Belize

Belize is the northernmost Central American nation. It is bordered to the north by Mexico, south and west by Guatemala, and to the east by the Caribbean Sea. Its mainland is about 180 miles long and 68 miles wide. Belize is culturally unique among its Central American neighbors; it is the only nation in the region with a British colonial heritage.

Before the arrival of Europeans, the Maya civilization spread itself over Belize beginning around 1500 BC and flourished until about A.D. 800. There followed a period of occupation by Indian tribes, then 100 years of Belize being the hideout for pirates. These pirates took advantage of the many Caves of the coast of Belize. Then around 1650, these pirates started to log the mahogany and logwood forests of Belize. It wasn't until 1862 that "British Honduras" was recognized as part of the British Commonwealth. After WW I, when black soldiers were returning to British Honduras, the first stirring of independence came about in British Honduras. These soldiers objected to the discrimination they experienced by the British colonial bureaucracy when they came home. They protested, but they were crushed by British police.

From 1920-1980 independence was sought and finally achieved, through the efforts of workers, labor unions and the nationalist movement. The country formerly known as British Honduras became Belize in 1981.

As a part of the Western Caribbean Zone, Belize shares a common heritage with the Caribbean portions of other Central American countries. In general, Belize is considered to be a Central American nation with strong ties to both the Caribbean and Latin America.