Belize – Jewel of the Caribbean

Belize has an area of ​​land and cays of 8,867 square miles. The greatest length of Belize from north to south is 173.9 miles and its greatest width is 118.0 miles. Belize’s climate is subtropical, tempered by the trade winds. Temperatures in coastal districts range from 50 ° F to 96 ° F; inland the range is greater. Rainfall varies from an average of 50.9 inches in the north to 175.0 inches in the extreme south. The dry season generally runs from February to May and there is sometimes a dry spell in August.

The Mayan civilization spread through Belize beginning around 1500 BC, with over a million inhabitants, flourished until approximately 900 AD

The origin of the name Belize is not clear, but one possibility is that the name is from the Mayan word belix, which means “muddy water”, applied to the Belize River.

European settlement began with British Jews, privateers, and English sailors as early as 1638. The first settlement in Belize was in Honduras Bay, which grew from a few dwellings. Belize City now Belize City became a colony of facto from the United Kingdom during the late 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, the settlement was called British Honduras and in 1871 it became the Crown Colony.

Britain, taking advantage of Spain’s inability to establish control over present-day Belize, began using slaves (abolished in 1838) to cut dyewood, a dyewood highly valued in Europe for the wool industry. In the 1770s, a second tropical exotic wood, mahogany, replaced tigerwood as Belize’s main export. Belize’s economy remained based on mahogany extraction until the early 1900s, when the cultivation of export crops such as citrus fruits, sugar cane, and bananas came to dominate the economy to what it is today.

British Honduras became an autonomous colony in January 1964 and was renamed “Belize” on June 1, 1973. Belize was the last colony on the American continent of any monarchist. George Cadle Price led the country to full independence on September 21, 1981. After delays caused by territorial disputes with neighboring Guatemala, which did not formally recognize the country.

Throughout Belize’s history, Guatemala has claimed ownership of all of Belize. This statement is reflected in maps showing Belize as the twenty-third province of Guatemala. In March 2008, the deputation with Guatemala continues to be quite controversial. On several occasions the issue has required mediation from the United Kingdom. Since independence, a British garrison has been held in Belize at the request of the Belizean government. There is no war on this issue and it is safe to travel to Belize.

The main industries are sugar, citrus fruits, fishing and bananas. Sugar represents more than 33.4% of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. Belize is also home to a number of growing manufacturing companies.

There are three ways to get to Belize: airboat or car, the car is the most time consuming. Many people believe that the best way is to take a box to Belize. Air is the fastest and easiest way to get to Belize. Direct flights can be obtained from: Atlanta, GA – Charlotte, NC – Newark, NJ – Dallas / Houston, TX – Los Angeles, CA and Miami, FL.

This Belizean author can attest to the great jubilation throughout Belize that occurred on Friday, February 8, 2008 when H.E. Dean O. Barrow was sworn in as the first Creole Prime Minister of Belize.