The Country
The People
The Country
Home to the western hemispheres largest barrier reef which is only second in size to Australia ’ s Great Barrier Reef , Belize although small covering only 8,800 square miles , is very diverse in its make-up in both ecosystems and cultures . To the east is the reef which stretches for 200 kms almost the whole length of Belize ’ s coastline where the Caribbean Sea gentle massages the mangroves . In the north the mangrove swamps turn into savannah whilst to the south they eventually lead to the tropical rainforests and the Maya Mountains .
© Joseph Thomas
The People
The whole of this region of Central America was once dominated by the Maya and today , as in neighboring Mexico and Guatemala , Majestic Maya ruins can be found throughout the country . The descendants of this great empire still live among a creole majority , a mix of slaves and slave owners . To the north and on the northern Cayes ( low laying sandy islands ) scattered along the reef , there are Mestizo who migrated to Belize during the Mexican caste wars . To the west there are migrants from many of the other Central American countries and on the east coast near the middle of the country there are Garinagu , a race that although from Africa , avoided becoming slaves . In the south there is a large East Indian community and there are also three Menonite communities in the country and more recently , an increasing number of Americans and Canadians have settled in Belize and so it is a country with great diversity of cultures .
© The Belize Tourism Board
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