Belize

Belize is the only official English speaking country in Central America and it's current head is the Queen of Belize, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Belize was a British colony for more than a century and was known as British Honduras until 1973. In 1981 it gained independence.

Here are a few facts that provide a very brief introduction to the country. We hope you’ll do more learning on your own too! (see more country links in the bottom table)

Amerindians which led way to the Mayans were amongst the original inhabitants of Belize. The Maya civilization spread itself over Belize between 1500 BC and 300 AD and flourished until about 900 AD.
European settlement began with British Jews, privateers and shipwrecked English seamen as early as 1638.
Country was renamed "Belize" on June 1, 1973; it was the United Kingdom's last colony on the American mainland.
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 twenty-third province. As of March 2007, the border dispute with Guatemala remains unresolved and quite contentious; at various times requiring mediation by the United Kingdom, CARICOM heads of Government, the Organization of American States and, on one occasion, the United States.
Belize is a parliamentary democracy and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Queen is represented by Governor-General.
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.
According to the CIA World Factbook Belize has the highest unemployment rate in Central America at 9.4%. The population living in poverty is at 33.5%.
Government's big 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% because of the global slowdown and severe hurricane damage to agriculture, fishing and tourism. Growth was 3.8% in 2005.
Belizean population consists 50% of Mestizos, and Kriol 25%. The Indigenous Mayan also make up a good percentage of the Belizean population at 11%. The rest is a mix of Garifuna, Mennonite German farmers, South Asians, other Central Americans, whites from the United States of America, and many other foreign groups.
Belize is a predominantly Christian society. Roman Catholicism is accepted by about half of the population, and Protestantism by about a quarter. Much of the remaining population is comprised of Taoists, Budhists and more recently introduced religions like Jainists, Islam, and Bahá'í.
English is the official language of Belize. Creole dialect frequently can be heard in the major cities and in the northern regions, Spanish is also widely spoken. Garifuna dialects are also heard, but it is not as predominant as the above languages.
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.
Three of the four coral atolls in the Western Hemisphere are also located off the coast of Belize.
The Caribbean coast is lined with a coral reef and some 450 islets and islands known locally as cayes (pronounced "keys"), forming the approximately 200 mile (322 km) long Belize Barrier Reef, the longest in the western hemisphere and the second longest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef.
According to the most recent vegetation surveys, about sixty percent (60%) of Belize's land mass is forested, with only about twenty percent (20%) of the country's land subject to human uses (i.e. agricultural land and human settlements). Savannas, scrublands and wetlands constitute extensive parts of the nation's land cover. As a result, Belize's biodiversity is rich, both marine and terrestrial, with a host of flora and fauna.
About thirty-seven percent (37%) of Belize's land territory falls under some form of official protected status. As such conservation activities remain an important priority in government policy with the notable example of having the only jaguar reserve in the world among its protected areas.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize

*Belize General Info*
About Belize	Belize New Blog
Belize it! website	Belize TV Channel5
Government of Belize
Consular Information Sheet
*Travel and Program-related links*
U.S. Embassy in Belize	Ministry of Agric. & Fisheries
Embassy of Belize in the U.S.	Belize Ag Health Authority
Belize travel.com	Pesticide Control Board