Belize is a distinctly Anglo-Caribbean country nestled in the heart of Latin America. Its population is an extraordinary cultural mosaic, bringing together descendants of enslaved Africans along the coast, Spanish-speaking communities near the borders with Guatemala and Mexico, German-speaking Mennonites in the interior, Maya communities descended from the people who built the great pre-Hispanic cities, and descendants of British settlers and pirates.
Like northern Guatemala, Belize is home to numerous Maya archaeological sites hidden deep in the jungle, some of them difficult to reach—which is also part of their appeal. The largest Maya site in Belize is Caracol, reached by crossing the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve before continuing through dense tropical rainforest.
Belize has also made the most of its natural heritage, and ecotourism has become one of the country’s most important economic sectors. Visitors can discover rivers and sacred caves where the Maya once performed mysterious rituals, wildlife sanctuaries, and vast tropical forest reserves, as well as 250 kilometers of sandy beaches lined with palm trees. Offshore, hundreds of small islands, known as cayes, cayesrise from the waters of the world’s second-largest barrier reef.
