Profile
Background and figures as recorded in the CIA World Factbook.
Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1862. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992, and the two countries are still involved in an ongoing border dispute. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy.
- Capital
- Belmopan
- Government
- parliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy;
- Population
- 421,960
- Area
- 22,966 sq km
- Location
- Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
- Climate
- tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
- Natural resources
- arable land potential; timber; fish; hydropower
- Languages
- English 62.9% (official); Spanish 56.6%; Creole 44.6%; Maya 10.5%…
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 40.1%; Protestant 31.5% (includes Pentecostal 8.4%; Seventh Day Adventist 5.4%; Anglican 4.7%…
- Independence
- 21 September 1981 (from the UK)
- Administrative divisions
- 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
- Currency
- Belizean dollars (BZD)
- Export partners
- USA 22%; UK 14%; Spain 9%; Guatemala 7%…
- Import partners
- USA 37%; China 17%; Guatemala 10%; Mexico 8%…
Source: CIA World Factbook — a work of the US government, in the public domain