What do you know about Belize?

 History
Belize is a Caribbean country located on Central America’s northeastern coast. Belize borders Mexico to the North, Guatemala to the West and South, and the Caribbean Sea to the East. It is the only English-speaking country in Central America. Belize was the last British colony on the American mainland, with its previous title being ‘British Honduras’ until 1973. Despite being a British colony, there was an ongoing dispute regarding Guatemala’s irredentist demands over the lands of Belize. This claim led to the long road to Belize’s independence. Even though Belize gained independence on September 21, 1981, historical ties to the UK is still kept to Commonwealth membership.

Culture
Most Belizeans are of mixed ancestry, with the majority being descendants of immigrants. Those of mixed Latino heritage, known as Mestizo, have the largest ethnic group (approximately one-half of the population.) They are also predominant by the Maya, Yucatec Maya in the north, and Mopan and Q’eqchi’ (Kekchi) Maya in the south. Those of African and British ancestry, known as Creole, is more than one-fourth of the population and predominate in the central coastal regions. There is also a significant number of Afro-Amerindian, popularly known as Garifuna, who are descendants of the Carib Indians and Africans deported from Saint Vincent by the British to the gulf of Honduras in 1798. People of European and south Asian ancestry are present in smaller numbers. They are immigrants from China, the Middle East, and elsewhere. There are also the Mennonite farmers who began to migrate to Belize in the 1950s from Canada and Mexico to escape religious persecution.