Central America
Jungle · Reef · Laid-back
Belize is a country located in Central America. Its capital city is Belmopan, with other major cities including Belize City and San Ignacio. With a population of approximately 410,000, the main language spoken is English. The country covers an area of 22,966 km². The official currency is the Belize dollar ($). Traffic drives on the right side.
The Great Blue Hole off Belize is the world's largest known underwater sinkhole, measuring 300 m wide and 125 m deep — it was made famous globally by Jacques Cousteau in 1971.
Belmopan serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Belize, positioned in Central America. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Belize City, San Ignacio — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Belmopan was built from scratch after Hurricane Hattie destroyed 75 percent of the former capital Belize City in 1961 — the government commissioned a new inland capital on the Belize River, designed with a Maya archaeological site's layout as inspiration, making it one of the few purpose-built capitals in the Americas.
With a population of approximately 410,000, Belize is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is English, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Belize is reached via the dialling code +501. Belize is the only Central American country whose majority language is English and whose culture is more Caribbean than Latin — its Garifuna population, descendants of Afro-Caribbean and Arawak people exiled from St Vincent by the British in 1797, maintain a language and drum music tradition that UNESCO listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2001.
Belize spans 22,966 km², in the Central America subregion of Americas. Geographically centred around 17.3°N, 88.8°W, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Americas convention.
The official currency is the Belize dollar ($), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Belize's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC-06:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football / Basketball holds a special place in the heart of Belize's national identity. Belize's basketball culture coexists with football as the sport where Belizean athleticism is most visible regionally — and the country's Caribbean Games athletics programme has produced sprinters competitive at the CARIFTA level.
The highest point in Belize is Doyle's Delight, rising to 1,124 metres above sea level. The Belize Barrier Reef, at 300 kilometres the longest in the Northern Hemisphere, contains the Great Blue Hole — a circular marine sinkhole 300 metres across and 125 metres deep, formed when a limestone cave system collapsed as sea levels rose after the last ice age — a formation that Jacques Cousteau ranked among the world's top dive sites in 1971.