Central America · BLZ
Belize
The story · 10 chapters
How it was drawn
Maya heartland, then a British logging settlement inside a Spanish claim, a colony from 1862, and independent since 1981 despite Guatemala's claim.
Play the story Take the first lessonThrough the ages
Rivals in history
The kingdoms, empires and states Belize fought or stood against, from the first to today.
- Tikal556 to 562
Caracol, in western Belize, was once tied to Tikal. It broke away and sided with the Kaanul kings of Calakmul, and in 562 Tikal suffered a crushing defeat, opening a long period of growth for Caracol.
- Spanish Empire1531 to 1697
Spanish conquerors from Yucatan attacked the Maya province of Chetumal from the 1530s but failed to hold it. Maya towns in the interior such as Tipu rebelled against Spanish missionaries in 1638 and stayed out of Spanish control for decades.
- Spanish Empire1754 to 1798
Spain claimed the coast and attacked the British woodcutters repeatedly, capturing the settlers at Saint George's Caye in 1779 and taking them to Havana as prisoners. The last attack was beaten off at the Battle of Saint George's Caye on 10 September 1798.
- Mexico1823 to 1893
Mexico, heir to Spanish Yucatan, long contested the northern part of the British settlement, and the Caste War made the frontier violent. The 1893 treaty fixed the border on the Rio Hondo, and Mexico dropped its claim.
- Icaiche Maya1866 to 1872
The Icaiche, a Maya group from the Mexican side of the frontier, demanded rent from British loggers. Under Marcos Canul they defeated a British detachment at San Pedro in 1866, occupied Corozal in 1870 and attacked Orange Walk in 1872.
Guatemala argues that Britain broke the 1859 treaty and claims much of Belize, a claim written into its 1945 constitution. It recognised Belize in 1991, but the territorial case is now before the International Court of Justice.
Honduras claims the Sapodilla Cayes, a group of small islands at the southern end of the Belize Barrier Reef, which Belize administers. The dispute is unresolved.
Today
Belize now
D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1862. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992, and the two countries are still involved in an ongoing border dispute. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy.
- Capital
- Belmopan
- Government
- parliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
- Head of government
- Johnny Briceño
- Head of state
- Charles III
- Languages
- English
- Area
- 22,966 km²
Through time
Then and now
- Population411,1002023 · 69,100 in 1950
- Life expectancy73.6 years2023 · 49.2 years in 1950
- Living in cities42%2025 · 55% in 1950
- Literacy88%2022 · 78% in 1950
- Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
- Military spending1.0% of GDP2025
- War deathsNone2025
Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.
Relations
Close partners and tensions
Close partners
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.