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Home  >  World  > Central America  > Belize

Overview

Country Overview
Belize is situated at the base of the Yucatán Peninsula in Central America and borders Mexico and Guatemala, with the Caribbean Sea to the east. The coastal strip is swampy with mangroves, salt and freshwater lagoons and sandy beaches crossed by a number of rivers. To the south and west rises the forested Maya mountain range. Belmopan, the country’s capital city, is carved out of the jungle in the centre of Belize, near the Maya Mountain foothills. The imposing National Assembly building on Independence Hill is patterned with an ancient Mayan motif. Near the town of San Antonio, located in the Toledo District, is the Mayan site of Lubaantum, where the famous crystal skull was discovered in a temple vault. Belize City, over 300 years old and the country’s main commercial area and seaport, is the biggest city. It combines a mixture of colonial architecture, functional wooden buildings and historic cathedrals. Chinese, Latin American and Creole food is widely available. Bars are plentiful and the local Belikin beer is worth sampling. The more popular Belize nightclubs feature local bands at the weekends.


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