BELIZE
BELIZE
Belize in Central America is one of the rich and the famous’ play pens. Theorised to have been derived from the Mayan word “belix” for muddy water, the Spanish pronunciation of Scot Peter Wallace, or named after a similarly named Belize in Angola by Africans of the Kingdom of Kongo, Belize’s name makes waves nonetheless. Meanwhile, should the traveller not be the mainstream kind of individual, Belize has some surprises too. The relatively small nation of Belize has a rainbow for a culture, although being the obvious diver’s paradise that it is. Dive head first not just in the waters of Belize and the culture too for an authentic experience that would cost you little to nothing.
GEOGRAPHY
Belize (17 15 N, 88 45 W), located on the Caribbean coast of northern central America is a rectangular-shaped territory of 22,966 km2. Belize is bordered by Mexico to the north, and Guatemala in the west and south. Belize is generally, flat swampy due to the abundance of lagoons along the marshy coast and in the northern interior. Belize also has low mountains in south, the highest point, Doyle’s Delight, 1,160 m above sea level. The Belize Barrier Reef to the east in the Caribbean Sea is the largest and longest barrier reef in the western hemisphere, and the 2nd largest in the world.
CLIMATE
With a tropical climate, Belize is naturally hot and humid year-round with little temperature variations. In fact, the coolest part of the year, that is from December to March, and the hottest, May to September, renders a meager temperature difference of only 4°C. Temperatures vary based on altitude as well. Belize has two seasons: wet, which runs from May to November, and dry season, February to April and could extend to May. The period from November to February are transitional months when Belize is coolest and humidity is lowest.
PEOPLE
According population estimates for July 2012, Belize would have a population of around 330,000 people of mostly mestizos or mixed European and native descent and kriols or mixed European (English and Scot) and black ancestry. Colonisation and slave trade significantly influenced the ethnic makeup of Belizeans. Present in Belize as well are Mayas and Garifuna or Garinagu.
LANGUAGE
ENGLISH is the national and official language of Belize, although SPANISH and BELIZE KRIOL ENGLISH are widely spoken by half of the Belizean population. MAYAN DIALECTS like KEKCHI, and MOPAN are also used by certain ethnic groups in Belize, and Carib dialects like. GARIFUNA as well. Immigrant languages include GERMAN, CHINESE, JAPANESE, KOREAN, and ARABIC (North Levantine).
RELIGION
Religious freedom is practised throughout the islands although fact is, nearly 80% of the population are Christians. Catholicism is a product of colonisation in Belize, hence the humongous population of Roman Catholics in the islands. Half of the population are Catholics and about a third are Protestants. Christian minorities include Greek Orthodox, Jehovah’s Witness, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and non-Christian minorities include Hinduism and Islam.
ATTRACTIONS
Belize has its cornucopia of mysteries that astonishingly attract a magnanimous tourist crowd of more than 850,000 each year. Take Xibalba for instance, the place of fear with its grand history and mystery of a Mayan civilization that suddenly abandoned it. It is the nature, culture, sights, sounds, and even the very crisp scent of Belize that leaves the tourist mystified and in awe. The lush, green jungle in Belize is alive, home to over 60 varieties of snake, of which 9 are uber deadly, and is one of the rare places where jaguars roam wild as in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. In Belize, more than half of the country is wild and undeveloped, and Belize City is yet again a jungle on its own, where the wild and free Belizeans thrive in a daring city full of energy, colour, and natural beauty.
The Mayan past reunites with the present with ruins frozen in time in many destinations in Belize: Xunantunich, Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave (Cave of the Crystal Maiden), and Caracol, the most remarkably preserved site. Nature has much to offer as well with a plethora of wildlife from the Belize Zoo, the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, and under the sea, the Blue Hole – one of the best dive scenes in the world. Belize, many say, is for the adventure lovers, like off the coast in quiet Caye Caulker. Meanwhile, offering the best of both worlds, the small town of Hopkins offers both adventure and relaxation with activity-packed beach scene from snorkeling, diving, and biking, and an equally tranquil atmosphere with quaint bakeries and little shops.
FOOD
In Belize, you can dive the water for fun and for lunch. Belizean cuisine is a titillating fusion of British, Mexican, and Western Caribbean cuisine. The waters of Belize offer some of the best fare in the world, and the biggest too – like the largest sea snail in the western hemisphere, the horse conch. This can be cooked as conch fritters, conch ceviche using the white meat (a traditional dish), or even the special delicacy, conch eye ceviche. There are all types of seafood and fish.
Rice, beans, tacos (corn or flour tortilla), and plantains are the standard starches and make the perfect bases to dishes of beans as in rice-and-beans and garnaches a dish of fried tortilla with beans, cheese, cabbage, and carrot topping, and, almost always, a bottle of Marie Sharp hot sauce to spice things up a bit.The astounding variety of flavours in Belize is incredible. For the visitor, a must-try is the modern haute cuisine fused with traditional Maya cooking in many restaurants which should be as authentic and equally adventurous at the same time.
Josh Boorman
Editor-in-chief
Backpacking Addictz
Twitter: @backpackaddictz
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