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Belize

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Countries; Countries

                      Belize

   Flag of Belize Coat of Arms of Belize
   Flag           Coat of Arms
   Motto: Sub Umbra Floreo
   (Latin for "Under the Shade I Flourish")
   Anthem: Land of the Free
   Royal anthem: God Save the Queen
   Location of Belize
          Capital        Belmopan
                         17°15′N 88°46′W
       Largest city      Belize City
    Official languages   English
   Government            Commonwealth Realm
    - Monarch            Elizabeth II
    - Governor-General   Colville Young
    - Prime Minister     Said Musa
       Independence      From the UK
    - Date               September 21, 1981
                       Area
    - Total              22,966 km² ( 150th)
                         8,867 sq mi
    - Water (%)          0.7
                    Population
    - July 2006 estimate 287,730 ( 179th^**)
    - Density            12/km² ( 203rd^**)
                         31/sq mi
        GDP ( PPP)       2005 estimate
    - Total              $2.098 billion ( 163rd)
    - Per capita         $7,832 ( 77th)
        HDI  (2003)      0.753 (medium) ( 91^st)
         Currency        Belizean dollar ( BZD)
         Time zone       ( UTC-6)
       Internet TLD      .bz
       Calling code      +501
   ** These ranks are based on the 2005 figures.

   Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, 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 (CARICOM) and the Sistema de
   Integración Centroamericana ( SICA) and considers itself to be
   culturally both Caribbean and Central American.

   Belize is the smallest (in terms of population) non-island sovereign
   state in the Americas.

History

   Xunantunich, Belize
   Enlarge
   Xunantunich, Belize

   The Maya civilization spread over Belize between 1500 BC and 300 AD and
   flourished until about 900 AD. European 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 theory 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 1871 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 1991.

   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 Guatemala-Belize Language Exchange Project.

   Belize was recently the site of unrest directed at the country's ruling
   party concerning tax increases in the national budget.

Politics

   Belizean protests, 21st January 2005
   Enlarge
   Belizean protests, 21st January 2005

   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 government 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
   (CARICOM).

Administrative divisions

   Belize consists of six districts:
    1. Belize District- capital Belize City
    2. Cayo District- capital San Ignacio
    3. Corozal District- capital Corozal Town
    4. Orange Walk District- capital Orange Walk Town
    5. Stann Creek District- capital Dangriga
    6. Toledo District- capital Punta Gorda

Geography

   Map of Belize
   Enlarge
   Map of Belize

   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 (1,120 m) 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 (322 km) 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 majority of the Belizean economy is comprised of the tourism
   industry. Agriculture is also a key part of the economy.
   Enlarge
   The majority of the Belizean economy is comprised of the tourism
   industry. Agriculture is also a key part of the 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 gender

   The greatest portion of Belize's population is under the age of 30.
   Nearly 40% of Belizeans are under 15; a similar number are between the
   ages of 15 and 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, India,
   Taiwan, Korea, Syria, and Lebanon. 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 (Belize
   having been a British colony) 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 (a mélange of
   Spanish, Carib and other tongues) and the Dutch-German of the
   Mennonites. Literacy currently stands at near 80%.

Religion

   Belize is a predominantly Christian society. Roman Catholicism is the
   predominant religion, accepted by the great majority of the populace.
   Newer religions like Buddhists, Muslims, Jainists, Daoists and Bahá'í
   cover much of the remaining population. Hinduism is common among South
   Asian immigrants; Islam is also common among the Middle-eastern
   immigrants and has also 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; catholics frequently visit
   the country for special gospel revivals.

Gallery

   Altun Ha archaeological site, Belize

   The Swing Bridge, on Haulover Creek. Belize City

   Memorial Park, Belize City

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
