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"If the world had any ends," wrote Aldous Huxley,
"British Honduras would be one of them."
Huxley was writing well before British Honduras was renamed
Belize and well before there was a tourism industry in the
country. And no one staying at a well-equipped beach resort
or jungle lodge will want for civilization. But there are
areas of Belize where his words still ring true. Even with
the addition of hotels and tour operations that cater to the
modern traveler, much of Belize has the raw feel of frontier.
And that's what we love about it.
Visitors can see the wilds in two ways: Offshore is the longest
barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, home to an incredible
array of sea life and a world-class site for diving and snorkeling.
On the mainland, a variety of forests, including tropical
rain forest, covers a large part of Belize. The country has
such exotic species as howler monkeys, tapirs, warries and
jaguars as well as almost 500 species of birds. It is one
of the world's least densely populated countries, so a short
drive can remove you from almost all signs of civilization,
and a visit to one of the many Mayan ruins scattered through
the jungle can make you believe you've left the 20th century
altogether.
The country's unvarnished qualities do require a few words
of caution, however. Belize has no golf courses, and swimming
pools at hotels are the exception rather than the rule. The
picture-postcard beaches that many anticipate in the tropics
are few and far between. And though it has all the heat and
humidity one expects, air-conditioning is more a luxury than
a staple.
Travel between destinations is another difficulty, as many
of the roads are unpaved and in very poor shape. Even those
of good quality can be rendered dangerous by the country's
aggressive drivers. Flying is a faster and probably safer
alternative, though it is certainly more expensive.
In short, Belize is not for everyone, but those who enjoy
water sports and nature will find it an exceptional destination,
and those who are looking for a somewhat wilder side of the
tropics will find it well worth the few difficulties they
may encounter.
The Mayans began their great Central American civilization
in about 2000 BC, and though their largest ceremonial centers
were built in what are now Mexico and Guatemala, Mayans were
active in the area that would become Belize. The Mayan civilization
was strongest from 300 BC to AD 900 (the Classic Period),
and although more than 600 known Mayan ruins are scattered
throughout Belize, it's thought that hundreds of sites have
yet to be mapped or explored in the dense rain forest. The
first Europeans to explore the region were Spanish, but it
was the British who eventually colonized the area. "British
Honduras," as it was called for four centuries, was founded
by shipwrecked English sailors who washed ashore in 1638.
The nation was renamed Belize in 1973, and in 1981 it gained
full independence and joined the British Commonwealth.
Today, Belize is truly a multicultural and multilingual society.
Belize culture owes more to Britain and to the West Indies
than to its Hispanic neighbors in Central America, but the
region's Spanish influence is also present. Mestizos who speak
Spanish as a first language are now the largest group in Belize.
About three in ten Belizeans-including most of the political
and social elite-are Creoles of mixed African and European
descent. Other groups include Maya Indians and the Garifuna,
descendants of Carib Indians and African slaves who migrated
to Honduras and Belize from St. Vincent in the Caribbean.
A large number of Chinese immigrants (many of them from Hong
Kong) have settled in Belize in recent years, especially in
the Belize City area. Those of European, North American, East
Indian and Lebanese descent make up the rest of the Belizean
stew. Despite the mix of languages, races and cultures, Belizeans
by and large live in harmony and mutual tolerance.
While relatively small, Belize is a country of great geographical
diversity. The northern region along the coast is flat. The
south and west become hilly, reaching altitudes up to 3,700
ft/1,130 m. In the high, hard-to-log areas, virgin forest
remains, while the rest of the country has a variety of forests
that have regrown after the original timber was logged off.
The north and central coastal areas are laced with mangrove
swamps, which give way to beaches in the south. Off the mainland,
the water is only about 16 ft/5 m deep all the way to the
islands (locally called "cayes," pronounced keys),
which are just west of the barrier reef. The islands are,
for the most part, flat. Some are surrounded by mangroves,
while others are lined with narrow sandy beaches.
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