Belize
| Belize | ||||||
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| Motto: “Sub Umbra Floreo” (Latin) "I Flourish in the Shade" |
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| Anthem: Land of the Free Royal anthem: God Save the Queen |
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| Capital | Belmopan 17°15′N 88°46′W / 17.25°N 88.767°W |
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| Largest city | Belize City | |||||
| Official language(s) | English | |||||
| Recognised regional languages | Kriol, Spanish, Garifuna, Maya, Plautdietsch | |||||
| Ethnic groups | 34% Mestizo 25% Kriol 15% Spanish 11% Maya 6% Garifuna 9% Others |
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| Demonym | Belizean ( /bəˈliːziən/ or /bəˈliːʒən/)) |
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| Government | Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy | |||||
| - | Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||
| - | Governor-General | Sir Colville Young | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Dean Barrow | ||||
| Independence | ||||||
| - | from the United Kingdom | 21 September 1981 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 22,966 km2 (150th) 8,867 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 0.7 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2010 estimate | 333,200[1] (174th) | ||||
| - | Density | 15/km2 (198th2) 38/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2010 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $2.651 billion[2] | ||||
| - | Per capita | $7,895[2] | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2010 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $1.396 billion[2] | ||||
| - | Per capita | $4,158[2] | ||||
| HDI (2010) | ▲0.694[3] (high) (78th) | |||||
| Currency | Belize dollar (BZD) |
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| Time zone | CST (UTC−6) | |||||
| Drives on the | right | |||||
| Internet TLD | .bz | |||||
| Calling code | 501 | |||||
| 1 | 1These ranks are based on the 2007 figures. |
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Belize is a country in Central America. Some people in Belize speak Spanish or Kriol, but English is the official language and the most commonly spoken. This is because Belize is a former colony of the United Kingdom, while its neighbors were once colonies of Spain. It was formerly called British Honduras, but changed its name in 1973. Long before that it was part of the Mayan Empire.
More than three hundred and thirty thousand people live in Belize. Belmopan, which is located near the centre of the country, is its capital. Other towns and cities include Belize City, Corozal, Orange Walk and Punta Gorda.
Belize is on the coast of the Caribbean Sea and includes about 450 islands. The largest island, Ambergris Caye, is forty kilometres long, but many other islands are very small. In the water around the islands are coral reefs.
The temperature along the coast is warm all year round, typically ranging from 20°C in to 32°C. Sometimes hurricanes hit, causing great damage.
On the mainland bananas and sugar cane are grown. Many tourists come to Belize each year, to snorkel or dive, to visit pyramids built by the Mayans, or simply to relax on a beach.
[change] Other pages
[change] References
- ↑ "Belize". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bh.html. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Belize". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=96&pr.y=12&sy=2008&ey=2011&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=339&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
- ↑ "Human Development Report 2010". United Nations. 2010. http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2010_EN_Table1.pdf. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
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