Belize:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Belize:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Definition Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, growing urban crime, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.

Location	Definition Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
Geographic coordinates	Definition 17 15 N, 88 45 W
Map references	Definition Central America and the Caribbean
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 22,966 sq km land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative	Definition slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries	Definition total: 516 km border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Coastline	Definition 386 km
Maritime claims	Definition territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate	Definition tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
Terrain	Definition flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Doyle's Delight 1,160 m
Natural resources	Definition arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 3.05% permanent crops: 1.39% other: 95.56% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition 30 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	Definition 18.6 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	Definition total: 0.15 cu km/yr (7%/73%/20%) per capita: 556 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	Definition frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Environment - current issues	Definition deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal
Environment - international agreements	Definition party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	Definition only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean