Belize is on the Caribbean coast, nestled between Mexico and Guatemala and offers an intriguing mix of tropical forests rich with wildlife, majestic 3,675 foot mountains, mysterious Maya temples, and diving and fishing experiences beyond compare. In a single day you can go from tropical forest to the longest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere.

Belize is a peaceful, English-speaking counrty.  With a diversity of adventure opportunities unmatched by any other country, the Belize people have protected 40% of the country as parks and natural reserves.

The people are as warm and friendly as the climate.

The first inhabitants of Belize were the Maya and Carib Indians. Belize was a part of the great Mayan empire which stretched through Guatemala, southern Mexico and parts of Honduras and El Salvador. Though the history of the Maya can be traced back for over 4000 years, the Classic Period of more advanced Mayan civilization began around the 3rd century AD and reached its height between the 6th and 8th centuries. By the 14th century it was in serious decline. When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, many of the Mayan cities were deserted.

The Spanish considered Belize a backwater suitable only for cutting logwood to be used for dye. Although the Spanish 'owned' Belize, they did not rule it. The lack of effective government and the safety afforded by the reef attracted English and Scottish pirates during the 17th century. When piracy became passé, many of the pirates began working in the logging trade. Belize was British by tradition and sympathy by the time that a British force routed the Spanish armada off St George's Caye in 1798, delivering Belize from Spanish rule. In 1862, while the USA was embroiled in its Civil War and unable to enforce the terms of the Monroe Doctrine, Great Britain declared Belize to be the colony of British Honduras.

The Maya built breathtaking temple complexes aligned to the movement of celestial bodies. Although they remained technically a Stone Age culture, they also developed sophisticated mathematics, astronomy and calendars. The Spanish constructed some plain stone churches, but the modern architecture is predominantly British Caribbean in style.

Belize is officially English-speaking, but the creoles (the largest ethnic group) speak their own colorful dialect as well as standard English. Spanish is the main language in the north and some towns in the west. You may also hear Mayan, Chinese, Mennonite German, Lebanese, Arabic, Hindi and Garífuna (the language of the Garinagu people of Stann Creek district) being spoken.

The majority of Belize's population are Roman Catholics, but British influence has created a sizable and varied protestant congregation, including German Swiss Mennonites. The Mayan practice of Catholicism is a fascinating fusion of shamanist-animist and Christian ritual.

Belize is a Lilliputian country located in the southeast of the Yucatán Peninsula, on the Caribbean coast of the Central American isthmus. It shares borders with Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west. The country consists predominantly of tropical lowland and swampy plains, though the Maya Mountains in the west rise to almost 1000m (3280ft). Thirty kilometers (19mi) offshore is the world's second largest barrier reef, home to a broad range of marine life.

Half of the country is covered by dense (but rapidly disappearing) jungle, the rest is farmland, scrub and swamp. The tropical forests provide habitats for a wide range of animals, including jaguar, puma, ocelot, armadillo, tapir and crocodile. The country also harbors keel-billed toucan, an abundance of macaws and parrots, and heron and snowy egret.

Belize is hot and humid year round, but respite from the weather can be found in the cooler mountains or from the tropical breezes which waft over the cayes. Rainfall is a whopping 4m (13ft) a year, most of it falling between June and November.