Belize

The pristine Laughing Bird Caye in Belize
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LaughingBirdCaye.jpg
Author: Victoria Reay's

Places in Belize on this website

Belize is a small country in Central America. Formerly known as British Honduras, it covers 22,966 sq km (8,867 sq mi) land facing the Caribbean Sea. Belize is bordered to the north by Mexico and to the south and west by Guatemala. It is the only Central American country not to have a coastline on the Pacific Ocean. It is also the only one with English as its official language.

Belize is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as the Head of State. The country has a population of 333,200 (2011 estimate). Its capital and largest city is Belize City. In 2009, the country has a nominal GDP of $1.352 billion, which works to a nominal GDP per capita of $4,115. The per capital GDP at purchasing power parity is $7,841.

Half Moon Caye National Monument in Belize
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BZECAYE.jpg
Author: anoldent


Belize is six hours behind Coordinated Universal Time. Cars drive on the right side of the road, unlike the United Kingdom. The phone IDD code is +501. Official currency of Belize is the Belize dollar.

Belize has a tropical climate with temperatures influenced by proximity to coast and elevation. 60% of the country is still covered in rainforest, savannah, scrubland and wetlands.

Belize was part of the Maya civilization from 1500 BC until AD 800. The most important Maya site in Belize is Caracol. When the first Europeans arrive in Belize in the 16th century, the Maya civilization was long past its prime, though there are still some lowland Maya. The Spanish attempting to settle were attacked by the Mayas and pushed back.

The Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Blue_Hole.jpg
Author: US Geological Survey


English and Scottish buccaneers somehow managed to settle on the coast of Belize in 1638, and used the place as base for attacking passing Spanish ships. To end the pirate menace, the Spanish granted these British settlers the right to occupy the land.

In 1798, the British government took over the coast of Belize following the Battle of St George's Caye. The Spanish tried a few times to get back Belize, but failed. In 1862 it was made a British Crown Colony reporting to Jamaica, and named British Honduras. Belize finally attained full independence on 21 September, 1981.

The Maya ruins of Altun Ha in Belize
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Altun_Ha_Belize.jpg
Author: Michael Lazarev

Planning your trip to Belize

Visitors who do not need a visa to visit Belize include the citizens of the United States, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, Malaysia and EU passport holders.

The Philip SW Goldson International Airport (BZE) is the main gateway to Belize. It is located in Ladyville, to the northwest of Belize City. The airport gets regular scheduled flights from major cities in the Caribbean, Central America and the United States.

Preparing Money for your trip to Belize

The currency used in Belize is the Belize dollar (BZD).

Major Cities in Belize

World Heritage Sites in Belize

Belize ratified the World Heritage Convention on 6 November, 1990. As of August 2010, it has only one property on the World Heritage List, a Natural site which is also on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Belize does not have any sites on the World Heritage Tentative List.

Places of Interest in Belize

Maya Ruins of Belize

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About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.