Belize The Place
Today, Belize is marked squarely on the map as one of the world's leading ecotourism destinations. Contained within its borders are vast swathes of untouched rainforest, endless savannah and mangrove coasts, all comprising the greatest variety of animal habitats north of the Amazon Basin. Offshore, Belize's coral reef (the Belize Barrier Reef), is the most splendid in the Western hemisphere, second in size and grandeur only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, with around 200 small islands or cayes (pronounced keys) dotted around it. Add to that the 900-plus ancient Maya ruins scattered around the country and you begin to see why Belize is enjoying a growing popularity.
Belize's most beguiling attraction is its Old World eccentricity. It's a place where villages are named Double Head Cabbage, Go-To-Hell Camp, Pulltrouser Swamp and Bound To Shine. With a population of less than 260,000, Belize remains as relaxed and intimate as a small country town. Yet, while everyone seems to know everyone else, it is one of the most cosmopolitan places on Earth - a mixture of black Creoles, Spanish-speaking mestizos, Maya, East Indians, Syrians, Mennonites, Chinese and North Americans, all getting along in a far more amicable fashion than most of its Central American neighbours.