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BelizeAbout Belize | Rainforest Alliance in Belize | Eco-Index | Species Profiles | Join Us! Bountiful BelizeJust slightly larger than nearby El Salvador, Belize is the region's only country that does not border the Pacific Ocean. With approximately 250,000 residents, its population numbers 30 times less than that of New York City. Almost half of the population is mestizo, just over ten percent are Maya, 24 percent are Creole and six percent are Garifuna. Most Belizeans speak a mixture of many different languages including English, Spanish, Mayan, Creole, and Garifuna.
Nestled between Mexico to the north, and Guatemala to the west with a coastline on the Caribbean, Belize is a nucleus of biodiversity and culture. With a reef second only in size to the great barrier reef off the coast of Australia and Papua New Guinea, Belize offers some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling in the world. The numerous Cayes are popular destinations for visitors to explore. The Rainforest Alliance's local partner organization, Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE), leads ecotourism expeditions throughout Belize, in addition to other wildlife conservation and monitoring activities. Belize is home to nearly 3,000 higher plant species, 125 mammals including the national animal, Baird's tapir, the jaguar and ocelot along with 356 different species of birds such as the Keel-billed toucan and the ocellated turkey, 107 reptiles and 32 amphibians. With terrain ranging from swamp areas to pine, tropical, and broadleaf forests, mountains, savannas and a rainy season averaging over 140 inches annually, Belize is highly conducive to species diversity. Though human population pressures are encroaching, steps are in place to help preserve this paradise. Twenty-one percent of the total land area of Belize remains under protected status. Sharing a border with Guatemala has allowed Belize to enter into a multi-national conservation agreement designed to protect the land that is part of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. To learn more visit: www.unesco.org/mab/sustainable/3devMaya.htm. This Caribbean nation is extremely vulnerable to storms and hurricanes, which occur frequently from June until November. These storms place stress on the country's primarily agricultural based economy. In 2000, Hurricane Iris swept through the land with a force not seen since 1961's Hurricane Hattie, leaving many people without homes, their farms leveled and the rivers jammed with fallen trees. Other threats faced by Belize include water contamination due to inadequate sewage disposal, deforestation, runoff from agricultural and industrial operations and the pending extension of the Panama highway that promises to bring increased traffic and development to remote areas. Sources and Further Reading:
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