Belize
Belize is a small nation on the eastern coast of Central America on the
Caribbean Sea. It is 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.Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America and also the smallest non-island nation, in terms of population, in the Americas (approximately 290,000).
A Brief History…
The Mayan civilization spread over Belize between 1500 BC and
900 AD. European settlement began in 1638 with the arrival of British
privateers and shipwrecked English seamen. The early settlement of
Belize in the Bay of Honduras grew from a few settlements located at
Belize City and St George's Caye into a de-facto colony of the United
Kingdom during the late 18th century. Belize was a British colony for
more than a century and was known as British Honduras until 1973.
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. Since independence, a British garrison has been retained in Belize at the request of the Belizean Government. Belize is a full participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Climate and Topography...
Northern Belize consists of mostly flat, swampy coastal plains and heavily forested jungle, with the south of the country containing the low mountain range of the Maya Mountains, whose Victoria Peak is the highest point in the nation at 3,675 feet (1,120 m). Its Caribbean coastline is home to the second longest barrier reef in the world (after the Great Barrier Reef) stemming approximately 200 miles (322 km) and contains some 450 islets/islands known as ‘cayes’ (pronounced ‘keys’). The general climate is tropical and is typically very hot and humid. The rainy season lasts from May to November with hurricanes and floods occurring as frequent natural hazards.
Economy…
The majority of the Belizean economy is sustained by the tourism and agricultural industries. Sugar, the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of exports, while the banana industry is the country's largest employer. Citrus production has also become a major industry. 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. GDP growth in 2005 was 3.8%. Major economic concerns continue to be the rapidly expanding trade deficit and foreign debt.
Demographics…
Belize is considered to have 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.
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 in Mayan and Mestizo families who are more likely to have male-dominated households. Infant mortality, high at the beginning of the 20th century, is now down to a mere 24 babies out of 1,000. 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 is prominent in the country giving Belize the highest rate among the Central American nations.
The official language is English although most Belizeans utilize Creole – a broken, English-based language. Spanish has also become very important and is a second language for much of the country. Less well known are the ancient Mayan dialects, Garifuna, and the Dutch-German of the Mennonites. Literacy-rates currently stand at near 94% of the population.
The ethnic make-up of the country is as follows: Mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Mayan 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, Mennonite 2.5% and other 7.2% (including a significant number of Taiwanese and native Caribbean).
Ambergris Caye
The largest of Belize's 450 off-shore islands, Ambergris Caye is a thin strip of land and sand banks stretching approximately 25 miles long, lieing south of the border with Mexico. About half a mile off-shore, draped along the beach on the eastern side of the island, is the longest and most spectacular coral necklace in the Western Hemisphere; the Belize Barrier Reef.
General Interest...
Belize Barrier Reef
Flying south into Belize, you can see the reef as an unbroken chain of white surf. It runs along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula and continues south the whole length of the country. Inside the reef the water is shallow, with a turqouise blue tinge; outside the water is deep and from the air shows a dark royal blue. Only on Ambergris Caye does the reef run so close to a well-populated caye. Here it is an almost solid wall of magnificent coral formation running parallel to the island and broken only by narrow channels called quebradas. The remarkably clear water inside the reef allows excellent viewing of the fabulous marine life of the area. Rainbow tinged tropical fish, delicate sea fans and majestic coral gardens abound, with a variety of shapes and colours than can keep an observant diver entertained for hours. Outside the reef, the seabed drops sharply in a series of plateaus to depths of thousands of feet. Out here in the blue are found the gamefish: mackerel, kingfish, wahoo, tuna, sailfish, and marlin. But the reef is more than just a decorative sideshow. Without it the island would not exist for it serves as a natural breakwater protecting the beach from erosion by the waves and sheltering the caye and its inhabitants.
Sports and Recreation
The surrounding warm waters of Ambergris Caye have become a Mecca for scuba divers amd fishing and water sports enthusiasts. The island provides a variety of activities and sports to undertake for the duration of your stay. Today, Ambergris Caye hosts some 13 dive shops. Other water-sports include; glass-bottom boating, jet-skiing, wind-surfing, hydro-sliding, sailing, wakeboarding and kayaking. At the southern tip of the caye, a recent and successful project has been the establishment of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Covering a part of the reef, a shallow area, a beach and a mangrove area, Hol Chan ('little channel' in Maya) was declared a national marine reserve in 1987, thereby protecting its abundant marine life and making it an important spawning ground. A popular spot to dive and snorkel, Hol Chan provides visitors with a memorable experience as they come into contact with a large variety of multi-colored fish, nurse sharks, sting-rays and other sea creatures. On the island itself, visitors can enjoy beachcombing, horseback riding, bird-watching, sky-diving, basking in the sun or riding one of the many electric carts which are the main means of transportation in the town.
Ambergris Caye holds more than 50 hotels, which provide a total of more than 700 rooms. San Pedro Town has a variety of fine restaurants with international cuisine and seafood. Gift shops and boutiques have also blossomed throughout the town, displaying a variety of Belizean and Central American souvenirs. Widespread nightly entertainment and regular cultural events (such as the San Pedro Fiesta, held 9 days prior to St. Peter’s Day – the town’s patron saint) provide the island with an authentic Caribbean island flavor.
A Brief History…
The first inhabitants of the island were the Mayans, however little definite is known about them. Despite this, the things they left behind give us some indication of the way they lived. There are on the island relics of numerous ancient settlements. The largest site is in the area of Basil Jones which features a number of low mounds made from local limestone. Located strategically in the middle of Mayan trade routes, Ambergris Caye must have been a convenient resting place for traders heading up or down the coast. It is not known what became of the Maya of Ambergris Caye. However, it is probably safe to speculate that they suffered a fate similar to that of their mainland brothers, who were decimated as a result of the European conquests and exposure to exotic European diseases.
Though abandoned by the Maya, Ambergris Caye did not remain uninhabited for long. By the beginning of the 17th century, English, French and Dutch pirates were attacking the ships and towns of the Spanish Empire in the New World. These pirates needed remote retreats and safe harbours where they could care for their ships, rest their crews, hide their treasures and obtain food and water for their next raid. Ambergris Caye probably served such a purpose. The discovery of small treasure-troves on the island and of gold coins washed up on the beach together with old bottles suggest that it was visited often.
The village of San Pedro, the major population centre on the island, was founded in 1848 by Mestizo refugees from the Guerra de Castas in Yucatan. This was the largest and most successful rebellion on the peninsula in the long tradition of Maya resistance to Spanish and Mestizo oppression. It was also the most successful indigenous uprising in all the Americas. The village was named San Pedro Town in honour of Saint Peter the patron-saint of fishermen (an indication that from the early days of the settlement fishing formed the mainstay of the island's economy), whereas Ambergris Caye derives its name from the Spanish word ‘cayo’ (meaning island) and highly valued sperm whale biliary secretion known as Ambergris which had occaissonally been found to wash-up onshore.
Climate and Topography...
Geographically, the island can be roughly divided into three main areas: the mangrove swamps, lagoons and sands; a plateau in the north called Basil Jones (named after a magistrate who in 1790 owned a lease on it); and the sand ridges which comprise the rest of the island including San Pedro Town.
In total there are 12 lagoons on the western side of the island with numerous creeks running into them. The largest lagoon is Laguna de San Pedro, situated to the west of the only town on the island. This body of water extends for over two-and-a-quarter miles and is fed by over 15 creeks and channels. The Basil Jones area consists of a seaward beach ridge and leeward mangrove swamp with a broad intervening plateau of palm thicket. Parts of the area are covered with a rich black soil which may have been transported to the island by the ancient Maya, the island's first known inhabitants, who used it to grow their crops.
The sand ridges, at three to five feet above sea level, make up the highest parts of the caye, reaching a height of almost 10 feet at San Pedro Town.
Like most of northern Belize, Ambergris Caye has a long dry season which usually extends from March through May. These months bring steady, often quite strong, southeast winds. The rest of the year, most of a yearly average of 50 inches of rain can be expected. During this period, winds are mainly easterly, but subject to occasional shifts. Then there is the hurricane season. Despite its name, this period is usually characterized by balmy and delightful weather, although a tropical terror may strike now and then. The most devastating hurricane to hit the island occurred in 1942. It destroyed many homes and the sea crossed the island. Although temperatures are for the most part quite warm (ranging from 89 to 94 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer months and from 70 to 85 during winter) the heat is usually tempered by the sea breeze and the weather remains quite comfortable.
Economy...
With the continued decline in fishing, tourism has become Ambergris Caye's economic pillar (the San Pedro Tourist Association has some 200 members). Numerous hotels and condos provide accommodation for vacationers from the US, Canada and Europe particularly. The current population of the island is estimated to be anywhere between 9,000 to 11,000 people, although the permenant residents on the island are accompanied by the thousands of tourists who visit Ambergris Caye throughout the year.
In line with world trends in communications San Pedro boasts a television station, cable network (with 22 channels) and a telephone exchange system linked by satellite. A new desalination water system has been installed and will soon be followed by a second one. The island is extending a complete water and sewerage service, which will reach the new suburbs of San Pablo and San Pedrito. San Pedro's education system includes two primary schools, a private school, three pre-schools and a high school established in its own new building. At the latter, training for the tourism industry is offered, as well as ample preparation for higher studies. San Pedranos can also receive medical care at the recently established clinic.