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P.O. Box 165 | Belmopan, BELIZE.
(501) 822 2759 (V) | (501) 822 3785 (F) | Email: webmaster@belize.com
Running along 270 miles of gorgeous Caribbean coast, Belize has more in common with the sunny Caribbean than with its neighbouring latin republics. Its laid back lifestyle makes it Paradise-like according to one writer. One of the first things prospective visitors ask is, "Where is Belize?" And the first thing they want to see when planning a trip to Belize and Central America is a map. So enjoy and download our maps. Maps will open in a new window for easy download and printing.
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Above: Google Belize Map annotated by Belize.com
Unlike other travel desitinations, visitors can travel to Belize by road, sea or airline. Online maps cannot fully replace large printed maps, but they are useful for trip planning, research or homework assignments.
We have put together a collection of maps of Belize and neighbouring areas for our readers. They include relief and political maps of Central America, Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, and are presented in their original size ready for printing. Please be patient and allow time for downloading on slower connections. Visitors interested in old maps can also find a few here. We have old maps of colonial Belize and also Central America - useful for homework or research assignments. The links to the right have our maps in generous size for you to download and print out. Links will open in a new window.
Maps: The best general road map to Belize is from ITMB. A new 6th edition was released in 2005. The color, 1:250,000-scale map retails for US$10.95. Also useful for most travelers is the mile-by-mile Driver’s Guide to Beautiful Belize, published annually by the famous Emory King. Although the maps are rough, this 8 1/2 x 11" guide is reliable and easy-to-use.
Gas Stations: Belize has Texaco, Shell and Esso service stations, with a total of around 50 stations in the country. Unleaded gas is near US $5 a gallon. Diesel is about a third less. Skilled mechanics are few and far between, although you can get a tire changed almost anywhere. Someone will come out and pump gas for you, and there’s no need to tip.
Belize gas stations accept Belize or U.S. dollars, and sometimes credit cards. Miles or Kilometers? Like the U.S., Belize has been slow to accept the metric system. Distances are given in miles, and gas is sold by the U.S. gallon. However, some Japanese-made rental cars have speed and distance shown in kilometers only, a source of confusion on Belize’s mile-denominated roads.
Full Country Name: Belize
Area: 22,966 sq km
Population: 320,000 (2008 Estimate)
Capital City: Belmopan
People: 52% Hispanic, 23% Creole, 11% Maya, 6% Garífuna
Official Language: English
Lanuage usage: Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census) Religion: 54% Catholic, 23% Protestant
Government: Parliamentary democracy Head of State (Symbolic): Governor General Sir Colville Young Head of Government.
Prime Rt. Hon. Minister Said Musa
GDP: US$2.3 billion GDP per capita: US$8,900
Major Industries: Tourism, sugar, citrus, petroleum, bananas, fish products, garment production, food processing, timber, construction. Major Trading Partners: USA, UK, Mexico, Canada
The roads in Belize are getting better and better (above: detail from RV travelling through Belize). Sure, there still are sections of wash-boarded dirt that will shake your fillings out, but more roads are now paved and even the gravel or limestone byways seem to be scraped more frequently.
A few roads, such as the Southern Highway and Hummingbird Highway, are very good indeed, among the best in all of Central America and the equal of any rural road in the U.S. or Canada. Not too many years ago the Western Highway was unpaved, the Hummingbird was a nightmare of potholes, the Old Northern Highway was a jungle of tire-stabbing asphalt chunks, the Southern Highway was a mud trap, and not even Belize City had stop lights.
Signage, too, is improving, being better than in most of Mexico or the rest of Central America. Most critical turns and junctions are marked. Many roads have mile markers — though roadwork on the Southern Highway and elsewhere means many markers are missing. Around Belize City, San Ignacio and elsewhere, new signage helps visitors navigate to key destinations such as the international airport or the Mountain Pine Ridge.
SPEED LIMITS: You occasionally see a speed limit sign in Belize, but there is little if any traffic law enforcement. Belize drivers, to be charitable, are not always the best in the world.
SLEEPING POLICEMEN: Speed-breaker bumps are used to slow traffic coming into residential areas. In many cases, you’ll get no advance warning about the bumps, but expect them as you enter any town or village.
Driving at night at night in developing countries is seldom a good idea, but in Belize night driving is easier than elsewhere because there are so few people on the roads after dark. Foxes and snakes, yes; people, no. Still, after dark it’s hard to see potholes and topes. - Lan Sluder