Belize Photos

A combination of natural factors—climate, the Belize Barrier Reef (longest in the Western Hemisphere), 127 offshore Cayes (islands), excellent fishing, safe waters for boating, scuba diving, and snorkeling, various jungle fauna and flora, helicopter touring and Maya ruins—support the thriving tourism and ecotourism industry. Development costs are high, but the Government of Belize has designated tourism as its second development priority after agriculture. In 2007, tourist arrivals totaled 251,655 (more than 210,000 from the U.S.) and tourist receipts amounted to $183.3 million.

The Belizean school system is a loose aggregate of education subsystems. The system is based on British education and is broken into three levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Belizean children begin their eight years of primary education with two years of “infant” classes, followed by six “standards.” Secondary education is divided into four “forms.” Sixth form is a two-year post-secondary course, originally intended to prepare students for the Cambridge Advanced or “A-Level” examinations. Since the early 1970s, sixth-form institutions have also bestowed Associate of Arts degrees sanctioned by the United States Association of Junior Colleges.Other post-secondary institutions include Belize Teachers’ College, the Belize School of Nursing, and the Belize College of Agriculture, in addition to UCB. Belize contributes to and participates in the multinational University of the West Indies. The University of the West Indies also maintains a small extramural department in Belize City. Management of the system varies according to level. In the latter half of the 1980s, religious denominations controlled the majority of primary schools, but the government or private, community-based boards of governors administered more than 50 percent of the secondary institutions. The preponderance of government institutions at the secondary level is a relatively new development; as recently as 1980, the majority of secondary schools were under religious management. Still, denominational representatives retain considerable influence on the managing boards of private, ostensibly nondenominational, institutions.[1] Secondary schools also differ according to curriculum and cultural orientation. Most private and denominational schools emphasize academic and commercial studies, although some also offer technical-vocational programs. In contrast, the government directly manages nine schools, all of which offer a curriculum oriented to technical-vocational subjects. In terms of cultural orientation, educational practices, rituals, and valuative criteria spread to Belize’s schools from Jesuit institutions in the United States. Jesuit influence even affect such traditional bastions of British pedagogy as the Anglican and Methodist secondary schools and the government-run Belize Technical College. Nearly thirty years of Peace Corps and other United States volunteer teachers have also influenced Belizean educational culture. Technical-vocational education programs by the United States Agency for International Development promise to erode further British pedagogical legacies.

The major sports in Belize are Football (Soccer), Basketball, Volleyball and Cycling, with smaller followings of Boat racing, Track & Field, Softball and Cricket. The Cross Country Cycling Classic, also known as the “cross country” race or as Holy Saturday Cross Country Cycling Classic, is considered to be one of the most important Belize sports events. This one-day sports event is meant for amateur cyclists but has also gained a worldwide popularity.

This cycling event in Belize has seven categories based on the age, gender and the route that has to be taken. Action packed and thrilling, this sporting event in Belize is one of the most interesting activities that tourists and visitors from all over the world like to participate in. The cycling routes offer enchanting and mesmerizing views across the meandering rivers and the resplendent greenery of the forest areas. This makes the event even more popular among the tourists.

The history of Cross Country Cycling Classic in Belize dates back to the period when Monrad Metzgen picked up the idea from a small village in the Northern highway. The people in this village used to cover miles on their bicycles to attend the weekly game of cricket in the Belizean villages. He improvised on this observation and added thrill by sowing the idea of a sporting event in the difficult regions of western highways, which was then poorly built.

The independence of the courts in Belize protected by the Constitution. In practice, however, influence the executive branch because one judge and Attorney General their employment contracts with the government must extend and finalize, on the other prominent government officials during the duration of their public office often their advocacy work will continue.

The Supreme Court has the constitutionality of the death penalty in April 1998. The last execution took place in Belize 1985. Since then, the Privy Council in London as a court of last instance the suspension granted or decided on penalty conversion. Belize has in the spring of 2001 with the majority of its CARICOM partners of the Constitutive Act for the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as a future supreme criminal and civil authority in the region instead of the British Privy Council signed. The government in September 2004, the House also passed a law concerning participation in the Trust Fund to finance the CCJ presented.

Against the backdrop of rising violent crime in some drug-transit as a background invites the public a resumption of enforcement. These requests have both government and opposition and the government in September 2002 in Parliament (House of Representatives) proposals for constitutional amendments submitted in June 2003 but pulled back. So is expected to support mainly by the EU in the improvement of police, judiciary and penitentiary.

The north of Belize consists mostly of flat, swampy coastal plains, in places heavily forested. The flora is highly diverse considering the small geographical area. The south contains the low mountain range of the Maya Mountains. The highest point in Belize is Doyle’s Delight at 3,688 ft. (1,124 m.).

The Caribbean coast is lined with a coral reef and some 450 islets and islands known locally as cayes (pronounced “keys”), forming the approximately 200 mile (322 km) long Belize Barrier Reef, the longest in the Western Hemisphere and the second longest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef. Three of the four coral atolls in the Western Hemisphere are also located off the coast of Belize. Belize is also the only Central American country without a coast on the Pacific Ocean.

Belize is a parliamentary democracy, or a constitutional monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The structure of government is based on the British parliamentary system, and the legal system is modeled on the common law of England. The current head of state is the Queen of Belize, Elizabeth II, who is represented in the country by the Governor-General. However, the cabinet, led by a prime minister, who is head of government, acting as advisors to the Governor-General, in practice exercise executive authority. Cabinet ministers are members of the majority political party in parliament and usually hold elected seats within it concurrent with their cabinet positions.

The bicameral National Assembly of Belize is composed of a House of Representatives and a Senate. The twenty-nine members of the House are popularly elected to a maximum five-year term and introduce legislation affecting the development of Belize. The Governor-General appoints the twelve members of the Senate, with a Senate president selected by the members. The Senate is responsible for debating and approving bills passed by the House.

Belize is a full participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Belmopan estimated population 12,300, is the capital of Belize.

Belmopan is located in Belize, Central America at 17°15′N, 88°45′W,^[1] at an altitude of 76 meters (250 ft) above sea level.^[2] Belmopan was constructed just to the east of Belize River, 80 km (50 miles) inland from the former capital, the port of Belize City, after that city’s near destruction by a hurricane in 1961.^[3][2][4] The government was moved to Belmopan in 1970,^[4] and its National Assembly Building is designed to resemble a Pre-Columbian Maya temple.^[5] This new capital would be situated on better terrain, would entail no costly reclamation of land, and would also provide for an industrial area, and in 1962, a committee chose the site now known as Belmopan, located 82 kilometres (51 miles) west of the old capital of Belize City.^[4] In 1964, since Belize was still a colony (known as British Honduras), Premier George Cadle Price led a delegation to London in the United Kingdom to seek funds to finance the new capital.^[6] Although they were not ready to commit to funding such a large project, the British government showed interest due to the logic of locating the capital on high ground safe from tidal waves. In order to encourage financial commitment from the British Government, Premier Price and the PUP government invited Mr. Anthony Greenwood, Secretary of State for the Commonwealth and Colonies to visit Belize.

One of the highlights of this visit was the unveiling of a monument at mile 49 on the Western Highway. The monument records that Lord Greenwood dedicated the site for the new capital on October 9, 1965. Thus in a fashion there was a commitment. The name chosen for the new capital — Belmopan — is derived from union of two words: “Belize,” the name of the longest river in the country, and “Mopan,”^[7] one of the rivers in this area, which empties into the Belize River. The initial estimated cost for building this new city was forty million Belize dollars (twenty million U.S. dollars), however, only twenty million Belize dollars (ten million U.S. dollars) were available, but the momentum was not to be lost.^[8] In 1967, work began; the first phase of the new city was completed in 1970 at a cost of 24,000,000 Belize dollars (12,000,000 U.S. dollars). From 1970 to 2000 the administration of Belmopan was managed by the Reconstruction and Development Corporation, known as “Recondev.”^[9] Recondev was vested with the power and authority to provide, or cause to be provided, the municipal functions necessary for the smooth running of the city’s business and infrastructure.

There was a reluctance initially amongst foreign governments to relocate their embassies to Belmopan,^[10] as there was some doubt as to whether this inland area would really become the functioning capital of Belize. In February 2005, the United States government broke ground and started building a new United States Embassy in Belmopan, 43 years after Belmopan was chosen as the new capital city.^[11] The Embassy was officially opened on Monday, December 11, 2006