kingdom · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean

Belize

1981 CE – present · capital Belmopan

Central America's only English-speaking country, independent since 1981, home to the world's second-longest barrier reef and a long border dispute with Guatemala.

Origins

British Honduras was renamed Belize in 1973, and despite Guatemala's claim to the territory it became independent on 21 September 1981 under George Price of the People's United Party, with the British monarch as head of state. British troops stayed to guard it against Guatemala.

Rule and society

Power has alternated between the People's United Party and the United Democratic Party, under prime ministers such as Manuel Esquivel, Said Musa, Dean Barrow and Johnny Briceño. Guatemala recognised Belize's independence in 1991, though not its borders, and the British garrison largely left in 1994. Tourism to the reef and Maya sites, sugar, citrus, bananas and seafood support the economy. Its population mixes Kriol, Mestizo, Maya, Garifuna and Mennonite communities.

To the present

In 2018 and 2019 both Guatemala and Belize voted to submit the territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice. Belmopan, built after Hurricane Hattie, is the capital, though Belize City is the largest town.

Lineage

British Honduras 1862 CE – 1981 CEBelize

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Belize. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/belize
MLA
“Belize.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/belize. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Belize.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/belize.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Belize’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/belize (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻