Built in 1854-57 as a Her Majesty’s Prison, this Victorian structure served as a prison, later the Belize City Prison, until 1993. By the 1990, prisoners were then transferred to the Hattieville Prison. In 2002, the facility was restored and was converted to the Museum of Belize.
Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It was once the capital of the former Crown colony of British Honduras (as Belize was known from 1763 to 1964) until the government was moved to the new capital of Belmopan in 1970. As of the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 61,461 people. The small city is situated at the mouth of Haulover Creek, which is a distributary of the Belize River that empties directly into the Caribbean Sea about five miles north. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and industrial hub. It is even home to a number of the national embassies representing the various countries that have relations with Belize.
The city was almost entirely destroyed in October 1961 when Hurricane Hattie swept ashore. The community has since rebuilt in subsequent decades, but remains vulnerable to sea level rise and hurricanes.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize_City
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The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center is located some about 29 miles west of Belize City on the Western Highway in the Belize District community of La Democracia. Set in 29 acres, the zoo was founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola. It is home to more than 175 animals of about 48 species, all native to Belize. The natural environment of Belize is left entirely intact within the zoo. The dense, natural vegetation is separated only by gravel trails through the forest. The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center receives over 68,000 visitors annually, with 15,000 being students, teachers, and parents.
The Belize Zoo focuses on educating visitors about the wildlife of Belize through encountering the animals in their natural habitat. The aim is to instill appreciation and pride, and a desire to protect and conserve Belize's natural resources. The zoo was the recipient of Belize Tourism Board's 9th National Tourism Award, "Educational Award of the Year" in 2009.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize_Zoo
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The Belize Barrier Reef is a series of coral reefs straddling the coast of Belize, roughly 980 feet offshore in the north and 25 miles in the south, within the country limits. The Belize Barrier Reef is a 190-mile-long section of the 560 mile Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, which is continuous from Cancún on the north-eastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula through the Riviera Maya and down to Honduras. The system is the second largest coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It is Belize's top tourist destination, popular for scuba diving and snorkeling and attracting almost half of its 260,000 visitors. It is also vital to the country's fishing industry.
Charles Darwin described the reef as "the most remarkable reef in the West Indies" in 1842.
The Hol Chan Marine Reserve is a protected portion of the reef, close to Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, off the coast of the Belize District. It covers approximately 4,448 acres of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forest. Hol Chan is Mayan for "little channel."
The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System was designated a UNECO World Heritage Site in 1996.
Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize_Barrier_Reef
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Ladyville, Belize a village of roughly 5,000 residents, located eight miles northwest of Belize City in Belize District along the Philip Goldson Highway. It is home to Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport, which is the county's largest airport.
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Caye Caulker, pronounced kee kaw-ker, is a small island located in the Caribbean Sea between Belize City and Ambergris Caye. The island is a popular destination for international travelers and is home to a number of hotels and restaurants that cater to the tourist industry. The community on the island is known as Caye Caulker Village, which has roughly 2,000 year-round residents.
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