Geography of Belize
Belize is in Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, Guatemala, and Mexico. The many coral reefs like the Lighthouse Reef and Glover Reef, and islands, such as the Turneffe Islands, are part of the country. Many rivers, as the Belize river, cross Belize and finally end in the Carabbean Sea.
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2 Area: 3 Area comparative 4 Land boundaries: 5 Cities and Towns 6 Climate: 7 Environment - current issues: 8 Reference 9 External link |
Coastline:
386 km
Maritime claims:
Terrain:
flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Elevation extremes:
Natural resources:
arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Land use:
Irrigated land:
20 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards:
frequent, devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Environment - international agreements:
Geography - note:
only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean.
Location:
Geographic coordinates:17 15 N, 88 45 WArea:
total:
22,960 sq km
land:
22,800 sq km
water:
160 sq kmArea comparative
Land boundaries:
total:
516 km
border countries:
Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
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 the negotiation of a definitive agreement on territorial differences with GuatemalaCities and Towns
Climate:
tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to February)
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point:
Doyle's Delight 1,124 m (3688 feet)(recent survey shows Doyle's Delight is slightly higher than the peak long called Belize's highest point, Victoria Peak 1,120 m (3,675 feet) )
arable land:
2%
permanent crops:
1%
permanent pastures:
2%
forests and woodland:
92%
other:
3% (1993 est.)
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid waste disposal
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Reference
Some of the material in this article comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000.