Belize Facts & Information
Belize is in Central America, with Mexico to its North, the Caribbean Sea to the East and Guatemala to the South and West. Even though Belize City is its largest town, Belmopan is the country’s capital city.
Language:
Even though Belize is surrounded by Spanish speaking countries, Belize’s national language is English. In the past, Belize was known as British Honduras and was ruled by Britain.
As a result, English is still the main language.
However, local people do speak Belizean Creole. Some phrases are very similar to English. Why don’t you have a go speaking some phrases?!
“Tenk Yu” means Thank you, “Da how yu di du?” means How are you? and “Gud Mawnin” means Good morning!
Weather:
Belize has a tropical climate. This means that it is hot and wet from June to October when temperature can reach up to 90 °F (32 C).
The cooler months of December to February can reach temperatures around 75°F (24 C).
Hurricanes can strike Belize, especially in the months between June and November. Hurricane Earl was the last cyclone to hit Belize in August 2016, killing approximately 106 people.
Attractions:
People from all over the world travel to this beautiful country for several reasons.
The Great Blue Hole is a scuba diver paradise just off the coast in the Caribbean Sea. The hole is circular in shape and is an underwater sink hole.
Scuba divers can dive down and explore all the amazing scenery in the hole, like sharks, tropical fish, sea turtles, manta rays and coral reef formations.
You can also discover archaeological sites left behind by the Mayan civilization. Mayans believed they could communicate with their Gods through human sacrifice.
They were very advanced in writing for their time, communicating with symbols and even writing books about their calendars, astronomy, rituals and sacrifices.
The sites that they built included temples and caves throughout the country. Some famous sites include Caracol, Xunantunich and El Castillo.
Actun Tunichil Mukhanal Cave is another top attraction for tourists. It is a cave filled with pottery, ceramics and even human remains.
One skeleton is named the Crystal Maiden due to her bones being calcified, giving them a sparkling appearance.
Food:
While Rice and Beans is the national dish of Belize and Stew Chicken is a favorite, there are some other unique dishes served in this country.
Cochinita Pibil is a pork dish that is marinated with strong citrus, allspice and garlic, wrapped in plantain leaf and slowly cooked underground.
Chimole is a chicken and vegetable soup while Salbutes is fried tortillas topped with chicken, cabbage, shredded onion and pepper.
Gibnut is a yummy rat that was once served to Queen Elizabeth when she visited the country. If it’s good enough for royalty, it must be good!
Other interesting facts:
Belize has their own currency named the Belize Dollar.
Belize is roughly 8,803 square miles in size which is roughly the size of New Jersey state.
Only 356,000 people live in Belize, that’s about half the population of Alaska.
Time for some Questions:
- What country is located to the North of Belize?
- What is the main language spoken in Belize?
- What is the main currency used in Belize?
- When was the last hurricane to hit Belize?
- What does a tropical climate mean?
- Name the famous scuba diving spot off the coast of Belize?
- What things can be found when diving off the coast of Belize?
- What is the name of the sparkling skeleton found in one of Belize’s caves?
- What is the name of the rat dish that was once served to Royalty?
- Which US state is roughly the same size as Belize?
Answers:
- Mexico
- English
- Belize Dollar
- August 2016
- Hot and wet weather
- The Great Blue Hole
- Sharks, tropical fish, sea turtles, manta rays or coral reef formations
- Crystal Maiden
- Gibnut
- New Jersey
