Belize: Maya Ruins, Coral Reefs and the Caribbean's Best Kept Secret
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Belize is the only Central American country where English is the official language, a consequence of its history as British Honduras. This linguistic quirk gives it an identity quite distinct from its Spanish-speaking neighbours — more Caribbean in character, more relaxed in pace, with a cultural mix that includes Maya, Garifuna, Creole, Mestizo, Mennonite, and East Indian communities in a country of fewer than 500,000 people.
The Belize Barrier Reef is the second largest in the world, stretching nearly 300 kilometres along the coast. The Great Blue Hole — a circular marine sinkhole 300 metres wide and 125 metres deep, visible from space — is one of the world's most recognisable dive sites. The reef system supports extraordinary marine biodiversity: whale sharks congregate seasonally at Gladden Spit, manatees graze in the lagoons, and the underwater topography of limestone caves and coral walls makes every dive an exploration.
On land, Belize contains more Maya archaeological sites than it has towns. Caracol, in the Chiquibul Forest, was once larger than modern Belize City. Xunantunich, Lamanai, and Cahal Pech are accessible and striking. The Maya communities in the south — the Toledo District — maintain living connections to this heritage through language, agriculture, and ceremony. Belize is a country where two great ancient civilisations — Maya on land, ocean cultures at sea — built things that are still very much present.
