Month: April 2026

Belize is located in Central America between Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and Guatemala. Belize is the only English-speaking country in the region and has a long coastline on the Caribbean Sea.

Although relatively small, Belize has an incredibly diverse landscape, including misty mountains, enormous waterfalls, pristine rivers, savannah, jungles teeming with wildlife, massive cave systems, and hundreds of offshore islands along the Belize Barrier Reef, the second-largest barrier reef in the world.

Misconceptions About Belize

Is Belize an island?

No. Belize is on the mainland of Central America, although it does have hundreds of offshore islands.

Is Belize located in the Caribbean?

Belize has a Caribbean culture as well as a lengthy coastline along the Caribbean, but Belize is not technically “in” the Caribbean as it is located on the mainland of Central America.

Is Belize located in South America?

No. Belize is in Central America. For purists that only consider South and North America to be true continents, Belize would be located in North America.

Is Belize in Honduras?

No. Belize was called British Honduras back during the colonial days, but it got this name because the southern part of the country opens onto the Bay of Honduras. Today, Belize and Honduras are two separate nations separated by a narrow band of land belonging to Guatemala. It takes about two hours with a boat to travel from Punta Gorda in the south of Belize to Puerto Cortez in Honduras.

What’s the Right Way to Spell Belize?

Over the centuries, Belize has been spelled lots of different ways, including Belieze, Belise, Balize, and Beleez. The official name of the country in English is Belize, which you better “Belize” matters to the people who live there!

Facts About Belize

• The official location of Belize is 17 degrees 15 minutes north and 88 degrees 45 west.
• Belize has approximately 360,000 people.
• English is the official language of Belize but other languages spoken in the country include Spanish, Mennonite German, Maya, and Garifuna.
• Belize is about two hours flying time from Miami or Dallas/Houston.
• Belize has 240 miles (386 km) of Caribbean coastline and hundreds of offshore islands.
• Belize has a landmass of around 8,860 square miles (22,960 square km), just a bit bigger than the state of Massachusetts.
• The highest point of land in Belize is Doyle’s Delight at 3,688 feet (1,124 meters).
• Islands in Belize are known as “cayes” (pronounced “keys”).

Belize Maps

Map of Placencia Belize

Map of Placencia and Chabil Mar

Only about 2,000 year-round residents live in the village located on the southern tip of the Placencia Peninsula. The village is a fifteen-minute stroll along the beach or 5-minutes by bike, kayak or paddle board from Chabil Mar. (Click on the Map for Larger Image and to Zoom)

For more information about Belize, feel free to chat with our Concierge at: concierge@chabilmarvillas.com or contact our Reservations Manager at: reservations@chabilmarvillas.com. Or perhaps you would like to call toll free from the US or Canada: 1-866-417-2377.

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While no one knows the original name of the cave, today it is called Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave from a Maya term meaning “Cave of the Stone Sepulcher”. Sometimes referred to as the Cave of the Stone Altar, ATM is a complex underground network of tunnels that lead to one of the most important historic sites ever discovered. Containing over 1,400 artifacts from the end of the Ancient Maya Empire that have lain undisturbed for more than a millennium, the ATM cave was once used by priests to conduct human sacrifices at a time of drought, warfare, and civil strife.

The entrance to ATM Cave is protected by a deep pool of cool water that visitors must traverse by swimming. Once inside, the cave opens up to a series of enormous stalactites and stalagmites. The first indication of the cave’s religious importance is a large stone altar carved from a stalactite with a stingray spine as its centerpiece, the altar or sepulcher that gave the cave system its current name. All around the altar lie potsherds, bone fragments, relics and other artifacts left behind by the Maya priests more than a thousand years ago.

Further in, towards what the Ancient Maya believed was the sacred nexus where the underworld of the gods connected to the world of men, lie the bones of the Crystal Maiden. This sacrificial victim, estimated to be a young adult in their 20s, has, over time, bonded with the minerals in the cave to acquire a glittery sheen. Nearby lie the remains of seven adult sacrificial victims as well as those of five children all under the age of 5. Thousands of fragmented pots and vessels are scattered near the bones, including some largely-intact pots and bowls that archeologists believe once held food offerings to appease the gods. Other artifacts include the obsidian blades that are believed to have been used in the solemn but gruesome human sacrifices conducted by Maya priests.

Archeologists have estimated that the ATM cave first became a site used by the Maya for religious purposes nearly 2,000 years ago. The most recent remains are dated to the Terminal-Classic Period (roughly 800 to 1000 AD), a time when the Maya heartland was suffering from severe drought and civil wars. Forgotten for more than a thousand years, the ATM cave was rediscovered in 1989 by local archeologists.

Due to the fragile nature of the artifacts within, only guides authorized by the Department of Archeology can access the ATM Cave. At Chabil Mar, we offer guests guided tours of this unique historical site in Belize. Our concierge would be very pleased to make those arrangements for a visit there for you.

In this blog post, we bring to you 20 amazing facts about beautiful Belize.

Belize Fact#1

Belize is the only Central American Country where English is the official language. Apart from English, there are many recognized regional languages: Kriol, Spanish, Garifuna, and Mayan.

Belize Fact#2

September 10 in Belize is celebrated as the National Day or St George’s Caye Day. On this day in 1798, Spanish forces were repelled by the British in the Battle of St George’s Caye, with no reported casualties on either side.

See also: 7 Reasons Why You Have to Travel to Belize this Summer

Belize Fact#3

Belize has a private enterprise economy that is largely dependent on agriculture, agro-based industry and merchandising. However tourism and construction and the recent discovery of oil field have presented new prospects for the country. The estimated GDP of the country is 1.354 billion dollars and the major trading partners are the United States of America, Mexico, Central America and the European Union.

Belize Fact#4

Belize obtained its independence from the United Kingdom on September 21, 1981. George Cadle Price was the first prime minister of Belize and he served from 12 September 1981 to 17 December 1984.

Belize Fact#5

The currency of Belize is Belize dollar and its ISO 3166 code is BZ. Since 1978, the official value is pegged at 2 BZD = 1 US dollar.

See also: Chabil Mar, Placencia’s Only Guest Exclusive Resort

Belize Fact#6

Belmopan is the capital of Belize and its name derives from the union of two words: “Belize” and “Mopan”. After the devastating Hurricane Hattie destroyed the former capital, Belize City, in 1961, the government was shifted to Belmopan in 1970.

Belize Fact#7

Belize has the only Jaguar reserve in the world which is known as Cockscomb Basin Wildlife sanctuary.

Belize Fact#8

The islands in Belize are called Cayes (pronounced “keys”) and total around 450 including those on the outer atolls.

Belize Fact#9

Belize has around 900 Maya temple sites.

Belize Fact#10

The largest city of Belize is located at the mouth of the river Belize River and is known as Belize City. It has an estimated population of 79,600 and is the main port and the industrial hub of the country. It was discovered in the mid-17th Century by British lumber harvesters and was the capital of British Honduras.

Belize Fact#11

The total land area of Belize is 8,867 square miles or 22,700 square kilometers.  The country’s greatest length, north to south, is 170 miles (274 km) and its greatest width, east to west, is 68 miles (109 km).  Using an offshore territorial limit of 20 km, the country covers 46,620 km2 (18,000 sq mi), of which only 49% is land.

See also: 25 Things You Need to Know Before You Travel to Placencia Belize

Belize Fact#12

Belize is in the Central Standard Time zone and does not observe daylight saving time.

Belize Fact#13

Belize is subtropical, with a mean annual temperature of 80^o F.

Belize Fact#14

The first people to inhabit Belize were the Maya around 1500 B.C.E. As shown in archeological records, they established a number of settlements such as Caracol, Lamanai and Lubaantun.

Belize Fact#15

Belize’s Black Howler Monkeys are one of the top 10 loudest animals in the world.

See also: 12 Incredible Belize Vacation Photos

Belize Fact#16

Some of the exotic names for Belize’s natural wonders include the Owl-Eye Butterfly, the Blue Morpho Butterfly, the Swallow Tail Cattle Heart Butterfly, the Peanut-Head Lantern Bug, the Red-footed Booby Bird, the Lady-of-the-Night Orchid and the False Vampire Bat.

Belize Fact#17

Close to 1 million tourists’ visit Belize annually of which 70% of are Americans.

Belize Fact#18

Belize is one of the least populated countries in the world.

Belize Fact#19

Ambergris Caye, which is 25 miles long, is Belize’s largest and most developed island.

Belize Fact#20

More than 400 species of fish live in the waters of Belize’s 185-mile long Barrier Reef.

Visit our website Chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Belize and Chabil Mar, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call & chat with us via WhatsApp Free Worldwide: +501-633-7547, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.

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