The coastal area of Belize is an outstanding natural system consisting of the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, offshore atolls, several hundred sand cays, mangrove forests, coastal lagoons and estuaries. The system's seven sites illustrate the evolutionary history of reef development and are a significant habitat for threatened species, including marine turtles, manatees and the American marine crocodile.
Belize is a small nation on the eastern coast of Central America on the Caribbean Sea bordered by Mexico to the northwest and Guatemala to the west and south.
Belize is located between the Hondo and Sarstoon Rivers, with the Belize River flowing down in the centre of the country.
Belize is home to the longest barrierreef in the western hemisphere stemming approximately 200 miles (322 km) and the second longest in the world after the Great BarrierReef.
It is the longest barrierreef in the Western Hemisphere and the second longest in the world.
The three Belize atoll reefs are formed on two tiers of submarine ridges: Turneffe and Glover's on one ridge and Lighthouse on a separate ridge farther to the east.
Inside the reef the water is shallow, with a blue tinge; outside the reef the water is deep and from the air shows a dark royal blue.
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