Central America · North America

Belize

Discover Belize - the only English-speaking country in Central America, where ancient Mayan temples rise from jungle and the world's second-largest barrier reef thrives.

Where Is Belize?

Belize is a country in Central America, North America. Its capital is Belmopan.

Where Belize isCentral America · Capital Belmopan

Capital Belmopan
Population 423K
Area 22,966 km²

Belize is Central America's best-kept secret, though the secret is getting out fast. It is the only English-speaking country in Central America, a former British colony squeezed between Mexico and Guatemala that feels like the Caribbean and Central America had a baby and raised it in the jungle. The country is tiny - about the size of New Jersey - with fewer than 430,000 people, but it packs in more biodiversity per square kilometer than almost anywhere in the region.

The Belize Barrier Reef, the second-largest in the world after Australia's, runs the entire length of the coast and contains the Great Blue Hole, a massive underwater sinkhole that Jacques Cousteau called one of the top dive sites on the planet. Inland, the jungle hides hundreds of Mayan ruins, jaguars, howler monkeys, and cave systems that the ancient Maya used as entrances to the underworld. Belize is the kind of place where you can explore a thousand-year-old temple in the morning, snorkel a coral reef in the afternoon, and eat rice and beans with stew chicken while listening to reggae at a beachside shack by evening.

At a glance

Language

English (& Belizean Creole, Spanish)

Currency

Belize Dollar (BZD)

Calling Code

+501

Drives On

Right

Internet

.bz

Timezone

CST (UTC-6)

Script

Latin

Government

Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy

Independence

1981

By population

Largest cities in Belize

Belize City

Largest city and former capital, a gritty port town at the mouth of Haulover Creek with colonial wooden houses and the country's main cruise port

60,000

Belmopan

Purpose-built capital since 1970, moved inland after Hurricane Hattie destroyed much of Belize City, a small government town near the jungle

25,000

San Ignacio

Gateway to the Cayo District and Mayan ruins, a laid-back riverside town near Xunantunich and the Guatemalan border

20,000

San Pedro

Main town on Ambergris Caye, the country's tourism hub with world-class diving, colorful wooden buildings, and golf cart transportation

18,000

Orange Walk

Sugar town in northern Belize with a strong Mestizo culture, gateway to the Lamanai Mayan ruins accessible by river boat

14,000

People

Famous people from Belize

Andy Palacio
Music
Garifuna musician and cultural ambassador whose album Watina brought Belizean Garifuna music to international acclaim before his untimely death
Zee Edgell
Literature
Author of Beka Lamb, the first internationally published novel from Belize, exploring colonialism and coming of age in Belize City
Marion Jones
Sport
Born in Los Angeles to a Belizean mother, she became one of the most decorated female sprinters in history, though her Olympic medals were later stripped

Food

Traditional cuisine of Belize

Rice and Beans: The national staple - red kidney beans and rice cooked in coconut milk, served alongside stew chicken, pork, or beef at almost every meal
Fry Jacks: Puffy deep-fried dough triangles served at breakfast with refried beans, cheese, and eggs, the quintessential Belizean morning food
Hudut: Traditional Garifuna dish of mashed green and ripe plantains served in a rich coconut fish broth, a cultural treasure of southern Belize
Garnaches: Crispy corn tortillas topped with refried beans, cheese, and cabbage salad, a beloved street food found at every market
Chimole: Black dinner soup made with charred spices, chicken, and hard-boiled eggs, a Mestizo specialty with a striking dark color

Nature

Nature and landmarks in Belize

Great Blue HoleCoast: Giant marine sinkhole 300 meters across and 125 meters deep, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's most famous dive sites
Belize Barrier ReefCoast: Second-largest barrier reef system in the world stretching 300 kilometers, a UNESCO site teeming with coral, fish, manatees, and sea turtles
Actun Tunichil MuknalLandmark: Sacred Mayan cave containing crystal-covered skeletal remains and pottery, accessed by swimming through an underground river
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife SanctuaryNational Park: World's first jaguar preserve protecting the densest known population of jaguars in Central America, set in lush tropical rainforest
XunantunichLandmark: Ancient Mayan city near the Guatemalan border with a 40-meter pyramid offering panoramic views across the jungle to Guatemala

Sport

Sports in Belize

Football: Football is the most popular sport in Belize, with the national team competing in CONCACAF and a passionate domestic Premier League
Cross Country Cycling: The Holy Saturday Cross Country Classic is the national cycling race, a grueling 230-kilometer event that is the biggest annual sporting event in Belize

Facts

Did you know?

Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America, a legacy of its history as British Honduras
The Great Blue Hole is so large it can be seen from space, and Jacques Cousteau ranked it among the world's top dive sites
Belize has the lowest population density in Central America with fewer than 17 people per square kilometer
The country is home to the only jaguar preserve in the world, the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
Belize has over 900 Mayan sites, most of which remain unexcavated and hidden in the jungle
The Garifuna people of southern Belize have a UNESCO-recognized language, music, and dance tradition unique to the Caribbean coast

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