Belize
| Belize (fr) | |||||
| Belice (es) | |||||
| Belize (en) | |||||
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| National motto : Sub umbra Floreo (In Latin : I flourish in the shade) | |||||
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| Official language | English | ||||
| Capital | Belmopan (pop. 13,400). 17 15'N 88 46'W / 17.25, 88767 | ||||
| Largest city | Belize City (about 60 000 inhab.) | ||||
| Form of State | Constitutional monarchy | ||||
| - Queen - Governor General - Prime Minister | Elizabeth II Sir Colville Young Dean Barrow | ||||
| Area - Total - Water (%) | Ranked 146 th 22 966 km 2 0.7% | ||||
| Population - Total ( 2010 ) - Density | Ranked 171 314 522 inhabitants. 13 inhabitants / km 2 | ||||
| Independence - Date | The United Kingdom 21 September 1981 | ||||
| Demonym | Belize (-nes) | ||||
| HDI ( 2005 ) | 0.778 (medium) ( 80th ) | ||||
| Currency | Belize dollar ( BZD ) | ||||
| Time Zone | UTC -6 | ||||
| National anthem | Land of the Free (Land of Liberty) | ||||
| Internet domain | . Bz | ||||
| Indicative Telephone | +501 | ||||
Belize and Belize History Belize is a parliamentary democracy and member of the Commonwealth. The Head of State is currently Queen Elizabeth II , represented in the country by a governor general , who must be nationals of the country. The primary executive organ of government is the Cabinet led by Prime Minister who is head of government. The cabinet ministers are members of the majority party in parliament and usually hold elected seats along with their positions as minister. The parliament bicameral Belize's National Assembly, which consists of a House of Representatives and a Senate. The 29 members of the House of Representatives are normally elected for five years. The members of the senate are eight in number, five are chosen by the Prime Minister, two by the Leader of the Opposition and one by the Governor General on the advice of the Advisory Committee of Belize. The Senate is headed by a president, who is an abstainer designated by the governing party. Belize is an active member of the Caribbean Community ( Caricom ). Belize is divided into 6 districts: The north of Belize consists mainly of flat coastal plains and marshy places forest heavily. To the south lies a record low mountain Maya Mountains , whose highest point in Belize is Victoria Peak rising to 1160 m. Belize is located between the rivers Hondo and Sarstoon with the Belize River flowing at the center of the country. All along the coast of the Caribbean Sea are the cays , reefs of coral (See Cayes of Belize ) The climate is local tropical and generally hot and humid. The rainy season runs from May to November with the usual risks but frequent as hurricanes and floods. On 20 January 2005, quite violent commotion took place during the introduction of new taxes. Most Belizeans are of multiracial. About half of the population ancestry Mayan and European , 25% African and Creole , Maya 10% and about 6% Afro-Amerindian ( Garifuna ). The rest of Belize is composed of Europeans, Indians, Chinese, Middle Easterners and North Americans. The official language is the English. Most Belizeans, other than those recently arrived from neighboring countries, have at least some knowledge of English. English and Creole English predominate along the coast and in central and southern Iraq. In the west and north, the Spanish is more widespread. Spanish is the language of approximately 70% of the population and is spoken as a second language by 50%. The various Mayan groups still speak Maya and a dialect of Creole English Creole dialect similar to the English-speaking islands of the Caribbean. Communities in the south mainly speak Garifuna. About 50% of the population is Catholic , the Church of England and the communities Protestant represent the rest. About 5% belong to the community Mennonite speaking the German or Low German. Belize has codes for: Belize Clipperton Island (France) Costa Rica Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama Salvador Anguilla (United Kingdom) Antigua and Barbuda Aruba (Netherlands) Bahamas Barbados Bonaire (Netherlands) Cayman Islands (United Kingdom) Cuba Curacao (Netherlands) Dominican Republic Dominica Grenada Guadeloupe (France) Haiti Jamaica Martinique (France) Montserrat (United Kingdom) Isle of Navasse (U.S.) Puerto Rico (U.S.) Saba (Netherlands) St. Barthelemy (France) Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint-Eustache (Netherlands) Saint-Martin (France) Sint Maarten (Netherlands) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Lucia Trinidad & Tobago Turkey Islands and Caicos (UK) Virgin Islands United States (U.S.) British Virgin Islands (UK) 
Politics
Districts
Geography
Economy
Demographics
Language Language Percentage Speakers Percentage Chinese 1,607 (0.8%) 1,529 (0.7%) Kriol (lexical base year ) 67,527 (32.9%) 75,822 (37.0%) English 7,946 (3.9%) 11,551 (5.6%) Garifuna 6,929 (3.4%) 4,071 (2.0%) German 6,783 (3.3%) 6,624 (3.2%) Hindi 280 (0.1%) 193 (0.1%) Maya Ketchi 10,142 (4.9%) 9,314 (4.5%) Maya Mopan 6,909 (3.4%) 6,093 (3.0%) Maya Yucateco 1,176 (0.6%) 613 (0.3%) Spanish 94,422 (46.0%) 88,121 (43.0%) Other / 1,402 (0.7%) 1,192 (0.6%) Culture
Date Name Notes January 1 New Year's Day March 9 Baron Bliss Day early March San Jose Fiesta Succotz late April or early May National Agricultural Trade Show Belmopan May (variable) Cashew Festival Crooked Tree May (variable) Cayo Expo San Ignacio May 24 Commonwealth Day Crooked Tree late June Lobster Fest Placencia beginning in mid-July Benque Viejo Fiesta Benque Viejo August International Costa Maya Festival San Perdo, Ambergris Caye September 10 St George's Caye Day September 21 Belize Independence Day October 11 Pan-American Day November 19 Garifuna Settlement December 25 Christmas Day December 26 Boxing Day Miscellaneous
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North America 
Central America Caribbean South America
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