 The Central American country of Belize, formerly known as 'British Honduras' has a population of approximately 280,000 people. It lies roughly between 15° 52' and 18° 30' North Latitude and 87° 28' and 89° 13' West Longitude and is bordered by México in the North, Guatemala in the west and the Caribbean Sea in the east. It covers 22,963 km2 (8,866 mi2) of land area (including the approximately 1,000 cayes). Belize harbors the largest unbroken barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere.
Belize has a very high level of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity. Belize hosts more than 150 spp. of mammals, 540 spp. of birds, 151 spp. of amphibians and reptiles , nearly 600 spp. of freshwater and marine fishes and 3,408 spp. of vascular plants . The country is unique, not only in the total number of species present, but also in the vast array of ecotypes and their species richness. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS), stretching the full length of Belize's coastline, is the second largest in the world. The diversity of corals and related reef dwellers as well as the its sheer size, has qualified this reef to be declared a World Heritage Site, in recognition of its rich biodiversity and consequent global importance. Belize also plays an integral part in the maintenance of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC), comprised of a network of protected areas linked by biological habitat corridors, stretching from México to Panamá. This wealth of biological diversity, coupled with a rich cultural heritage has made Belize a very popular tourist destination, providing significant economic benefits for the nation.
Learn about Belize, its climate, topography, people, protected areas and fire-based environmental perturbations.
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