Belize District

Belize is one of the districts in the country of Belize. The capital of this district is Belize City. It is an important part of the nation and helps shape the culture and history of the area. For more information about other uses of the name "Belize," you can see this page.

Geography

Most of the Belize District is in the east central part of Belize. It has many beautiful islands, such as Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, St. George's Caye, Caye Chapel, English Caye, Goff's Caye, and Turneffe Atoll. Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker are popular places for visitors.

The Belize River, the longest river in Belize, flows through this district to the Caribbean Sea. Other rivers here are the Northern River, Sibun River, and Manatee River.

Settlements

San Pedro Town is on the island of Ambergris Caye and is part of the Belize District. Other island villages in this district are Caye Caulker and St. George's Caye. Many villages on the mainland are also in the Belize District, such as Maskall, Bomba, Corozalito, Santana, Lucky Strike, Rockstone Pond, Boston, Crooked Tree, Biscayne, May Pen, Gardenia, Grace Bank, Sand Hill, Lord's Bank, Ladyville, Burrel Boom, Buttercup, Scotland Halfmoon, Flowers Bank, Bermudian Landing, Isabella Bank, Double Head Cabbage, Willows Bank, Saint Paul's Bank, Big Falls, Rancho Dolores, Hattieville, Freetown Sibun, Gracie Rock, La Democracia, and Gales Point. The Crooked Tree and Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuaries, the Belize Zoo, and the ancient Maya ruins of Altun Ha are all in this district.

History

The Belize District was the first place where Europeans settled. They built farms along the rivers and creeks and used these waterways to travel. Many farms were named after the owner's "bank," meaning the side of a river. For example, Mr. Lord's farm on the Belize River was called Lord's Bank, and Mr. Flowers' home became Flowers Bank. Some of these old farms grew into villages, while others, such as Baker, Bob Eiley, and Lime Walk, stayed as farm names. Places like Davis Bank and Tropical Park are now part of bigger communities.

Demographics

The Belize District had about 87,000 people in 2005. Most lived in two big towns. Belize City was the largest town, with around 60,800 people. San Pedro Town had about 8,900 people. The rest lived in smaller villages.

In 2010, there were 89,247 people in the Belize District. There were 43,980 males and 45,267 females. The district had 27,161 households, with about 3.3 people in each home.

Political divisions

Belize District has 13 areas called constituencies for voting. Ten of these are inside Belize City, and three are in the rural parts.

The ten constituencies in Belize City include Albert, Caribbean Shores, Collet, Fort George, Freetown, Lake Independence, Mesopotamia, Pickstock, Port Loyola, and Queen's Square. Important leaders such as Shyne Barrow and Francis Fonseca represent some of these areas.

The rural parts of Belize District are split into three groups. Belize Rural North covers the northern half and includes places like Maskall and Lucky Strike. Belize Rural Central covers the southern half and includes villages such as Ladyville and Western Paradise. Belize Rural South includes the islands off the coast, like Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, with San Pedro being its main town.