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ABOUT BELIZE

World Facts

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• Area:  8,867 square miles (Belize is slightly smaller than Massachusetts.)
• Population: 353,858 (July 2016 est.).)
• Capital:  Belmopan
• Independence Day:  Sept. 21 (1981)

• Languages:  English is the official language of Belize, is English 62.9% ), Spanish 56.6%, Creole 44.6%, Maya 10.5%, German 3.2%, Garifuna 2.9%, other 1.8%, unknown 0.3%, none 0.2% (cannot speak)

• Religion: Roman Catholic 40.1%, Protestant 31.5% (includes Pentecostal 8.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 5.4%, Anglican 4.7%, Mennonite 3.7%, Baptist 3.6%, Methodist 2.9%, Nazarene 2.8%), Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, other 10.5% (includes Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, Morman, Muslim, Rastafarian), unknown 0.6%, none 15.5% (2010 est.)
• Currency:  Belizean Dollars (BZD) / 2.00 Belizean Dollars = $1 USD
(Oct. 2010 est.)
• Unemployment:  23% (2012 est.)
• Literacy rate : Total population: 66.9% | Male: 63.7% | Female: 69.61% (Defined: People age 15 and older who can read and write) (2000•est.) 

The first people to develop Belize were the Maya around 1500 B.C.E. As shown in archeological records, they established a number of settlements here. These include Caracol, Lamanai and Lubaantun.

Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D

The first European contact with Belize occurred in 1502 when Christopher Columbus reached the area's coast. In 1638, the first European settlement was established by England and for 150 years, many more English settlements were set up. 


In 1840, Belize became a "Colony of British Honduras" and in 1862, it became a crown colony. For one hundred years after that, Belize was a representative government of England  on January 1964, it was allowed to form full self government with a ministerial system. In 1973, the region's name was changed from British Honduras to Belize and on September 21, 1981, full independence was achieved.

 

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 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include the country's heavy foreign debt burden, high unemployment, growing involvement in the Mexican and South American drug trade, high crime rates gang violence, and one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Central America.

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Population Demographics
Current facts & Challenges

Migration continues to transform Belize's population. About 16% of Belizeans live abroad, while immigrants constitute approximately 15% of Belize's population. Belizeans seeking job and educational opportunities have preferred to emigrate to the United States rather than former colonizer Great Britain because of the United States' closer proximity and stronger trade ties with Belize. Belizeans also emigrate to Canada, Mexico, and English-speaking Caribbean countries. The emigration of a large share of Creoles (Afro-Belizeans) and the influx of Central American immigrants, mainly Guatemalans, Salvadorans, and Hondurans, has changed Belize's ethnic composition. Mestizos have become the largest ethnic group, and Belize now has more native Spanish speakers than English or Creole speakers, despite English being the official language. In addition, Central American immigrants are establishing new communities in rural areas, which contrasts with the urbanization trend seen in neighboring countries. Recently, Chinese, European, and North American immigrants have become more frequent.

Immigration accounts for an increasing share of Belize's population growth rate, which is steadily falling due to fertility decline. Belize's declining birth rate and its increased life expectancy are creating an aging population. As the elderly population grows and nuclear families replace extended households, Belize's government will be challenged to balance a rising demand for pensions, social services, and healthcare for its senior citizens with the need to reduce poverty and social inequality and to improve sanitation.

Age structure

0-14 years: 34.41% (male 62,139/female 59,611)

15-24 years: 20.71% (male 37,333/female 35,960)

25-54 years: 36.26% (male 64,968/female 63,346)

55-64 years: 4.84% (male 8,445/female 8,666)

65 years and over: 3.78% (male 6,291/female 7,099) (2016 est.

Interesting Facts About Belize

•The national bird of Belize is the Keel Billed Toucan, it bares a resemblance to Kelloggs Toucan Sam, with its canoe-shaped bill and brightly colored feathers.​

 

• It is believed that Belize was the heart of Mayan civilization during the classic period. Thousands of Mayan ruins are scattered among the forests, but only a handful have been found.
 

• The largest cave system in Central America can be found along the Chiquibul River in the Maya Mountains, which was used by the Mayans as a place to offer sacrifices to the gods of death.
 

• Built in 1922, the Belize City Swing Bridge has the honor of being the only functioning manually operated swing bridge in the world.​

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•Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language
 

•The Belize Barrier Reef (199 miles) is the longest in the western hemisphere and the second longest in the world next to the Great Barrier Reef on the Australian coastline.
 

•Sixty percent of Belize's land mass is made up of forest, making them a part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, which stretches from Southern Mexico to Panama.
 

•Belizean cuisine is inspired by British, Mexican, and Western Caribbean cooking, while a zest of coconut milk or fried plantains provide that tropical taste.

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Email:helpbelize@live.com

Address

1000 N. Martin Luther King Blvd Ste A

Las Vegas, NV 89106

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