Geography of Belize
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Belize is a small Central American nation, located at 17°15' north of the equator and 88°45' west of the Prime Meridian on the Yucatán Peninsula. It borders the Caribbean Sea to the east, with 386 km of coastline. It has a total of 542 km of land borders—Mexico to the north-northwest (272 km) and Guatemala to the south-southwest (266 km). Belize's total size is Template:Cvt, of which Template:Cvt is land and Template:Cvt is water.
Belize is the only country in Central America without a Pacific coastline. Many coral reefs, cays, and islands to the east—such as Ambergris Caye, Lighthouse Reef, Glover's Reef, and the Turneffe Islands—are part of Belize's territory, forming the Belize Barrier Reef, the longest in the western hemisphere stemming approximately Template:Convert and the second longest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef. Belize's largest river is the eponymous Belize River. Belize's lowest elevation is at sea level. Its highest point is Doyle's Delight at Template:Convert.
The climate in Belize is tropical, with a rainy season from June to November and a dry season from January to May. Natural hazards include hurricanes (mostly in the late Atlantic hurricane season, September to December) and coastal flooding, especially in the south.
Earthquakes also occurred in southern Belize but infrequent and originated from Guatemala.<ref name="Earthquakes in Belize">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Physical featuresEdit
Topographical feature divide the Belizean landscape into two main physiographic regions.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> The most visually striking of these regions is distinguished by the Maya Mountains and the associated basins and plateaus that dominate all but the narrow coastal plain in the southern half of the country.<ref name=":9" /> The mountains rise to heights of about 1,100 metres,<ref name=":9" /> with the highest point being Doyle's Delight (1,124 m) in the Cockscomb Range, a spur of the Maya Mountains in Western Belize.Template:Fact Covered with shallow, highly erodible soils of low fertility, these heavily forested highlands are very sparsely inhabited.<ref name=":9" />
The second region comprises the northern lowlands, along with the southern coastal plain.<ref name=":9" /> Eighteen major rivers and many perennial streams drain these low-lying areas.<ref name=":9" /> The coastline is flat and swampy, with many lagoons, especially in the northern and central parts of the country.<ref name=":9" /> Westward from the northern coastal areas, the terrain changes from mangrove swamp to tropical pine savanna and hardwood forest.<ref name=":9" /> The country's largest lake is the approximately Template:Convert New River Lagoon.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Belize claims an exclusive economic zone of Template:Convert with Template:Convert and a territorial sea of Template:Convert. From the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is Template:Convert; 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 Guatemala.
Belize is the only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean.
RiversEdit
Template:See also The interlocking networks of rivers, creeks, and lagoons have played a key role in the historical geography of Belize.<ref name=":9" /> The largest and most historically important river is the Belize River, which drains more than one-quarter of the country as it winds along the northern edge of the Maya Mountains across the center of the country to the sea near Belize City.<ref name=":9" /> Also known as the Old River, the Belize River is navigable up to the Guatemalan border and served as the main artery of commerce and communication between the interior and the coast until well into the twentieth century.<ref name=":9" />
Other historically important rivers include the Sibun River, which drains the northeastern edge of the Maya Mountains, and the New River, which flows through the northern sugar-growing areas before emptying into Chetumal Bay.<ref name=":9" /> Both of these river valleys possess fertile alluvial soils and have supported considerable cultivation and human settlement.<ref name=":9" />
IslandsEdit
ForestsEdit
In Belize forest cover is around 56% of the total land area, equivalent to 1,277,050 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 1,600,030 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 1,274,670 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 2,390 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 0% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 59% of the forest area was found within protected areas.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ClimateEdit
Belize has a tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons, although there are significant variations in weather patterns by region.<ref name=":9" /> Temperatures vary according to elevation, proximity to the coast, and the moderating effects of the northeast trade winds off the Caribbean.<ref name=":9" /> Average temperatures in the coastal regions range from Template:Convert in January to Template:Convert in July.<ref name=":9" /> Temperatures are slightly higher inland, except for the southern highland plateaus, such as the Mountain Pine Ridge, where it is noticeably cooler year round.<ref name=":9" /> Overall, the seasons are marked more by differences in humidity and rainfall than in temperature.<ref name=":9" />
Average rainfall varies considerably, ranging from Template:Convert in the north and west to over Template:Convert in the extreme south.<ref name=":9" /> Seasonal differences in rainfall are greatest in the northern and central regions of the country where, between January and April or May, fewer than Template:Convert of rain fall per month.<ref name=":9" /> The dry season is shorter in the south, normally only lasting from February to April.<ref name=":9" /> A shorter, less rainy period, known locally as the "little dry," usually occurs in late July or August, after the initial onset of the rainy season.<ref name=":9" />
HurricanesEdit
Hurricanes have played a devastating role in Belizean history.<ref name=":9" /> In 1931 an unnamed hurricane destroyed over two-thirds of the buildings in Belize City and killed more than 1,000 people.<ref name=":9" /> In 1955 Hurricane Janet leveled the northern town of Corozal.<ref name=":9" /> Six years later, Hurricane Hattie struck the central coastal area of the country, with winds in excess of Template:Convert and Template:Convert storm tides.<ref name=":9" /> The devastation of Belize City for the second time in thirty years prompted the relocation of the capital some Template:Convert inland to the planned city of Belmopan.<ref name=":9" /> A hurricane that devastated Belize was Hurricane Greta, which caused more than US$25 million in damages along the southern coast in 1978.<ref name=":9" />
There was a period of 20 years that Belize was considered as a hurricane-free zone by manyTemplate:Citation needed until Hurricane Mitch (October 1998) gave rise to hurricane awareness and the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO). One year later Hurricane Keith hit Belize, followed the following year by Tropical Storm Chantal.
In 2001, Hurricane Iris swept through the southern part of Belize causing damage that ranged in the hundreds of millions due largely to wiping away the banana industry, crippling the citrus and tourism in the area. Six years later, the fury of Category Five Dean landed on the Yucatán coast at Mahahual and Corozal in northern Belize, was not spared the brunt of reportedly Category 3 to 4 winds. Hurricane Dean did tens of millions in damages, especially to the infantile papaya industry and to a lesser extent to the endemic sugar cane industry.
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GeologyEdit
Belizean geology consists largely of varieties of limestone, with the notable exception of the Maya Mountains, a large uplifted block of intrusive Paleozoic granite and sediments running northeast to southwest across the south-central part of the country.<ref name=":9" /> Several major faults rive these highlands, but much of Belize lies outside the tectonically active zone that underlies most of Central America.<ref name=":9" /> During the Cretaceous Period, what is now the western part of the Maya Mountains stood above sea level, creating the oldest land surface in Central America, the Mountain Pine Ridge plateau.<ref name=":9" />
The hilly regions surrounding the Maya Mountains are formed from Cretaceous limestone.<ref name=":9" /> These areas are characterized by a karst topography that is typified by numerous sinkholes, caverns, and underground streams.<ref name=":9" /> In contrast to the Mountain Pine Ridge, some of the soils in these regions are quite fertile and have been cultivated during at least the past 4,000 years.<ref name=":9" />
Much of the northern half of Belize lies on the Yucatán Platform, a tectonically stable region.<ref name=":9" /> Although mostly level, this part of the country also has occasional areas of hilly, karst terrain, such as the Yalbac Hills along the western border with Guatemala and the Manatee Hills between Belize City and Dangriga.<ref name=":9" /> Alluvial deposits of varying fertility cover the relatively flat landscapes of the coastal plains.<ref name=":9" />
Environmental issuesEdit
Environmental degradation issues in Belize include deforestation, water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, and solid waste disposal.
Belize is party to the Basel Convention, Convention on Biological Diversity, Ramsar Convention, CITES, Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, Montreal Protocol, MARPOL 73/78, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Climate changeEdit
Belize is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its low-lying coastal areas, diverse ecosystems, and economic reliance on tourism and agriculture.<ref name=":10">Template:Cite book</ref> Rising sea levels and coastal erosion threaten coastal communities and coral reefs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Warming ocean temperatures are causing coral bleaching, which impacts biodiversity and fisheries.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and floods, have become more frequent and intense, damaging infrastructure and livelihoods.<ref name=":10" />
As a country, Belize's 2023 greenhouse gas emissions are relatively low (7.46 million tonnes), however, it ranks as the 13th highest country for per capita emissions, at 18.13 tonnes per person.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Land use change and forestry together is the highest source of emissions in Belize.<ref name=":11">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The government has committed to net zero emissions by 2050 and has developed climate resilience and adaptation plans.<ref name=":11" />
Natural resourcesEdit
Although a number of economically important minerals exist in Belize, none has been found in quantities large enough to warrant their mining. Those minerals include dolomite, barite (source of barium), bauxite (source of aluminum), cassiterite (source of tin), and gold. In 1990 limestone, used in road building, was the only mineral resource being exploited for either domestic or export use.<ref name=":9" />
The similarity of Belizean geology to that of oil-producing areas of Mexico and Guatemala prompted oil companies, principally from the United States, to explore for petroleum at both offshore and on-land sites in the early 1980s. Initial results were promising, but the pace of exploration slowed later in the decade, and production operations never commenced. As a result, Belize remains almost totally dependent on imported petroleum for its energy needs.<ref name=":9" />
Belize has considerable potential for hydroelectric and other renewable energy resources, such as solar and biomass. In the mid-1980s a Belizean businessman proposed the construction of a wood-burning power station for the production of electricity, but the idea foundered in the wake of ecological concerns and economic constraints. In late 2005, a company named Belize Natural Energy found oil in commercial quantities in the Spanish Lookout area of Belize.<ref name="Romero 2006 r636">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Extreme pointsEdit
- Northernmost point – Subteniente Lopez
- Southernmost point – Southwestern border with Guatemala, near Chocon
- Westernmost point – Border with Guatemala, at Sarstoon River
- Easternmost point – Lighthouse Reef
- Highest point – Doyle's Delight: 1124 m
- Lowest point – Atlantic Ocean: 0 m
See alsoEdit
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
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External linksEdit
Template:Belize topics Template:Geography of North America Template:North America topic