It
used to be called “British Honduras,” and it is the only nation
in Central America with a history of British colonization and with
English as its official language.
Yet
Guatemala has claimed some or all of Belize as its own rightful land,
and many languages, including Spanish, Kriol, Maya, and Garifuna, are
commonly spoken there.
Belize
was granted full independence on this date in 1981.
Belize
is pretty small (a bit smaller than Massachusetts) to host such a
melting pot of cultures, but its history of conquest, colonization,
slavery, and peaceful mixing has made it extremely diverse. You can
get some idea of the natural beauties and cultural diversity of
Belize from this tourism video.
Belize is home to the second longest barrier reef in the world and to some wonderful Mayan ruins.
To learn more about the Maya, you will find lots of posts on Mr. Donn's site.
- For more about Belize, check out this earlier post.
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