Country of the World Belize

About the country Belize, its location, size, population, leaders and rulers.

NATIONS AND THEIR RULER

BELIZE

Size: 8,866 sq. mi. (22,963 sq. km.).

Population: 150,000.

Belize, once known as British Honduras, is in Central America at the south end of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Malarial coastal swamps rise gradually in the south to almost 4,000-ft. peaks, but the country's basic profile is low-lying jungle. Belize is the last British colonial possession in the mainland Americas. The colony has been self-governing since 1964 and has been promised independence whenever it wants it. Belizeans, however, have been reluctant to go independent, fearing Guatemalan claims on their territory.