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World > North America > Belize
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Belize |
Introduction:
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Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, growing urban crime, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.
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| Official name: |
Belize |
| Capital: |
name: Belmopan
geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Government type: |
parliamentary democracy |
| Population: |
294,385 (July 2007 est.) |
| Languages: |
Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census) |
| Official Currency: |
Belize Dollar (BZD) |
| Currency code: |
BZD |
| Area: |
total: 22,966 sq km
land: 22,806 sq km
water: 160 sq km |
| Climate: |
tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May) |
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Map of Belize
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