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BELIZE
A treasure of the western Caribbean, Belize is fast becoming a major tourist attraction and real estate investment opportunity. Whether you want the unique Caribbean vacation getaway found in Belize's spectacular cays or exotic rainforests, or you are looking to invest in western Caribbean real estate and tap into Belize's growing vacation rental potential, the agents at Caribbean Real Estate Showcase want to charm you with everything this fascinating country has to offer. Let Caribbean Real Estate Showcase take you to Belize City, the largest metropolitan region in Belize, where you will find an array of Caribbean delights, including pristine beaches, unbelievable views of the western Caribbean, a lively nightlife, amazing snorkeling and diving, and opportunities to explore Mayan history and culture. Vacation villas, beach villas, rental villas, and secluded luxury villas are available here and in other popular vacation spots, such as Ambergris Caye in San Pedro to the north and Punta Gorda to the south. As Belize becomes one of the world's leading destinations for eco-tourism and continues its strong tradition as one of the Caribbean's great diving sites, let Caribbean Real Estate Showcase be your agent in the search for your perfect Belize vacation, rental, or luxury property.
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Belize Overview
Part of the western Caribbean, Belize is the most northern country in Central America. Belize is located just south of Mexico along the Caribbean Sea on the Yucatan Peninsula. Guatemala borders Belize to its south and west. Belize has the distinction of being the only country in Central America that does not have any coastline along the Pacific Ocean. Belize has a small population density but a high rate of population growth.
Belize has a rich history of Mayan, Spanish, and British cultures. Its rainforests and waterways attract naturalists and divers from around the world. Belize is home to the world's second largest barrier reef and some of the most exquisite and best preserved rainforests in the world. Belize is a true treasure of the western Caribbean.
History
Belize has a rich and interesting history. The provenance of the name �Belize� is not well established, but some seem to think it comes from the Mayan word �belix,� meaning �muddy water.� Others attribute it to an English adventurer named Peter Wallace whom the Spanish called �Ballis� and may have named the Belize River.
The great Mayan culture dominated Belize for most of its early history. Mayans inhabited Belize by 1500 BC, with the first Mayan there being the Mopan. Mayans developed a sophisticated culture in many areas, including architecture, government, farming, engineering, and ceramics. A number of important Mayan sites remain in Belize and are major tourist attractions.
The Mayans prospered until about 900 A.D. In the early sixteenth century, Spanish explorers began to make incursions into Belize and attempt to establish settlements there. The Mayans on Belize resisted Spanish occupation, despite the effects of disease on the Mayan civilization throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.
By the 1630s, English privateers began to settle Belize. They used it as a base from which they could prey on Spanish shipping routes. The English turned to logwood harvesting in Belize as their principal industry. The lumber was exported back to England and Continental Europe for use in textiles as a dye agent. By the early 1700s, Englishmen on Belize were bringing African slaves from Jamaica to work cutting logwood and, when the market for that died out, mahogany.
The Spanish in the region continued to try to overtake Belize, but the inhabitants resisted. In 1765, British Admiral Sir William Burnaby sailed to Belize from Jamaica. Burnaby put in place a constitution called Burnaby's Code. Spain's last major attack was quelled in the Battle of St. George's Caye, which took place on September 10, 1798. Belizeans celebrate the battle as a national holiday.
The British government abolished slavery in 1838. Belize officially became a royal colony of Great Britain in 1862, adopting the name British Honduras. The governor of Jamaica held jurisdiction over Belize, but a superintendent on Belize was the local political administrator.
A hurricane devastated much of Belize City on September 10, 1931. Belize remained British Honduras until 1964, when it became a self-governing entity. Belize changed its name from British Honduras to Belize in June 1973. Belize's neighbor to the west, Guatemala, continued its aggression and territorial claims on Belize during the 1970s. Belize gained full independence on September 21, 1981.
Government
Belize is a parliamentary democracy. Its capital is Belmopan. Its legal system is based on English law. The executive branch includes a Governor; a Prime Minister, who heads the government and is most often the National Assembly's majority party or coalition leader; and a cabinet appointed by the governor as advised by the prime minister.
A National Assembly of a Senate and House of Representatives comprises Belize's legislative branch. Members of the 12-seat Senate serve five-year terms and are appointed by the Governor, with recommendations coming from the Prime Minister, the opposition party, and several religious and business councils. The 31 members of Belize's House of Representatives also serve five years but are elected directly by the popular vote.
The Supreme Court of Judicature is Belize's judicial branch.
Locally, councils of city, town, and village and community play an important role, as do mayors, who began to be elected directly by the voting population in 2000. Belizean law mandates that town and city councils meet regularly. Local judges known as alcaldes work with village councils in managing affairs among Belize's many village and community political districts.
Belize's first legislature under the British was called the Public Meeting. The Burnaby Code set in place in 1765 by British Admiral William Burnaby gave Belize its first basic constitution. In 1853, a Legislative Assembly supplanted the Public Meeting as the main legislative body in Belize.
In the colonial period, British Honduras was considered a dependency of Jamaica, a British colony directly east of Belize in the Caribbean. The governor of Jamaica oversaw the colony but beginning around the 1780s was represented in Belize by a superintendent. This political arrangement continued until 1884, when Belize was awarded a governor of its own. Around this same time, a nominated council took over legislative powers on Belize.
1935 saw the return of voting for election of some members of the 12-seat legislative council. In 1954, a new constitution provided for universal adult voting rights with most of the seats in the legislature now up for election.
Belize became self-governing in 1964 and an independent country in 1981.
Belmopan became the capital in 1971 when the seat of Belizean government moved from Belize City on the Caribbean Sea inland to Belmopan. Belize City remains the largest metropolitan area of Belize.
Economy
Logwood was at the center of the Belizean economy throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Belize turned to mahogany exports in the eighteenth century and kept that as its main industry into the 1950s, until overharvesting resulted in deforestation. Modern sugar production began in the late 1930s and rose steadily, peaking in the early 1980s with about 114,000 tons of sugar.
In recent decades, tourism, particularly eco-tourism, has become an important industry in Belize. An estimated 65% of the Belizean labor force works in services, many related to tourism. About one in five works in agriculture, and nearly 14% labor in other types of industry. Belize's unemployment rate in 2006 was 9.4%.
Besides sugar, other major agricultural exports include citrus, bananas, fish and other seafood, and cacao. Garment and lumber remain import industries, and in recent years oil discoveries in Belize have fueled some economic growth.
Belize imports machinery and transportation equipment, along with fuel, food, and manufactured goods from the United States, Mexico, and other countries.
Belize has 4 airports with paved runways and another 40 that are unpaved. The chief ports of Belize are in Belize City and Big Creek on the Caribbean Sea.
Belize City is the country's financial center.
Money
The official currency of Belize is the Belizean dollar (BZD). It has a fixed exchange rate of two Belizean dollars to one United States dollar. Most places accept United States currency.
Demographics
The population of Belize was estimated in 2008 at just over 300,000. With nearly 9,000 square miles, Belize has one of the lowest population densities in the world. Yet population growth in Belize has been strong in recent decades, with an estimation of 2.2% in 2008. More than 96% of Belize's population is below 65 years of age, according to a 2008 estimate.
The main ethnicities in Belize are Mestizo, Creole, and Mayan. About 50% of Belizeans are Roman Catholic, and roughly a quarter of Belizeans are Protestant.
Language
English is the official language of Belize, but most Belizeans also speak Spanish and/or Kriol, a Creole language with a rich history. No other Central American country has English as an official language.
Medical Services
There are several hospitals in Belize City. Belize Medical Associates in Belize City is an outstanding hospital offering a full array of medical services. Karl Huesner Memorial and Belize City hospital are also located in the city. Belmopan Hospital is on Eyre Street in the capital city of Belmopan
Climate and Weather
Belize has a tropical to slightly sub-tropical climate. It has some of the western hemisphere's best preserved tropical rainforests. Belize's average annual temperature is about 79 degrees. Belize's rainy season occurs from May to November, while the months from February to May are considered the dry season. Trade winds from the southeast provide relief to humid conditions in Belize.
At 1124 meters, Doyle's Delight in the Cockscomb Range in the Maya Mountains of western Belize is Belize's highest point. Its lowest point is the Caribbean Sea, which borders Belize to its east. Besides the threat of hurricanes, Belize's other principal natural disaster risk is flooding, which takes place more in the southern part of the country.
Recreation
Belize is one of the best scuba diving sites in the western Caribbean and essentially the world. This is due to the presence of the Belize Barrier Reef, the second longest reef in the world. The 185-mile long Belize Barrier Reef is the Western Hemisphere's longest and attracts divers from around the world.
Belize has a number of cayes and offshore atolls where divers and snorkelers can find first-class experiences. Poplar spots include Ambergris Caye, an island located in Belize's northeast, where excellent diving and snorkeling opportunities are matched by a casual lifestyle and exciting nightlife. Tobacco Caye, Caye Caulker, and Lighthouse Reef Atoll are also excellent diving and snorkeling spots. Lighthouse and Glovers Reefs are a short travel east of Belize out into the Caribbean Sea. The Lighthouse Reef is the site of the world famous diving site and natural wonder, the Blue Hole.
Belize is also a renowned spot for eco-tourism of its tropical rainforests. An array of unique and beautiful plant and animal wildlife fill Belize's rainforests. Belize's rainforests also feature stunning caves, waterfalls, and Mayan ruins. Toledo, in the southern part of Belize, has some of the most exquisite and least explored rainforests in the country and is recommended for the adventurous traveler. Fly fishermen will also find excellent fishing in rivers in Toledo and other spots in the Belizean rainforest. The Machaca Hill Lodge in Punta Gorda provides excellent accommodations and the opportunity to take in the charms of the Caribbean Sea and the intrigue of the rainforest and Mayan Mountains.
Beaches in Belize promise a laid back atmosphere along the Caribbean Sea dotted with caye, atolls, and smaller waterways. The beaches at Placencia Peninsula possess the beautiful white sands familiar to many Caribbean island destinations. Placencia also is an ideal spot for scuba diving, kayaking, and snorkeling. Caye Caulker offer pristine beaches in a secluded location.
Waters sports common in Belize include windsurfing, sailing, and canoeing. The natural beauty and extensive waterways of Belize make it an excellent place for canoeing and kayaking.
Belize offers a variety of fishing opportunities, especially fly fishing and bone fishing. Tarpon, snook, permit, and bonefish are all types of fish caught in Belize.
The Caye Chapel Island Resort, twelve miles northeast of Belize City, has a golf course in an exclusive and spectacular Caribbean setting.
Shopping, Dining, Night Life
San Pedro town in Ambergris Caye in northeastern Belize is a popular shopping destination, offering artwork, jewelry, wines, clothing, furniture, beauty products, and pottery of all sorts. Belize City has several jewelry stores, including the Michael Coin Gallery-Duty Free Jewelry Store which features designer jewelry and fine carvings. Cayo in San Ignacio has several bamboo stores which specialize in furniture and other crafts. Belize City is home to a Fine Arts Gallery and the National Handicraft Center, where shoppers can find baskets, dolls, carvings, and jippi jappa baskets.
While Belize may not be known for fine dining or exquisite cuisine like many Caribbean islands, it does offer traditional meals that will suit the taste buds of all travelers. Caribbean style restaurants dominate, but there are also French, American, Latin American, and Italian restaurants on Belize. Like many Caribbean destinations, Belize cooking relies heavily on seafood. Lobster is a Belize specialty, as is red snapper. Rice and beans accompany many Belizean dishes. Iguana and gibnut (called �The Queen's Rat�), two local favorites, are recommended only for the most daring of eaters.
Popular spots include the Blue Water Grill in San Pedro, Cahal Pech in San Ignacio (west of Belmopan), and the Seaview Restaurant and The Great House in Belize City.
The Princess Casino in Belize City is the country's largest casino. It features some 400 slot machines, poker, and roulette. The Palace on Ambergris Caye in San Pedro in northeast Belize is another well known casino.
Belize does have a large nightclub scene like many Caribbean island destinations. Several hotels in Belize City and San Pedro have bars and live entertainment.
Cultural and Historical Sites
Many of Belize's historic sites are from the Mayan culture. Belize boasts a number of important Mayan archaeological sites: Altun Ha, Caracol, Cerros, Lamanai, Lubaantun, and Xunantunich. Altun Ha is where the famous �Jade Head� depicting the Sun God Kinich Ahau was discovered. The Mayan pyramid at Caracol rises to 143 feet tall. Lamanai is one of the richest and most famous sites in Belize. The Mayans lived on the lands for over three millennia. Besides a spectacular pyramid and amazing carvings, Lamanai has the ruins of two colonial Spanish churches and a sugar mill. Lubaantun has a number of structures on the site, all constructed with no mortar between stones.
In Belize City, visitors will want to stop at Baron Bliss Lighthouse and St. John's Cathedral, an old church from the Church of England.
Wildlife, Marine Life, and Flora and Fauna
Naturalists and eco-tourists will find Belize a sure destination in their Caribbean travels. Belize's waterways and many protected lands give visitors rare looks at a landscape filled with animals, plants, and natural beauty unique to the Caribbean. In fact, jungles cover more than fifty percent of Belize. The government of Belize protects the tropical rainforest, where more than 4,000 species of tropical flowers thrive. Belize has more than 250 different kinds of orchids alone.
Belize is a premier bird watching destination. More than 500 species of birds have been documented there, and several new species are discovered annually. Noted birds include toucans, storks, the rare agami heron, parrots, and snowy egrets. The National Parks at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in the Maya Mountains, the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary northwest of Belize City, and Mountain Pine Ridge are noted sites for bird watching in Belize. Mountain Pine Ridge is also the location of the 1,000 foot Hidden Valley Falls and the Rio On River and Pools.
Belize City has a zoo, and a baboon sanctuary is located west of there. Five Blues Lake National Park in the foothills of the Maya Mountains is one of Belize's most breathtaking spots. Belize is also home to a large jaguar population.
Belize is filled with a number of spectacular caves that promise unique opportunities for exploration. Guanacaste Park in the Cayo District offers several interesting tree species and other plant and animal life. The Mountain Pine Ridge area offers spectacular waterfalls and caves and some of Belize's most beautiful plants and trees, including Central America's only pine forest.
Festivals and Events
Two of Belize's most significant holidays and cultural events take place in September. Belizeans celebrate the Battle of St. George's Caye on September 10. Independence Day celebrations on Belize follow on September 21. Fireworks, parades, beauty pageants, bodybuilding competitions, a triathlon, flag raisings, cultural and art displays, and the Belize Chamber of Commerce & Industry Expo highlight these September celebrations.
The Taste of Belize is an annual event that exhibits the country's unique traditions and taste in Belizean and Caribbean cuisine. Music, dancing, and other events take place alongside the amazing culinary creations highlighted at the annual Taste of Belize.
Belize also hosts an International Film Festival each summer.
Radio
90.5/102.9 FM Positive Vibes
96.5 FM Krem
105.9 FM Wave Radio
97.1FM Integrity Radio
Links
http://www.belizeexplorer.com/
http://www.travelbelize.org/index.html
http://www.governmentofbelize.gov.bz/index.php
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Caribbean Real Estate Showcase is a division of Caribbean Villa Owners Association. 877-248-2862 804-693-5216 804-693-4856 | |||||||||
Disclaimer
Caribbean Real Estate Showcase, Dunham Young Inc. its owner, executives and employees act in good faith in the promotion of this web site but are in no way responsible to either property participants or potential customers or real estate purchasers for any loss of any kind howsoever caused. Continued use of this website indicates acceptance of this condition. Property purchasers should exercise caution and use independent legal advice when entering real estate transactions of any kind.
