A nature reserve in south-central Belize called the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary was created to save the watersheds, forests, and wildlife of an area that is around 400 km2 (150 sq mi) on the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains. One author considers the reserve to be the world’s best location for jaguar preservation. It was established in 1990 as the first wilderness refuge for the species.

Vegetation and flora

A little over 20% of Belize’s land is used for agriculture and human habitation, despite the country’s lush forest covering over 60% of its surface. With a mean score of 6.15/10 on the 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index, Belize was ranked 85th out of 172 nations worldwide. The remaining land cover of Belize consists of savanna, scrubland, and wetland.

Significant mangrove habitats are spread all over Belize’s terrain. Within the nation’s boundaries are four terrestrial ecoregions: the Belizean Reef mangroves, the Petén–Veracruz wet forests, the Belizian pine forests, and the Belizean Coast mangroves. Belize has high marine and terrestrial biodiversity, with an abundance of plants and wildlife, as it is a part of the internationally renowned Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, which extends from southern Mexico to Panama.

Belize is a pioneer in the preservation of natural resources and biodiversity. 37% of Belize’s land area is officially protected, making it one of the largest systems of terrestrial protected areas in the Americas, according to the World Database on Protected Areas. In comparison, about 27 percent of Costa Rica’s land area is under protection.

The Belize Barrier Reef is inside approximately 13.6% of Belize’s territorial waters, all of which are under protection. The second biggest barrier reef in the world, behind Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, is the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site.

According to a remote sensing study published in August 2010 by the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC) and NASA, in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE) of Belize, the Forest Department, and the Land Information Center (LIC) of the government, Belize’s forest cover was approximately 62.7% in early 2010 compared to 75.9% in late 1980. Comparable patterns in Belize’s forest cover were found in related research conducted by Conservation International and Belize Tropical Forest Studies. According to both studies, Belize loses 0.6% of its forest cover annually, which translates to 10,050 hectares (24,835 acres) being cleared annually on average.

The SERVIR research conducted by CATHALAC, NASA, and the MNRE, which was funded by USAID, also shown how successful Belize’s protected areas have been in preserving the nation’s forests. Between 1980 and 2010, approximately 25% of the woods outside of legally designated protected areas were lost, compared to just 6.4% of the forests inside these areas that were removed.

With a low rate of deforestation and a comparatively high forest cover, Belize has a lot of opportunities to participate in programs like REDD. Notably, Belize is a member of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), which acknowledged the SERVIR research on deforestation in Belize.

Natural resources and energy

Although several commercially significant minerals are known to exist in Belize, none are present in sufficient amounts to make mining viable. These minerals include gold, dolomite, bauxite (a source of aluminum), cassiterite (a source of tin), and barite (a source of barium). Until 1990, the sole mineral resource that was mined for export or local use was limestone, which was utilized in road building.

The development of recently discovered crude oil near the town of Spanish Lookout in 2006 has brought new opportunities as well as challenges for this emerging country.

Belize has far more access to biocapacity than the global average. Belize’s biocapacity per person was 3.8 global hectares in 2016, which is much higher than the global average of 1.6 global hectares per person. Belize’s ecological footprint of consumption in 2016 amounted to 5.4 global hectares per person. In other words, they consume more biocapacity than Belize has. Belize is experiencing a biocapacity shortage as a result.

Belize Barrier Reef

The Belize Barrier Reef is a chain of coral reefs that spans the country’s coast around 40 kilometers (25 mi) in the south and 300 meters (980 ft) offshore in the north. One of the largest coral reef systems in the world, the Belize Barrier Reef is a 300-kilometer (190 mi) section of the 900-kilometer (560 mi) Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, which stretches continuously from Cancún on the northeast tip of the Yucatán Peninsula through the Riviera Maya up to Honduras.

Popular for scuba diving and snorkeling, it is Belize’s most popular tourist site, drawing about half of the country’s 260,000 tourists. Its fishing business also depends on it heavily. It was dubbed “the most remarkable reef in the West Indies” by Charles Darwin in 1842.

The fragility of the Belize Barrier Reef and the fact that it has significant natural habitats for in-situ biodiversity conservation led to its designation as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.

Species

The Belize Barrier Reef is one of the world’s most diversified ecosystems, supporting a wide variety of flora and fauna.

• Seventy species of hard coral
• 36 kinds of soft coral
• 500 different kinds of fish
• many types of invertebrates

Some believe that just 10% of all species have been found, with ~90% of the reef still unexplored.

Conservation

In December 2010, Belize became the first nation in the world to outright prohibit bottom trawling. Belize outlawed offshore oil drilling in December 2015, prohibiting it within one mile (0.6 km) of the Barrier Reef and all seven of its World Heritage Sites.

Notwithstanding these safeguards, unregulated fishing, shipping, tourism, and ocean pollution continue to pose a threat to the reef. Hurricanes are another hazard, as is global warming and the rising ocean temperatures that follow, which lead to coral bleaching. Scientists assert that since 1998, damage to more than 40% of Belize’s coral reef has occurred.

Temperature

Although there are notable regional differences in weather patterns, Belize has a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. Elevation, closeness to the shore, and the moderating influence of the northeast trade winds off the Caribbean all affect temperature. The coastal regions have average temperatures ranging from 24 °C (75.2 °F) in January to 27 °C (80.6 °F) in July. With the exception of the southern highland plateaus, such as the Mountain Pine Ridge, where the year-round temperature is substantially lower, temperatures are generally higher inland. Overall, variations in humidity and rainfall are more indicative of the seasons than variations in temperature.

The average amount of rainfall varies greatly; in the north and west, it is 1,350 millimeters (53 in), whereas in the extreme south, it is over 4,500 millimeters (180 in). The country’s northern and central parts see seasonal variations in rainfall, with fewer than 100 millimeters (3.9 in) of rain falling in each month between January and April or May. In the south, the dry season is shorter and often lasts from February to April. After the rainy season begins, there is often a shorter, less wet time that is referred to locally as the “little dry” around late July or early August.

Hurricanes have been important and destructive in Belizean history. Over two-thirds of Belize City’s structures were destroyed by an unidentified storm in 1931, which also claimed over 1,000 lives. Hurricane Janet destroyed the town of Corozal in the north in 1955. Hurricane Hattie made landfall in the country’s central coastal region just six years later, bringing with it winds exceeding 300 km/h (185 mph) and storm tides up to 4 m (13 ft). The capital was moved to the planned city of Belmopan, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) inland, following the destruction of Belize City for the second time in thirty years.

Hurricane Greta devastated the southern coast in 1978, causing damage exceeding $25 million. Hurricane Keith, the wettest tropical cyclone on record for the country, stalled in 2000 and made landfall on October 1 as a Category 4 storm, resulting in at least $280 million in damage and 19 fatalities. Shortly later, on October 9, 2001, Hurricane Iris, a Category 4 storm with a top speed of 235 km/h (145 mph), made landfall near Monkey River Town.

The majority of the village’s dwellings were damaged by the storm, which also ruined the banana harvest. Hurricane Dean, a Category 5 hurricane in 2007, came ashore within 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the border between Belize and Mexico. Dean devastated a large portion of northern Belize.

The Category 2 Hurricane Richard of 2010 struck Belize directly, making landfall on October 25, 2010, at around 00:45 UTC, about 32 kilometers (20 miles) south-southeast of Belize City. The storm caused estimated damage of BZ$33.8 million ($17.4 million 2010 USD), mostly from damage to homes and crops as it progressed inland into Belmopan. storm Lisa in 2022 was the most recent storm to hit Belize.

Finance

Belize’s economy is modest, generally private, and centered on commerce, agro-based industries, and agriculture; more lately, tourism and construction have taken center stage. In addition, the nation produces petroleum, crude oil, and industrial minerals. The production of oil was 320 m3/d (2,000 bbl/d) as of 2017. Similar to colonial times, sugar is still the predominant crop in agriculture and accounts for about half of exports; on the other hand, the banana sector employs the majority of people. Belize rose to become the third-largest papaya exporter in the world in 2007.

Economic stability presents significant issues for the Belizean government. Although quick action to increase tax collection has been pledged, the currency rate may come under pressure if spending is not reined in. Early in 1999, the tourism and construction industries rebounded, resulting in a preliminary estimate of four percent renewed growth. One of the biggest obstacles to economic growth in the area is still infrastructure, with Belize having the most costly power. Trade is vital, and the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and CARICOM are the main commercial partners.

There are four groups of commercial banks in Belize, the biggest and most established being Belize Bank. Heritage Bank, Atlantic Bank, and Scotiabank (Belize) are the other three banks. The 1940s saw the establishment of a strong credit union complex led by Marion M. Ganey, S.J.

Belize’s coastal position in Central America makes it a popular holiday spot for both tourists and drug traffickers from North America. Drug traffickers and money launderers are drawn to Belizean banks since the country’s currency is tied to the US dollar and non-residents are permitted to open accounts there. Because of this, Belize has been listed as one of the world’s “major money laundering countries” by the US Department of State since 2014.

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