Belize 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.

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