📰 Belize · page 3

Hurricanes184

Hurricanes have played key—and devastating—roles in Belizean history.185 In 1931, an unnamed hurricane destroyed over two-thirds of the buildings in Belize City and killed more than 1,000 people.186 In 1955, Hurricane Janet levelled the northern town of Corozal.187 Only six years later, Hurricane Hattie struck the central coastal area of the country, with winds in excess of 300 km/h and 4 m storm tides.188 The devastation of Belize City for the second time in thirty years prompted the relocation of the capital some 80 km inland to the planned city of Belmopan corpus.189

In 1978, Hurricane Greta caused more than US$25 million in damage along the southern coast.190 In 2000, Hurricane Keith, the wettest tropical cyclone in the nation's record, stalled, and hit the nation as a Category 4 storm on 1 October, causing 19 deaths and at least $280 million in damage.191 Soon after, on 9 October 2001, Hurricane Iris made landfall at Monkey River Town as a 145 mph Category 4 storm.192 The storm demolished most of the homes in the village, and destroyed the banana crop.193 In 2007, Hurricane Dean made landfall as a Category 5 storm only 25 mi north of the Belize–Mexico border.194 Dean caused extensive damage in northern Belize.195

In 2010, Belize was directly affected by the Category 2 Hurricane Richard, which made landfall approximately 20 mi south-southeast of Belize City at around 00:45 UTC on 25 October 2010.[76]196 The storm moved inland towards Belmopan corpus, causing estimated damage of BZ$33.8 million ($17.4 million 2010 USD), primarily from damage to crops and housing.[77]197 The most recent hurricane to make landfall in Belize was Hurricane Lisa in 2022.198 Extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and floods, have become more frequent and intense due to climate change.[78]199

Climate change200

Belize is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its low-lying coastal areas, diverse ecosystems, and economic reliance on tourism and agriculture.[78]201 As a country, Belize's 2023 greenhouse gas emissions are relatively low (7.46 million tonnes), however, it ranks as the 13th highest country for per capita emissions, at 18.13 tonnes per person.[79][80]202 Land use change and forestry together is the highest source of emissions in Belize.[81]203 The government has committed to net zero emissions by 2050 and has developed climate resilience and adaptation plans.[81]204

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Belize, Government of Belize

Belize is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.205 The structure of government is based on the British parliamentary system, and the legal system is modelled on the common law of England.206 The head of state is, who is the of Belize.207 He lives in the United Kingdom, and is represented in Belize by the governor-general.208 Executive authority is exercised by the cabinet, which advises the governor-general and is led by the prime minister, who is head of government.209 Cabinet ministers are members of the majority political party in parliament and usually hold elected seats within it concurrent with their cabinet positions.210

The bicameral National Assembly of Belize comprises a House of Representatives and a Senate.211 The 31 members of the House are popularly elected to a maximum five-year term and introduce legislation affecting the development of Belize.212 The governor-general appoints the 13 members of the Senate, with a Senate president selected by the members.213 The Senate is responsible for debating and approving bills passed by the House.214

Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of Belize.215 Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association.216 The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.[82]217

Members of the independent judiciary are appointed.218 The judicial system includes local magistrates grouped under the Magistrates' Court, which hears less serious cases.219 The Supreme Court (chief justice) hears murder and similarly serious cases, and the Court of Appeal hears appeals from convicted individuals seeking to have their sentences overturned.220 Defendants may, under certain circumstances, appeal their cases to the Caribbean Court of Justice.221

Political culture

In 1935, elections were reinstated, but only 1.8 per cent of the population was eligible to vote.222 In 1954, women won the right to vote.[39]223

Since 1974, the party system in Belize has been dominated by the centre-left People's United Party and the centre-right United Democratic Party, although other small parties took part in all levels of elections in the past.224 Though none of these small political parties has ever won any significant number of seats or offices, their challenge has been growing over the years.225

Administrative divisions

Belize is divided into six districts.226

These districts are divided into 31 constituencies.227 Local government in Belize comprises four types of local authorities: city councils, town councils, village councils and community councils.228 The two city councils (Belize City and Belmopan corpus) and seven town councils cover the urban population of the country.229 Village and community councils cover the rural population.[83]230

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Belize

Belize is a full participating member of the United Nations; the Commonwealth of Nations; the Organization of American States (OAS); the Central American Integration System (SICA); the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME); the Association of Caribbean States (ACS); and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which currently serves as a final court of appeal for only Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana and Saint Lucia.231 In 2001, the Caribbean Community heads of government voted on a measure declaring that the region should work towards replacing the UK's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as final court of appeal with the Caribbean Court of Justice.232 It is still in the process of acceding to CARICOM treaties including the trade and single market treaties.233

Belize is an original member (1995) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and participates actively in its work.234 The pact involves the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) subgroup of the Group of African, Caribbean, and Pacific states (ACP).235 CARIFORUM presently the only part of the wider ACP-bloc that has concluded the full regional trade-pact with the European Union.236

The British Army Garrison in Belize is used primarily for jungle warfare training, with access to more than 5000 sqmi of jungle terrain.[84]237

Belize is a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.[85]238

The United States (US) is a major diplomatic partner to Belize and has been since 1981, following their Independence.[86]239 Over the past few decades, relations between the two states have consistently grown through mutual cooperation, forming a strong, long-lasting partnership.240 In Belize, areas such as the economy, international/national security, and education have greatly improved with the support of the US.241

The US frequently offers Belize financial support.242 In 2024, Belize and the US foreign assistance agency, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), signed a $125 million compact to support Belize's education and energy sectors.[87]243 The MCC is a US government-funded foreign assistance agency that focuses on reducing poverty through economic growth.244 It provides grants as opposed to loans, ensuring the program is not profit-driven.245 In Belize, this has translated into a system that modernizes educational opportunities and enhances the energy sector.246 Historically, Belize and the US have had good relations because of a shared commitment to democratic governance.247 Along with financial aid, the US has continuously provided disaster relief after detrimental natural disasters that have been a threat to Belize's overall stability. [88]248

The US Peace Corps has also played a pivotal role in Belize.249 Since 1952, the US Peace Corps has a public health and education program in Belize through the US Embassy Regional Security Program in Central America.250 Volunteers work in rural and urban communities to address the improvement of education, economic development, public health, etc. These efforts have strengthened the relations between Belize and the US on a more community-based level.[88]251

In 2025 Belize joined Barbados corpus, the Commonwealth of Dominica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines corpus in implementing full free movement, allowing nationals of the four countries to reside and work indefinitely in participating countries without work or residence permits.[89][90][91][92][93]252

Military

Main article: Military of Belize

The Belize Defence Force (BDF) serves as the country's military.253 The BDF, with the Belize National Coast Guard and the Immigration Department, is a department of the Ministry of Defence and Immigration.254 In 1997 the regular army numbered more than 900, the reserve army 381, the air wing 45 and the maritime wing 36, amounting to an overall strength of approximately 1,400.[94]255 In 2005, the maritime wing became part of the Belizean Coast Guard.[95]256 In 2012, the Belizean government spent about $17 million on the military, constituting 1.08% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).[96]257

After Belize achieved independence in 1981 the United Kingdom maintained a deterrent force (British Forces Belize) in the country to protect it from invasion by Guatemala corpus (see Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory).258 During the 1980s this included a battalion and No. 1417 Flight RAF of Harriers.259 The main British force left in 1994, three years after Guatemala recognized Belizean independence, but the United Kingdom maintained a training presence via the British Army Training and Support Unit Belize (BATSUB) and 25 Flight AAC until 2011 when the last British Forces left Ladyville Barracks, with the exception of seconded advisers.[94]260

Guatemalan territorial dispute

Main article: Belizean–Guatemalan territorial dispute

Throughout Belize's history, Guatemala has claimed sovereignty over all or part of Belizean territory.261 This claim is occasionally reflected in maps drawn by Guatemala's government, showing Belize as Guatemala's twenty-third department.[97][99]262

The Guatemalan territorial claim involves approximately 53% of Belize's mainland, which includes significant portions of four districts: Belize, Cayo, Stann Creek, and Toledo.[100]263 Roughly 43% of the country's population (≈154,949 Belizeans) reside in this region.[101]264

as of 2020, the border dispute with Guatemala remains unresolved and contentious.[97][102][103]265 Guatemala's claim to Belizean territory rests, in part, on Clause VII of the Anglo-Guatemalan Treaty of 1859, which obligated the British to build a road between Belize City and Guatemala.266 At various times, the issue has required mediation by the United Kingdom, Caribbean Community heads of government, the Organization of American States (OAS), Mexico, and the United States.267 In April 2018, Guatemala's government held a referendum to determine if the country should take its territorial claim on Belize to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to settle the long-standing issue.268 Guatemalans voted 95%[104] yes on the matter.[105]269 A similar referendum was to be held in Belize in April 2019, but a court ruling led to its postponement.[106]270 The referendum was held in May 2019, and 55.4% of voters opted to send the matter to the ICJ.[107]271

Both countries submitted requests to the ICJ (in 2018 and 2019, respectively) and the ICJ ordered Guatemala's initial brief be submitted by December 2020 and Belize's response by 2022.[108]272 On 7 June 2023, the stage of written submissions ended, with the next step being oral arguments from each country's legal teams.[109]273

Indigenous land claims

Belize backed the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, which established legal land rights to indigenous groups.[110]274 Other court cases have affirmed these rights like the Supreme Court of Belize's 2013 decision to uphold its ruling in 2010 that acknowledges customary land titles as communal land for indigenous peoples.[111]275 Another such case is the Caribbean Court of Justice's (CCJ) 2015 order on the Belizean government, which stipulated that the country develop a land registry to classify and exercise traditional governance over Mayan lands.276 Despite these rulings, Belize has made little progress to support the land rights of indigenous communities; for instance, in the two years after the CCJ's decision, Belize's government failed to launch the Mayan land registry, prompting the group to take action into its own hands.[112][113]277

The exact ramifications of these cases need to be examined. as of 2017, Belize still struggles to recognize indigenous populations and their respective rights.278 According to the 50-page voluntary national report Belize created on its progress toward the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, indigenous groups are not factored into the country's indicators whatsoever.[114]279 Belize's Maya population is only mentioned once in the entirety of the report.[110]280

Economy

Main article: Economy of Belize

Belize has a small, mostly private enterprise economy that is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising, with tourism and construction recently assuming greater importance.[65]281 The country is also a producer of industrial minerals,[115] crude oil, and petroleum. as of 2017, oil production was 2000 oilbbl/d.[116]282 In agriculture, sugar, like in colonial times, remains the chief crop, accounting for nearly half of exports, while the banana industry is the largest employer.[65]283 In 2007 Belize became the world's third largest exporter of papaya.[117]284