INFORMATION
ABOUT BELIZE
, located South
of Cancun on the East side of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Bounded to the North by Mexico, the South and West
by Guatemala
and on the East by the Caribbean Sea. The shallow
coastal waters are sheltered by a line of coral reefs, with
many small islands called Cayes ranging in size
from a few hundred feet to 25 miles long and four miles wide; most
of which are located inside the 200 mile Belize Reef.
Belize
is a small Central American countries with
8,866 square miles and a population of about 270,000.
It is about the same size as Massachusetts
(USA) larger than El Salvador and is twice the size
of Jamaica. Belize is 174 miles long
and 68 miles wide.
is the principal
commercial city, and is situated on the Western
Caribbean. The Cruise Ship
Port-of-Entry is located there. Belize
International Airport is about 10 miles North of Belize
City in an area known as Ladyville. Cab fare to and
from Belize City and Belize International is
BZ$40 (US$20).
The
Capital City, Belmopan, is
located in the Cayo
District,
56 miles south-west of Belize City and is near
the geographic center of the country. A population of 7,200
makes Belmopan the the smallest capitol in the world.
There are four paved - 2
lane highways in Belize - The Northern, Western
Hummingbird and Southern Highway. (Map
of Belize)
GEOGRAPHY
AND CLIMATE
areas
of Belize are mostly flat, low-lying areas with undulating
hills
on the northwest boundary, lagoon systems
along much of the coast and rivers in between, The nicest
areas are in the Corozal District. The northern region
is good for farming and cattle ranching. The sugar
cane industry is located here.
Belize,
along the coastline is mostly low-lying swamp and mangrove
systems.
Further west, rolling hills, rivers, creeks, and pristine
jungle adorn the countryside. It's an area known for
it's eco-tourism industry. It is also the home of the
highest point
in Belize,
Victoria
Peak with an elevation of 3,699 feet above sea level
in the Maya Mountains.
coastline
region have mangrove and sandy beaches with Blue, Green
Caribbean waters, and some of the best fishing and diving
in the world. The east coast is primarily low-lying,
then gaining elevation become the Maya Mountains
with
it's network of lagoons, rivers,
creeks,
and cave systems.
- Sub-Tropical
(dry and wet seasons). The annual rainfall in the Northern
region
of Belize is approximately
60 inches and in the southern region of Belize as high
as
200 inches per year. Cayo
Weather
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POPULATION,
LANGUAGES AND CULTURE
is
approximately 300,000 people.
Belize is considered to be the
third most advanced country in
Central America, after Costa
Rica and Panama.
,
however due to surrounding latin
influence, Spanish is widely
spoken. Belize is also the home
of the
Garinagu, who speak Garifuna
and Creole, which are common
languages spoken by the locals.
In the south there remain Mayan
villages with their traditional
way of life. Most still speak
a Mayan dialect. Another
prominent culture, the
Mennonites, speak two languages
- German and English. There
are various groups of Mennonites;
some hold their traditions,
while progressive
groups, make use of
more modern technology. The Mennonites
are considered to be the top
Agriculture growers around. Their
motto is "We Grow Belize".
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HISTORY
OF BELIZE
,
dating back to 2000 BC. The Mayan culture flourished
until around 900 AD, at which time the population
living in what is now Belize, was believed to be
about 1,000,000. They were part of a
civilization that encompassed the Yucatan, Belize,
Guatemala and Honduras.
to
the areas of Central America, now occupied by Belize,
during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Baymen lived
around the Bay of Honduras and were the first Europeans
to settle in the area.
They depended on slave labor
for the arduous task of removing heavy logs, like ,
from the Belizean Jungle.
Today there still remain villages dating from
this period.
Treaties signed between
Spain and England allowing the Baymen to cut logwood
for their dye operations,
but a showdown by the British, in 1798 at St. George's
Caye, off the Belize, drove away the invading
Spanish away, thus giving rise to the area's former
name, British Honduras.
,
at which time it was granted it's independence. The
name was changed to Belize in 1973, in anticipation
of it's impending independence."
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GOVERNMENT
SYSTEM
.
Belize is a member of the British Commonwealth.
There
are 6 Political Districts - Corozal, Orange
Walk, Belize, Cayo, Stann
Creek and Toledo District.
Each
district elects officials responsible for representing
the people of that district. Each district has
its own major town, which acts as the center of government
in that district and elects officials responsible
for the local services in that district. Village
councils and village leaders "Alcaldes" are elected to
provide a system of governance in the respective villages.
The
Legal Age for a Belizean to vote is 18.
There are 5 commercial banks in Belize:
- Alliance
Bank of Belize Ltd.
- Atlantic
Bank of Belize
- Barclays
Bank PLC
- Belize
Bank Ltd.
- Nova
Scotia Bank
The
exchange rate is 2 BZ dollars to 1 US (2:1 with the
U.S. dollar). Most all resort-hotels accommodations
will be glad to facilitate your transactions in U.S. dollars
or by Visa, Master Card.
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