Geography

Belize is a small Central American nation, located at 17°15' north of the equator and 88°45' west of the Prime Meridian. It borders the Caribbean Sea to the east, with 386km of coastline. It has a total of 516km of land borders: Mexico to the north-northwest (250 km) and Guatemala to the south-southwest (266 km).

Belize's total size is 22,960 sq km of which 22,800 sq km is land and 160 sq km is water; this makes the country slightly larger than Wales and the 150th largest country in the worlds. Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America and the only one without a Pacific coastline.

Belize is located between the Hondo and Sarstoon Rivers, with the Belize River flowing down in the centre of the country. The north of Belize consists mostly of flat, swampy coastal plains, in places heavily forested. The flora is highly diverse considering the small geographical area. The south contains the low mountain range of the Maya Mountains, whose Victoria Peak is the highest point in Belize at 3,675 feet (1,120 m) tall. The country's largest river is the eponyomous Belize River.

The Caribbean coast is lined with a coral reef and some 450 islets and islands (such as Lighthouse Reef, Glover Reef, and the Turneffe Islands) known locally as cayes (pronounced 'keys'), forming the Belize Barrier Reef, the longest in the western hemisphere stemming approximately 200 miles (322 km) and the second longest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef. Three of the four coral atolls in the Western Hemisphere are also located off the coast of Belize.

Geology

Belizean geology consists largely of varieties of limestone, with the notable exception of the Maya Mountains, a large intrusive block of granite and other Paleozoic sediments running northeast to southwest across the south-central part of the country. Several major faults rive these highlands, but much of Belize lies outside the tectonically active zone that underlies most of Central America. During the Cretaceous period, what is now the western part of the Maya Mountains stood above sea level, creating the oldest land surface in Central America, the Mountain Pine Ridge plateau.

The hilly regions surrounding the Maya Mountains are formed from Cretaceous limestone. These areas are characterised by a karst topography that is typified by numerous sinkholes, caverns, and underground streams. In contrast to the Mountain Pine Ridge, some of the soils in these regions are quite fertile and have been cultivated during at least the past 4,000 years.

Much of the northern half of Belize lies on the Yucatán Platform, a tectonically stable region. Although mostly level, this part of the country also has occasional areas of hilly, karst terrain, such as the Yalbac Hills along the western border with Guatemala and the Manatee Hills between Belize City and Dangriga. Alluvial deposits of varying fertility cover the relatively flat landscapes of the coastal plains.

Physical Features

Topographical features divide the Belizean landscape into two main physiographic regions. The most visually striking of these regions is distinguished by the Maya Mountains and the associated basins and plateaus that dominate all but the narrow coastal plain in the southern half of the country. The mountains rise to heights of about 1,100 metres, with the highest point being Doyle's Delight (1,124 metres) in the Cockscomb Mountains. Covered with shallow, highly erodible soils of low fertility, these heavily forested highlands are very sparsely inhabited.

The second region comprises the northern lowlands, along with the southern coastal plain. Eighteen major rivers and many perennial streams drain these low-lying areas. The coastline is flat and swampy, with many lagoons, especially in the northern and central parts of the country. Westward from the northern coastal areas, the terrain changes from mangrove swamp to tropical pine savannah and hardwood forest.

The interlocking networks of rivers, creeks and lagoons have played a key role in the historical geography of Belize. The largest and most historically important river is the Belize, which drains more than one-quarter of the country as it winds along the northern edge of the Maya Mountains across the centre of the country to the sea near Belize City. Also known as the Old River, the Belize River is navigable up to the Guatemalan border and served as the main artery of commerce and communication between the interior and the coast until well into the twentieth century. Other historically important rivers include the Sibun, which drains the northeastern edge of the Maya Mountains, and the New River, which flows through the northern sugar-growing areas before emptying into Chetumal Bay. Both of these river valleys possess fertile alluvial soils and have supported considerable cultivation and human settlement.

Natural Resources

Although a number of economically important minerals exist in Belize, none has been found in quantities large enough to warrant their mining. These minerals include dolomite, barite (source of barium), bauxite (source of aluminium), cassite (source of tin), and gold. In 1990 limestone, used in road building, was the only mineral resource being exploited for either domestic or export use.

The similarity of Belizean geology to that of oil-producing areas of Mexico and Guatemala prompted oil companies, principally from the United States, to explore for petroleum at both offshore and on-land sites in the early 1980s. Initial results were promising, but the pace of exploration slowed later in the decade, and production operations never commenced. As a result, Belize remains almost totally dependent on imported petroleum for its energy needs. However, the country does possess considerable potential for hydroelectric and other renewable energy resources, such as solar and biomass. In the mid-1980s, one Belizean businessman even proposed the construction of a wood-burning power station for the production of electricity, but the idea foundered in the wake of ecological concerns and economic constraints. In late 2005, a company named Belize Natural Energy found oil in commercial quantities in the Spanish lookout area of Belize.

Facts and Figures

• Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
• Geographic Coordinates: 17° 15' N, 88° 45' W
• Area:
  • Total: 22,966 sq km
  • Land: 22,806 sq km
  • Water: 160 sq km
• Land Boundaries: 516 km
• Border Countries:
  • Guatemala 266 km
  • Mexico 250 km
• Coastline: 386 km
• Maritime Claims:
  • Territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala
  • Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
• Climate: tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
• Terrain: flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
• Elevation Extremes:
  • Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
  • Highest point: Victoria Peak 1,160 m
• Natural Resources:
  • Arable land potential
  • Timber
  • Fish
  • Hydropower
• Land Use:
  • Arable land: 3.05%
  • Permanent crops: 1.39%
  • Other: 95.56%
• Irrigated land: 30 sq km
• Natural Hazards:
  • Frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November)
  • Coastal flooding (especially in south)
• Environmental Issues:
  • Deforestation
  • Water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal