Fascinating Facts About Belize
There are many interesting facts that have not been revealed about Belize to the world. In this blog post, we will share our top 7 interesting facts about our beautiful country:
1.) The largest city of Belize is located at the mouth of the river Belize River and is known as Belize City. It has an estimated population of 79,600 and is the main port and the industrial hub of the country. It was discovered in the mid-17th Century by British lumber harvesters and was the capital of British Honduras.
2.) September 10 in Belize is celebrated as the National Day or St George’s Caye Day. On this day in 1798, Spanish forces were repelled by the British in the Battle of St George’s Caye, with no reported casualties on either side.
3.) Belize gained complete independence from the United Kingdom on September 21, 1981. George Cadle Price was the first prime minister of independent Belize. He served from 12 September 1981 to 17 December 1984
4.) Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language. Apart from English, there are many recognized regional languages: Kriol, Spanish, Garifuna, Maya and Plautdietsch.
See: Belize Tours and Adventures
5.) Belize has a small private enterprise economy which is largely dependent on agriculture, agro-based industry and merchandising. Tourism and construction and the recent discovery of oil field have presented new prospects for the country. The estimated GDP of the country is 1.354 billion dollars. Major trading partners are the United States of America, Mexico, Central America and the European Union.
6.) Belmopan is the capital of Belize and has an estimated population of 20,000. Its name derives from the union of two words: "Belize" and "Mopan". After the devastating Hurricane Hattie destroyed the former capital, Belize City, in 1961, the government was shifted to Belmopan in 1970.
See: Travel to Belize and San Ignacio
7.) Belize is the northernmost Central American nation. It shares its borders with Mexico in the north, Guatemala in the southwest, and Caribbean Sea in the east. It is a constitutional monarchy with an estimated population of 333,200. Its total area is 8,867 square miles.
