By Marina Kuperman
Central America Travel Expert, about.com
Belize is a tiny country located on the northern, Caribbean coast of Central America. It is the perfect place for all of those looking for a perfect beach vacation. The country is also known for the amazing opportunities it offers for adventurers in its rain forests, warm waters, white sanded beaches and colorful towns.
It is also a place with unique qualities. Keep scrolling down to learn about what makes it so different.
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Historic Facts About Belize
- There are around 900 Mayan Archaeological sites spread along this tiny country.
- There are around 450 small islands off of the coast of Belize. They are called Cayes.
- Belize has the only Jaguar reserve in the world, otherwise known as Cockscomb Basin Wildlife sanctuary
- Many Belizeans avoid swimming in the ocean or rivers on Good Friday. They believe this will bring them bad luck.
- Belize has its own version of Big Foot/Sasquatch, called El Sisimito. It is a large creature that has no knees, has its feet on backwards and likes human flesh!
- Belize is the only Central American country where English is the official language.
- [post_ads]The capital, Belize City, was nearly completely destroyed by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. So it was moved to Belmopan. This is the smallest capital city in the World.
- Belize is home to the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second largest in the world. It is a declared UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Belize is one of the best places for shark viewing and some of the best times to go are during the raining season of April – July.
- Belizeans gave unique names to their natural wonders including Owl eye butterfly, the Swallow Tail Cattle Heart Butterfly, and the Red Footed Booby Bird, and the False Vampire Bat.
- Belize is roughly only 180 miles long and 68 miles wide at its main land.
- The waters off Belize are home to over 400 species of sub tropical fish.
- It is considered rude to greet someone by their first name when meeting them for the first time in Belize.
- The national motto of Belize is “Under the Shade I flourish”.
- Typical Belizean lunch include tamales, meat pies, seafood, cassava or beans and fish. Most of it seasoned with coconut milk.
Interesting Facts About Belize
- The Maya civilization spread into the area of Belize between 1500 BCE to CE 1200. Archaeologists estimate that at their peak, 1 to 2 million Mayans lived within the borders of present day Belize.
- The first recorded European settlement was established by shipwrecked English seamen in 1638.
- [post_ads]Spain continually attempted to expel these British buccaneers from then Spanish territory, but finally signed treaties in 1763 and 1786.
- In the early 19th century, the Garifuna, descendants of Carib peoples of the Lesser Antilles and of Africans who had escaped from slavery settled in Belize.
- The act to abolish slavery throughout the British colonies passed in 1833.
- During the 1840's, Great Britain declared Belize to be the colony of British Honduras.
- In 1931 a hurricane destroyed Belize City and by the 1930's, the economy was so poor that the residents began to call for independence.
- In 1961 England agreed to set Belize free.
- On September 21, 1981, Belize's Independence was declared.
- Throughout Belize's history, Guatemala has claimed ownership of all or part of the territory. This claim is occasionally reflected in maps showing Belize as Guatemala's twenty-third province. The dispute is still not solved.
