When talking about Belize, one of the first questions is: Where is Belize? Belize is a country that has gone largely under the radar, so the “Where is Belize located” question is a genuine one.
Belize is located on central america’s eastern coast. Belize neighbors Mexico on it’s north and Guatamala on the west side. On the east side, the Caribbean sea stretches for some 800 kilometers (500 miles), until it reaches Cuba. Between Belize and Cuba, the Cayman Islands can be found. Haiti is some 1000 kilometers (620) miles from southern Belize. Between Belize and Haiti, the island of Jamaica is located.
With an area of only 22,966 square km (8,867 square miles), Belize is a small country. The country is approximately 300 kilometers (185 miles) from north to south and just 120 kilometers (75 miles) wide from east to west. Belize is approximately the same size as the San Francisco Bay Area (9 counties). Belize is approximately twice the size of The Netherlands, one of the smaller countries in Europe.
Belize has some 386 km of coastline. It is only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean.
Belize has 6 districts:
- Belize District
- Cayo District
- Corozal District
- Orange Walk District
- Stann Creek District
- Toledo District
Major cities in Belize include:
- Belize City
- Belmopan
- San Petro Town
- San Ignacio
- Big Creek
- Punda Gorda
The time zone for Belize is GMT -6 hours.
60% of the land area of Belize is covered in forest. It is estimated that approximately 20% of the land area is used for agriculture and habitation.
Topography of Belize. Image author: Sadalmelik
- Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary
- Sibun Forest Reserve
- Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
- Cockscomb Basin Forest Reserve
- Savannah Forest Station
- Columbia Forest Reserve
- Sarstooth National Park