Belize is located in Central America, but it is between Central America and the Caribbean Sea. To its North is Mexico, Guatemala is to its West, and on the South is the Gulf of Honduras (which is shared with Guatemala). The bay of Chetumal separates Belize from Mexican territory. Belize’s area is 8667 square miles. Compared with a United States state, it is slightly smaller than Massachusetts. Vertically, the country measures 174 miles, and horizontally, it measures 68 miles. Belize is the second smallest nation in Central America. It is made up of four regions. From East to West is the Cayes, and the Barrier Reef, there are also Coastal lowlands, Central Plains, and Western Highlands. The Inner Channel separates the cayes and Barrier Reef. The Barrier Reef is made up of small living creatures called coral. The Reef is 185 miles from North to South and is the second-largest coral reef in the world. A caye is a small group of islands or an archipelago. The Cayes have sand-like, infertile soil. The Coastal Lowlands is a belt of land in East Belize. The region has an average elevation of 200 feet. As the name states, Grasslands cover the center of Belize. The plains of Belize eventually became the Highlands. Southwest of the capital of Belize, Belmopan, there is Mountain Pine Ridge, which has a peak elevation of 3000 feet. Although this is a tall mountain, it is not the tallest mountain. That title goes to Doyle’s Delight, which has an elevation of 3688 feet. The main waterway of Belize is the River of Belize. The Northern plain of Belize has many small rivers. Macal and Mopan rivers go up into the Maya Mountains. Belize’s climate has two seasons. In late summer (fall for the U.S.A.) it is the rainy season and late winter (for the US) is the dry season. Temperatures range from 95º Fahrenheit to 60º. The hottest month in Belize is January and the coldest is May, almost the opposite of North-Eastern U.S.A. The average rainfall is 65 inches, however, in the South, it is 150 inches. In Belize, hurricanes have a big impact. A fun fact about Belize is that some trees there will grow in the sand-like soil areas. In the place where the sea meets the land, Mahogany trees grow thickly there. Above that, there is water, and some manatees (or sea cows) swim there. Besides manatees, a lot of other animals reside in Belize, such as baboons and ocelots. Overall, Belize is a diverse country with many different ecosystems and vegetation.

Citations:

Streissguth, Thomas. Belize in Pictures. Minneapolis, Twenty-First Century Books, 2010.