Central America · The modern Caribbean and isthmus states
Belize
1981/1983–present
Belize, on the Caribbean coast of Central America, was the only British colony on the mainland isthmus (British Honduras), settled by British logwood and mahogany cutters (the "Baymen") and their enslaved Africans, who repelled a Spanish attack at the Battle of St. George's Caye (1798). It is culturally Caribbean rather than Hispanic, with English as its official language and a diverse Creole, Garifuna, Maya, and mestizo population.
- Existed
- 1981/1983–present
- Shown on the map
- 1983–2024
- Peak area
- 23k km²
- Region
- Central America
Overview
Belize, on the Caribbean coast of Central America, was the only British colony on the mainland isthmus (British Honduras), settled by British logwood and mahogany cutters (the "Baymen") and their enslaved Africans, who repelled a Spanish attack at the Battle of St. George's Caye (1798). It is culturally Caribbean rather than Hispanic, with English as its official language and a diverse Creole, Garifuna, Maya, and mestizo population. Belize gained independence from the United Kingdom on 21 September 1981, with George Cadle Price — the "father of the nation" — as its first prime minister; the capital had been moved inland to the purpose-built Belmopan after Hurricane Hattie devastated Belize City (1961).
Later history and present status
Independence was long delayed and complicated by Guatemala's standing territorial claim to all or part of Belize, which kept a British military garrison stationed in the country for years after 1981. The two nations later agreed to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice, with referendums approving the referral held in Guatemala (2018) and Belize (2019). Belize is a constitutional monarchy under King Charles III, its economy based on tourism (the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO site), agriculture, and offshore services. Johnny Briceño (People's United Party) has been prime minister since 2020.
Common questions
- What was Belize?
- Belize, on the Caribbean coast of Central America, was the only British colony on the mainland isthmus (British Honduras), settled by British logwood and mahogany cutters (the "Baymen") and their enslaved Africans, who repelled a Spanish attack at the Battle of St. George's Caye (1798). It is culturally Caribbean rather than Hispanic, with English as its official language and a diverse Creole, Garifuna, Maya, and mestizo population.
- When did Belize exist?
- Belize existed 1981/1983–present. On this map it is drawn 1983–2024.
- How large was Belize?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Belize covered about 23,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- What is the present status of Belize?
- Independence was long delayed and complicated by Guatemala's standing territorial claim to all or part of Belize, which kept a British military garrison stationed in the country for years after 1981. The two nations later agreed to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice, with referendums approving the referral held in Guatemala (2018) and Belize (2019).
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each polity and for the key figures and events as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, EBSCO Research Starters and academic sources. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Belize en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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