Just a few hours away from the United States, Belize is a popular vacation spot that hasn't been explored as much yet! Thus, the raw beauty and the serenity of the place remains untouched and unspoiled.
The Belize city was found in the 17th century, by the British lumber harvesters! The quality of the timber produced by the Mahagony trees found here made the Britishers decide to set up a colony in this country.
The Queen of England is also the Queen of Belize. The country follows the parliamentary, democracy form of Government.
Belize has one of the lowest population densities in the world, with about 16 people per square mile!
It is the only country in Central America with English as its official language! About 80% of the total Belize population has English as their mother tongue.
Belize includes about 900 Mayan ancient ruins and sacred sites. It was the capital of the Ancient Maya Empire.
Belize's islands are called Cayes (pronounced as 'keys') and they are about 450 of them including the outer atolls.
The country has only one international airport and four highways!
The tallest building in the country is a Mayan Temple!
About half of the country is covered by dense rainforests. Out of this area of rainforests, about 80% is under direct Government protection, hence it is explored!
Due to the huge forest cover, the country's motto was developed as 'Under the Shade, I flourish.'
The heavy forest cover is home to a large number of mosquitos! Belizeans frequently use repellents to stay away from tropical diseases.
The country has world's only jaguar reserve, the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary!
There are about 540 species of birds found in the region.
The Barrier Reef, a vital spot for Belize's fishing industry, is also popular among the tourists. It is the second-largest barrier reef in the world.
It is home to one of the best diving sites in the world, the Great Blue Hole! This diving site is exactly in the middle of an offshore coral atoll.
Queen Elizabeth was once served the most exotic delicacy of the country known as the Royal Rat or the Gibnut Rodent!
Though it is a country in Central America, you won't find any US fast-food chain stores like Mc Donalds and Burger King in Belize!
Thumb locking is known to be a part of greeting in the country!
It is considered rude to greet someone using their first name in Belize.
The noisiest monkey in the world, the howler monkey is found in the country. Its shriek is so loud that it can be heard from a distance of two miles!
The country has its own version of the Big Foot i.e. the El Sisimito! This creature is said to have no knees and its foot also faces backwards.
Popular local folklore speaks of a 3-foot dwarf, El Duende, who hangs out in the forest and punishes children who kill animals!
Though today hunting down an iguana is a criminal offence, it was once widely hunted down by Belizeans for food.
One of the mountain ranges in the country looks like a sleeping giant!
It takes only 90 minutes to travel from one part of the country to another!
Belizeans have built speed bumps instead of traffic lights on the internal roads inside towns and villages, to enforce speed limits!
Most Belizeans won't swim in oceans or rivers on a Good Friday, as it is considered bad luck!