Facts About Belize You May Have Never Known
Belize is one of the last vestiges of a paradise you can find on the planet. This land is full of gorgeous vistas for a variety of ecosystems. Adventures in the jungles, photo shoots around multiple waterfalls, explorations of Maya ruins and even spelunking into the depths with an inner tube are just some of the things you can do in this fine Central American country. In addition to being notable for having the second largest barrier reef on the planet, Belize has many other secrets and interesting tidbits that make it such a character among Central American countries. This article is all about covering some of those other secrets.
The Country Has Over 900 Maya Sites.
Cayes Are the Key
Belize is blessed with roughly 450 little islands, known as “Cayes” but pronounced like the things you use to enter and lock your doors.
Do You Love Jaguars?
Belize is home to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife sanctuary, the planet’s only Jaguar reserve.
Belize Only Has Two Seasons
Belize has distinct wet and dry seasons. The wet season runs from mid-May to November in the south and from mid-June to November in the north. November to February is a transitional period, with the year’s coolest temperatures and a limited amount of rain. The true dry season is February to April. There’s quite a large difference in rainfall between the north of the country (around 1500mm or 60in a year) and the south (about 4000mm or 160in). In the north and center of the country there’s a dip in rainfall in August, between peaks in July and September.
Belizean Folklore
Belize, with its unique blend of different cultures, has a truly colorful folklore history replete with many tall tales. Local folklore mentioned El Duende, a 3-foot-tall dwarf lacking thumbs. El Duende keeps to the forest and will punish bad children whom are cruel to animals while “El Sisimito” is a Sasquatch-like humanoid, lacking knees and possessing backwards-facing feet, driven by a constant hunger for the meat of humans.
English Is The Official Language
Belize uses English as its official language but Creole, Spanish, Garifuna and even Mayan are also spoken.
Belize City Is The Former Capital
Belize City was nearly obliterated by 1961’s Hurricane Hattie. The capital city was relocated to Belmopan, making it the smallest capital city with only 12,000 residents.
Belize’s Tallest Building is Mayan.
The Maya settlement of Caracol is the largest in Belize. Its Caana, meaning “sky temple,” is 141 feet tall.