Nestled over a total area of almost 22.800 km2, Belize is home to 387.880 inhabitants. It is bordered by Guatemala, the Caribbean Sea, and Mexico on the eastern coast of Central America.
The people of Belize are from a variety of languages and cultural backgrounds. Belizean Creole is the unofficial language of the country; English is the official language. With Spanish being the second most widely spoken language, nearly half of the population speaks more than one language.
Three Mayan languages are spoken in the nation: Q’eqchi’, Mopan, and Yucatec Maya. The Garifuna language, which is headquartered in Arawakan, is spoken by about 16.100 people. Of the Mennonites in Belize, 6.900 speak Plautdietsch, while a small percentage speak Pennsylvania German.
Roman Catholicism makes up 40.1% of the population in Belize, followed by Protestantism (31.8%), Jehovah’s Witnesses (1.7%), other religions (10.3%) (Maya, Garifuna, Obeah and Myalism, among others), and irreligion (15.5%).
With a population of about 16,450, Belmopan serves as the capital of Belize. It is the third-largest city in Belize and among the newest national capitals in the world. With a population of over 57.170, Belize metropolis is the largest metropolis in the country. The main port, as well as the nation’s financial and industrial center, is Belize City. With a population of over 17,8800, San Ignacia is the second-biggest city in Belize. It is the main settlement in Cayo District and the center of the region’s culture and economy.
