Belize
HOME  ·  IP TO COUNTRY LOOKUP  ·  TOP LEVEL DOMAINS  ·  GREETING CARDS  ·  ADD TO FAVOURITES  ·    · PLAY POKER
SELECT COUNTRY
Africa
Asia
Antarctica
Central America Europe
Middle East
North America
Oceania
South America
PHP Framework
Web application
MVC framework
for PHP4 and PHP5.
Event driven,
component based,
AJAX compatible.


Overview People Geography Economy Government Communications Transport Military Map


CountryBelize
Flag
Capitalname: Belmopan
geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Population294,385 (July 2007 est.)
GMT-6
LocationCentral America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico

see map
Areatotal: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Ethnic groupsmestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7%
ReligionsRoman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000)
LanguagesSpanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census)
Government typeparliamentary democracy
National holidayIndependence Day, 21 September (1981)
Constitution21 September 1981
Legal systemEnglish law
BackgroundBelize 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.
Internet
country code
.bz
LAST UPDATED ON 17 JUNE 2007