Belice

Interesting Facts About Belice

• Belize is located on the north-eastern coast of Central America, bordered by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east.
• Belize is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Commonwealth Caribbean, with historical ties to the British West Indies.
• The country's economy was historically built on the mahogany trade, which dominated throughout the 19th century and first half of the 20th century.
• In 1833, slavery was abolished in the British Empire, and enslaved African workers in British Honduras (formerly the name of Belize) had been instrumental in mahogany extraction work.
• The Great Depression of the 1930s caused a near-collapse of the colony's economy as British demand for timber plummeted, compounded by a devastating hurricane that struck in 1931.
• Belize was formally declared a British Crown Colony in 1862 and was officially renamed from British Honduras to Belize on 1 June 1973.
• The People's United Party (PUP) dominated the country's politics for three decades after winning the first election under universal suffrage in 1954.

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