Belize Country Profile
Flag of Belize
Flag Description:
Blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland
Belize Country Profile
Belize
former: British Honduras
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 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, growing urban crime, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.
| Population: | 308,000 |
| Capital: | Belmopan; 9,000 |
| Area: | 22,966 square kilometers (8,867 square miles) |
| Climate: | tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) |
| Language: | Spanish (46%), Creole (32.9%), Mayan (8.9%), English (3.9%), Garifuna (3.5%), German (3.3%) |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic (49.6%), Protestant (27%), Other (14%), None (9.4%) |
| Literacy: | 76.9% |
| Life Expenctancy: | 68.2 years |
| GDP per Capita: | $8,500 |
| Currency: | Bilizean dollar |
| Government: | parliamentary democracy |
| Independence: | September 21, 1981 (from UK) |
— CIA World Factbook
Government of Belize Official Website: www.governmentofbelize.gov.bz