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Belize!
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Location!
Belize!is!located!in!Central!America.!!It!is!roughly!174!miles!
north!to!south!and!about!68!miles!west!to!east.!
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Area!
8,867!square!miles!(slightly!smaller!than!Massachusetts)!!
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Capital!City!–!Belmopan!(pop.!9,000)!
Other!Major!Cities!–!Belize!City,!Dangriga,!Orange!Walk!Town!
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Language!"!English,!Spanish,!Mayan,!Garifuna,!Creole!
English!is!the!official!language!of!Belize;!however,!it!is!not!the!language!most!often!used!within!the!
home.!Many!communities!in!Belize!speak!predominately!Spanish,!one!of!four!present!dialects!of!
Mayan,!or!Kriol.!There!are!also!significant!populations!of!Chinese!immigrants!who!manage!many!of!
the!businesses!that!volunteers!will!frequent.!Most!of!these!individuals!speak!very!limited!English—so!
learning!a!few!friendly!phrases!in!Mandarin!is!helpful.!Participants!may!also!encounter!the!country’s!
Mennonite!population.!This!group!is!very!significant!in!Belize!for!their!contributions!to!agricultural!
and!furniture!production,!but!they!prefer!to!maintain!in!fairly!closed!communities;!however,!
participants!do!occasionally!have!the!opportunity!to!interact!with!them.!Again,!most!of!these!
individuals!will!likely!speak!some!English,!but!their!primary!language!is!a!form!of!low"German.!!
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Religion!
Roman!Catholic,!Protestant!
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Population!
Total!Population!!
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292,000!
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Life!Expectancy!
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Belize!Flag!
Life!expectancy!at!birth!
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67!years!
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Literacy!(percentage!of!population!age!15!and!over!that!can!read!and!write):!94!
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Economy!
Industry:!garment!production,!food!processing,!tourism,!construction!
Agriculture:!bananas,!coca,!citrus,!sugar,!fish,!lumber!
Exports:!sugar,!bananas,!citrus,!clothing,!fish!products!
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GNP!per!Capita!"!U.S.!$4,900!
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Climate!
Belize!has!a!subtropical!and!humid!climate.!!Coastal!region!temperatures!can!vary!between!50°!and!
95°F,!while!inland!temperatures!are!slightly!higher.!!Differences!in!humidity!mark!seasonal!changes!
more!than!temperature!alone.!!The!dry!season!is!from!February!to!May,!with!a!shorter!dry!spell!in!
August.!!The!wet!season!is!from!June!through!November.!!The!coolest!months!are!from!November!to!
January!(75°F!average),!while!the!warmer!months!are!May!to!September!(81°F!average).!!Annual!
rainfall!is!about!50!inches!per!year!in!the!north,!and!150!inches!per!year!in!the!south.!!July!through!
October!is!hurricane!season.!
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Topography!
North!of!Belmopan,!Belize!is!relatively!level,!interrupted!only!by!the!Manatee!Hills.!!The!Maya!and!
Cockscomb!ranges!create!the!mountainous!interior!to!the!south,!and!the!land!becomes!flat!and!
swampy!toward!the!coastline.!!The!many!lagoons!along!the!coast!are!fed!by!17!rivers.!!Belize!has!a!
coastline!sheltered!by!reefs,!and!slightly!further!out!are!numerous!cays!and!islands.!
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Elevation!extreme!–!(highest!point)!Victoria!Peak!(Cockscombs)!–!3,681!feet!
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Time!
Daylight!Saving!Time:!Belize!is!2!hours!behind!US!Eastern!Standard!Time!
(2:00pm!on!Tuesday!in!Virginia!is!12:00!noon!on!Tuesday!in!Belize)!
Non"Daylight!Saving!Time:!Belize!is!1!hour!behind!US!Eastern!Standard!Time!
(2:00pm!on!Tuesday!in!Virginia!is!1:00pm!on!Tuesday!in!Belize)!
Belize!does!not!operate!Daylight!Saving!Time.!
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Telephone!
Country!code:!+501!
Belize!has!no!regional,!area!or!city!codes.!!You!just!dial!the!7"digit!local!number!from!wherever!you!
are!in!the!country.!!The!international!access!code!to!call!abroad!from!Belize!is!00.!
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Ambulance!(Belize!City):!90!
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Directory!assistance:!113!
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Fire!(Belize!City):!90!
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Operator!assistance:!115!
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Police:!90,!911!
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Peacework!Local!Contact!for!EMERGENCIES!ONLY:!!Carol!Babb:!!501"670"5568!
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Currency!
The!fixed!exchange!rate!is:!$1!US!Dollar!(USD)!=!2!Belize!Dollars!(BZD)!
It!is!a!good!idea!to!bring!a!small!assortment!of!cash.!ATMs!are!available!in!Belize!to!access!your!
account!at!home.!!We!suggest!that!you!carry!credit!cards!that!are!widely!accepted,!such!as!
MasterCard!and!Visa.!!Major!credit!cards!are!accepted!in!foreign!exchange!shops,!hotels!and!some!
restaurants!and!stores.!!Visa!Debit!Cards!are!most!useful!to!access!cash!and!make!purchases!when!
needed.!!The!exchange!rate!that!you!are!charged!when!using!a!credit!card!is!sometimes!different,!
and!often!times!much!better!than!street!rates.!!Be!sure!to!check!the!exchange!rate!you!will!be!
charged!when!using!your!credit!cards.!!We!suggest!that!you!save!all!of!your!credit!card!and!ATM!
receipts!in!order!to!verify!your!purchases!and!withdrawals!once!your!return!home.!
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Immunizations!Required!
Peacework!refers!all!of!its!international!volunteers!to!consult!the!Center!for!Disease!Control!and!
Prevention!(CDC)!for!up!to!date!immunization!requirements!and!well!as!their!primary!care!physician!
(or!someone!who!specializes!in!Travel!Medicine)!for!specific!health!needs!while!traveling.!The!CDC!
typically!recommends!all!persons!traveling!outside!of!Belize!City!to!receive!preventative!Malaria!
medication.!Malaria!and!dengue!fever,!a!disease!also!spread!through!insect!bites,!can!be!prevented!
through!constant!application!of!insect!repellant!(30!–!50%!DEET)!and!wearing!protective!clothing!
(long!sleeves!and!hats).!For!more!information!on!health!information!for!persons!traveling!to!Belize,!
recommended!immunizations,!and!prevention!of!insect!bites!please!visit!the!CDC!website!at:!
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/belize.aspx#insect.!!!
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Centers!for!Disease!Control!and!Prevention!
Peacework!participants!are!responsible!for!visiting!the!following!website,!as!well!as!consulting!with!a!
personal!physician,!to!review!and!discuss!health!related!issues!for!Belize!prior!to!travel:!
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationBelize.aspx!
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State!Department!
Please!visit!the!following!website!for!the!State!Department!recommendations:!
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1055.html!
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Passport/Visa!Requirements!
All!US!citizens!traveling!to!Belize!are!required!to!present!a!US!passport.!We!recommend!having!at!
least!six!months!available!until!your!passport!expires!while!traveling.!!
Belize!requires!the!following!non"US!passport!holders!to!obtain!a!Visa:!Bangladesh,!India,!
Myanmar,!Nepal,!Pakistan,!China,!Sri!Lanka,!Thailand.!!Please!contact!Peacework!if!you!
require!assistance!with!obtaining!a!visa!or!are!unsure!if!you!need!one.!!
The!following!nationalities!do!not!require!a!visa!for!Belize!entry:!Australia,!Canada,!Hong!
Kong,!New!Zealand,!Norway,!United!States,!Venezuela,!Mexico,!CARICOM!member!states,!
European!Community!Countries!!
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Local!U.S.!Embassy!in!Belize!
The!Consular!Section!of!the!U.S.!Embassy!in!Belmopan!is!located!at:!
Floral!Park!Road,!Belmopan,!Telephone!822"4011!
The!Embassy!is!open!from!8:00!a.m.!to!5:00!p.m.,!Monday!through!Friday,!except!for!the!12:00!noon!
to!1:00!p.m.!lunch!hour,!and!U.S.!and!Belizean!holidays.!!!
Embassy!Internet!Address:!http://usembassy.state.gov/belize/!
E"mail:!embbelize@state.gov!
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Resources!
Belize!Tourism!Board:!www.travelbelize.org!
Government!of!Belize:!www.governmentofbelize.gov.bz/!
Lonely!Plant!Belize:!http://www.lonelyplanet.com/belize!
CIA!World!Factbook!Belize:!https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the"world"
factbook/geos/bh.html!