Blue Hole
About the same size as Wales, Belize rests on the Caribbean
coast between Mexico and Guatemala: an exotic, English-speaking,
adventurer's paradise, just a couple of hours away from three major
United States cities. Almost half the country has been preserved as
nature parks and reserves, including tropical forests teeming with
wildlife and hiding mysterious Mayan ruins, and 174 miles (280km)
of coastline featuring the longest barrier reef in the Western
Hemisphere.
The reef and the country's numerous offshore cayes, or atolls,
have made this one of the world's most desirable destinations for
scuba divers and marine researchers. They come to explore unique
features like the famous 'Blue Hole', a collapsed submerged cave
1,000 feet (305m) in diameter and 412 feet (126m) deep.
Archaeologically Belize is fascinating too, having been the site
of mighty Mayan cities from around 1,000 BC until the inexplicable
disintegration of that great civilisation around 900 AD. There are
believed to be thousands of Mayan ruins in Belize, of which about
600 have been discovered and excavated, many now open to
tourists.
Like most Caribbean countries Belize was occupied by British and
Spanish colonialists over the centuries before gaining independence
(only lately recognised by neighbouring Guatemala which laid claim
to the territory) in 1981. Today it is a happy-go-lucky
multi-ethnic nation of warm, friendly people, very welcoming of the
tourists on whom the country's economy relies heavily.
The main urban city (although not the capital) is Belize City,
which offers some attractions like a world-class zoo, a new museum,
historic buildings and the Maya site of Altun Ha. Basically,
though, Belize is a destination for the outdoor enthusiast and
adventure traveller. There are not many nightclubs, expensive
shopping venues or fancy restaurants, but there is plenty of scope
for diving, snorkelling, fishing, hiking, birdwatching, kayaking
and exploring.
