Belize
GEOGRAPHY
Boundaries, Area, and Relative Size
Belize is located on the Caribbean coast of northern Central America. It shares
a border on the north with the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, on the west with
the Guatemalan department of Petιn, and on the south with the Guatemalan department
of Izabal. To the east in the Caribbean Sea, the second-longest barrier reef in
the world flanks much of the 386 kilometers of predominantly marshy coastline.
Small cay islands totaling about 690 square kilometers, dot the reef. The area
of the country totals 22,960 square kilometers, an area slightly larger than El
Salvador or Massachusetts. The abundance of lagoons along the coasts and in the
northern interior reduces the actual land area to 21,400 square kilometers
Belize is shaped like a rectangle that extends about 280 kilometers north-south
and about 100 kilometers east-west, with a total land boundary length of 516 kilometers.
The undulating courses of two rivers, the Hondo and the Sarstoon, define much
of the course of the country's northern and southern boundaries. The western border
follows no natural features and runs north-south through lowland forest and highland
plateau.
Data as of January 1992
Belize
Physical Features
Topographical features divide the Belizean landscape into two main physiographic
regions. The most visually striking of these regions is distinguished by the Maya
Mountains and the associated basins and plateaus that dominate all but the narrow
coastal plain in the southern half of the country. The mountains rise to heights
of about 1,100 meters, with the highest point being Victoria Peak (1,120 meters)
in the Cockscomb Mountains. Covered with shallow, highly erodible soils of low
fertility, these heavily forested highlands are very sparsely inhabited.
The second region comprises the northern lowlands, along with the southern
coastal plain. Eighteen major rivers and many perennial streams drain these low-lying
areas. The coastline is flat and swampy, with many lagoons, especially in the
northern and central parts of the country. Westward from the northern coastal
areas, the terrain changes from mangrove swamp to tropical pine savannah and hardwood
forest.
The interlocking networks of rivers, creeks, and lagoons have played a key
role in the historical geography of Belize. The largest and most historically
important river is the Belize, which drains more than one-quarter of the country
as it winds along the northern edge of the Maya Mountains across the center of
the country to the sea near Belize City. Also known as the Old River, the Belize
River is navigable up to the Guatemalan border and served as the main artery of
commerce and communication between the interior and the coast until well into
the twentieth century. Other historically important rivers include the Sibun,
which drains the northeastern edge of the Maya Mountains, and the New River, which
flows through the northern sugar-growing areas before emptying into Chetumal Bay.
Both of these river valleys possess fertile alluvial soils and have supported
considerable cultivation and human settlement.
Data as of January 1992
Belize
Climate
Belize has a tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons, although
there are significant variations in weather patterns by region. Temperatures vary
according to elevation, proximity to the coast, and the moderating effects of
the northeast trade winds off the Caribbean. Average temperatures in the coastal
regions range from 24° C in January to 27° C in July. Temperatures are
slightly higher inland, except for the southern highland plateaus, such as the
Mountain Pine Ridge, where it is noticeably cooler year round. Overall, the seasons
are marked more by differences in humidity and rainfall than in temperature.
Average rainfall varies considerably, ranging from 1,350 millimeters in the
north and west to over 4,500 millimeters in the extreme south. Seasonal differences
in rainfall are greatest in the northern and central regions of the country where,
between January and April or May, fewer than 100 millimeters of rain fall per
month. The dry season is shorter in the south, normally only lasting from February
to April. A shorter, less rainy period, known locally as the "little dry," usually
occurs in late July or August, after the initial onset of the rainy season.
Hurricanes have played key--and devastating--roles in Belizean history. In
1931 an unnamed hurricane destroyed over two-thirds of the buildings in Belize
City and killed more than 1,000 people. In 1955 Hurricane Janet leveled the northern
town of Corozal. Only six years later, Hurricane Hattie struck the central coastal
area of the country, with winds in excess of 300 kilometers per hour and four-meter
storm tides. The devastation of Belize City for the second time in thirty years
prompted the relocation of the capital some eighty kilometers inland to the planned
city of Belmopan. The most recent hurricane to devastate Belize was Hurricane
Greta, which caused more than US$25 million in damages along the southern coast
in 1978.
Data as of January 1992
Belize
Geology
Belizean geology consists largely of varieties of limestone, with the notable
exception of the Maya Mountains, a large intrusive block of granite and other
Paleozoic sediments running northeast to southwest across the south-central part
of the country. Several major faults rive these highlands, but much of Belize
lies outside the tectonically active zone that underlies most of Central America.
During the Cretaceous period, what is now the western part of the Maya Mountains
stood above sea level, creating the oldest land surface in Central America, the
Mountain Pine Ridge plateau.
The hilly regions surrounding the Maya Mountains are formed from Cretaceous
limestone. These areas are characterized by a karst topography that is typified
by numerous sinkholes, caverns, and underground streams. In contrast to the Mountain
Pine Ridge, some of the soils in these regions are quite fertile and have been
cultivated during at least the past 4,000 years.
Much of the northern half of Belize lies on the Yucatαn Platform, a tectonically
stable region. Although mostly level, this part of the country also has occasional
areas of hilly, karst terrain, such as the Yalbac Hills along the western border
with Guatemala and the Manatee Hills between Belize City and Dangriga. Alluvial
deposits of varying fertility cover the relatively flat landscapes of the coastal
plains.
Data as of January 1992
Belize
Natural Resources
Although a number of economically important minerals exist in Belize, none
has been found in quantities large enough to warrant their mining. These minerals
include dolomite, barite (source of barium), bauxite (source of aluminum), cassite
(source of tin), and gold. In 1990 limestone, used in roadbuilding, was the only
mineral resource being exploited for either domestic or export use.
The similarity of Belizean geology to that of oil-producing areas of Mexico
and Guatemala prompted oil companies, principally from the United States, to explore
for petroleum at both offshore and on-land sites in the early 1980s. Initial results
were promising, but the pace of exploration slowed later in the decade, and production
operations never commenced. As a result, Belize remains almost totally dependent
on imported petroleum for its energy needs. However, the country does possess
considerable potential for hydroelectric and other renewable energy resources,
such as solar and biomass. In the mid-1980s, one Belizean businessman even proposed
the construction of a wood-burning power station for the production of electricity,
but the idea foundered in the wake of ecological concerns and economic constraints.
Data as of January 1992
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