Destinations Menu
Belize
DestinationsBelize can be described as a land of white-sand beaches, blue skies and clear waters, with the largest unbroken coral reef in the Americas - 150 miles long. It also has ancient Maya ruins in the Maya Mountains of southern Belize, animal preserves, and a jungle full of medicinal plants and virgin hardwoods. Its two tallest peaks are Mount Victoria at 3,680 feet (1,122 meters) and Doyles Delight in the Cockscomb Range at 3,688 feet (1,124 meters).
Belize's history is deeply intertwined with pirates and buccaneers, wrecked ships and the slave trade, making this is a land of varied cultures, which happily coexist - a sharp contrast to much of Central America. The primary culture groups here are the Garifuno (a mix of black African slaves and indigenous Indians), Mestizos (a mix of Spanish and Indians), Mennonites (followers of the Mennonite Church of Zurich, Switzerland), Maya Indians, East Indians (who were brought here as indentured servants), and Chinese (who came here as laborers).
There are seven major languages used by the people who live in Belize: Belize Creole English, spoken as a first language by 55,000 people; English, spoken as a second language by 60,000; Spanish and Creole Spanish, used by 60,000 speakers, both as first and second language;, Garifuno or Carib, used by 12,500 as first language; Kekchi, Mopan and Yucatecan dialects, with 16,000 first-language speakers; and Mennonite German, with 5,800 first-language speakers.
Belize is a constitutional monarchy. The monarch is the British King or Queen, but the constitution gives the monarch – or the monarch’s representative, the Governor General – a ceremonial status only. The monarchy doesn’t cost Belizeans a cent. However, they get the pleasure of participating in the royal family gossip as part of the family, rooting for favorites. Generally, the Queen is popular in Belize.
Belize is mostly an agrarian society, so more than half of its export income is from the production of sugar cane, citrus, bananas and vegetables. Half of this production is exported to the United States. And since 1976, following the collapse of the Belize dollar, the Belize currency has been pegged to the American dollar at a fixed rate of two to one.
Belize
What's New?
New and Updated Travel Guides
-
Cuzco is the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, and the epicenter of the Andean Quechua culture. It has a monumental... Read More
-
Thimphu is the seat of the last of the Himalayan kingdoms. It sits in splendid isolation in a long, high valley in the... Read More
-
Mostar is where Christians converted to Islam, and where moussaka – consisting of sliced eggplants sautéed in... Read More
-
Santiago is Chile's capital of cool. It's mostly a modern metropolis, but with more than 500 years of history and relics... Read More
-
Tampere is a city of rock. In fact, Tampere, Finland, like Manchester, England, evolved from a market town into a major... Read More
Trending Themes:
Guides to Popular Ski Resorts
-
Ischgl is a small mountain village turned hip ski resort, with massive appeal among the party-hearty young crowds. It is... Read More
-
Andorra la Vella is its own little world, and not just because it’s a 290-square-mile independent principality (a fifth the... Read More
-
Bariloche (officially San Carlos de Bariloche) is the place to be seen. It is to Argentina what Aspen is to the... Read More
-
Aspen is America's most famous ski resort. And that's an understatement. For, as a ski complex, Aspen is unsurpassed. Its... Read More
-
Zermatt is a small but glamorous mountain resort town, with a population of approximately 5,700. It is one of Switzerland's... Read More
-
St. Moritz is a glitzy, alpine resort town in the celebrated Engadin Valley of Switzerland, with huge notoriety as the... Read More
-
Lake Tahoe is the premier lake resort of America, and the largest alpine lake in all of North America. It is an absolutely... Read More
-
St. Anton, Sankt Anton am Arlberg in German, is Austria's premier ski-bum resort! It's actually a small village cum... Read More
-
Kitzbühel, a small, Tyrolian resort town in the Kitzbüheler Alps, comes with international renown and huge snob appeal, and... Read More
