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Interesting Facts
- Belize City was once the capital of Belize, but Mother Nature put an end to that relationship. Through the years, Belize City has fallen victim to several devastating hurricanes. A storm in 1931 resulted in more than 2000 dead. By 1961 meteorologists were able to warn the city's residents that another hurricane was on the way. Though the loss of life was minimal, the city--which had only recently finished rebuilding from the 1931 hurricane--was destroyed. The decision was made to relocate the country's capital city to Belmopan, though Belize City remains the commercial and cultural capital.
- Belize City is home to the world's last manually operated swing bridge. The bridge is swung open daily, at 5:30am and 5:30pm.
- Though English is the national language shared by all, eight languages are spoken in Belize, including Creole, Maya and Garifuna.
- Belize's diverse population of 275,000 includes three branches of indigenous Maya, Mestizo (Spanish-Indians), Garifuna (African-Indians) and Creoles (African-Europeans). There are also Anglo-Europeans (a.k.a. "gringos"), and an influx of Lebanese and Chinese immigrants. A full 3 percent of the population are Mennonites.
- St John's Cathedral is Central America's oldest Anglican cathedral and one of the oldest buildings in Belize (construction began in 1812).
- The Jabiru stork, with a wingspan of 10 to 12 feet, is the largest flying bird in North America. These birds are a common sight at nature preserves throughout Belize (Crooked Tree Reserve is just north of the city), and the country boasts the largest population of nesting Jabirus in Central America.
- At one time, Logwood groves were a common sight in Belize. Nowadays these savannah/swamp trees are increasingly difficult to find. The Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, just outside of Belize City, boasts the largest remaining stand of Logwood trees in Belize. If you don't make it to Crooked Tree to see the trees, at least think of them as you take a stroll down Logwood Road on the North Side of Belize City.
- At roughly 8866 square miles, Belize is close in size to both the US state of Massachusetts and the Central American country of El Salvador, each of which has 25 times more people than Belize! Their respective populations are roughly 7,000,000 to Belize's 275,000 in the same amount of space.
- The famous Jade Head, the largest jade carving ever found in the Maya region, was discovered in a tomb at Altun Ha, just north of Belize City.
- Thanks to cooling trade winds, the temperature in Belize rarely tops 90 degrees even during the hottest summer months. During rare winter storms temperatures drop only as low as the low 60s. The average water temperature is between 79 degrees and 83 degrees.
