Belize travel guide — Belize tourism and travel information

Belize

Belize is a small nation in Central America, on the Caribbean Sea bordering Mexico to the northwest and Guatemala to the west and south. Honduras lies 75 km away at the two nations' closest point across the Gulf of Honduras to the east. In the Spanish language Belize is usually called Belice. Belize was formerly known as British Honduras and the current name is derived from Belize City and the Belize River. Belize City is the country's largest city, as well as the principal port and its former capital. Belize is a member of CARICOM and considers itself a Caribbean nation, not Central American.

Belize geography

The north of Belize consists mostly of flat, swampy coastal plains, in places heavily forested. In the south is found the low mountain range of the Maya Mountains, of which the highest point in Belize is Victoria Peak at 1,160 m. Belize is located in between the Hondo and Sarstoon Rivers, with the Belize River flowing down in the centre of the country. All along the Caribbean coast are found coral reefs or cays.

The local climate is tropical and generally very hot and humid. The rainy season lasts from May to November and frequent natural hazards include hurricanes and flooding.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Belize".