Belize

Located South of the Yucatan Peninsula, Belize is bordered by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the west and south, and the Caribbean to the east.

Capital is Belmopan.

English is the official language of Belize, but most of the population also speaks a creole patois, and many Belizeans are multilingual.

Population, 420,191. Size, 22,966 km^2.

Official currency is the Belize Dollar.

Christianity is the dominant religion in Belize. However, due to the heavy British influence, Belize has a larger Protestant population than any other country in Central America.

Major cities include Belize City, San Ignacio, and Belmopan.

The national dish is rice and beans with stewed chicken. Principal crops include sugar, citrus fruits, and bananas.

Belize has a comfortable subtropical climate that is suitable for travel year-round. The temperature typically varies from 71°F to 88°F.

The Mayans were the original inhabitants of Belize. There are over 900 Mayan ruins, and the tallest building in Belize is Caracol, an ancient Mayan Temple. Belize has some of the most iconic Mayan sites in all of Central America. Belize has the famous Blue Hole, a giant circular marine sinkhole over 984 feet across and 410 feet deep and is declared as one of the top scuba diving spots in the world. There are no Pizza Huts, McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks or KFC restaurants in the whole of Belize. The former capital, Belize City, was nearly completely destroyed by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. After hurricane Hattie, the capital city was moved to Belmopan. With just over 12,000 inhabitants, Belmopan is the smallest capital city in the world and the country is one of the least populated in the world.