Demographics of Belize, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Belize is the most sparsely populated nation in Central America. It is larger than El Salvador and compares in size to the State of Massachusetts. Slightly more than half of the people live in rural areas. About one-fourth live in Belize City, the principal port, commercial centre, and former capital. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Possible meanings: Faro Airport (Portugal) Federation of Astrobiology Organizations Financial Aid Office Food and Agriculture Organization This page expands a three-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a word in English, or a word in another language. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... Belize City, Belize is the largest city of the Central American nation Belize, and its former capital. ...

Most Belizeans are of multiracial descent. About 48.7% of the population is of mixed Maya and European descent (Mestizo); 24.9% are of African and Afro-European ancestry; about 10.6% are Mayan; and about 6.1% are Afro-Amerindian (Garifuna). The remainder, about 9.7%, includes European, East Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and North American groups. this article concerns in particular the contemporary indigenous peoples and cultures who descend from, or remain, speakers of the Mayan languages of southern Mesoamerica. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Languages Predominantly Spanish, (with a minority of other languages), while Mestiços speaks Portuguese Religions Christianity (Predominantly Roman Catholic, with a minority of Protestant and other Religions) Related ethnic groups Other Spanish people, Portuguese people, Amerindian, African people, Austronesian people, Hispanics and Latinos Mestizo (Portuguese, Mestiço; French, Métis... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Garífuna is a spanish term for the people and language of the Garínagu. ...

Because Belize's original Maya peoples were decimated by disease and wars, many of the country's Maya today are descended from other groups. The current Maya population consists of several different tribes. The Yucatecs fled to Belize in the late 1840s to escape the Caste War in Yucatán, Mexico. They live in the Orange Walk and Corozal districts, which border on Mexico. In the 1870s-1880s, the Kekchi ran from Verapaz, Guatemala, where their lands were being stolen for coffee plantations, which then enslaved them. They settled villages in the Toledo district. Living near rivers and streams, their lifestyle is self-reliant. The Mopans originated in Belize, but most were driven out to Guatemala after the British assumed control from the Spanish in the late 1700s. They returned to Belize in 1886, running from enslavement and taxation in Petén. The Cayo district and San Antonio in the Toledo district are their homes now. Some of the Kekchi and Mopan have mixed together. http://www. ... The Caste War of Yucatán (1847–1901) began with the revolt of native Maya people of Yucatán (Mexico) against the population of European descent (called Yucatecos) in political and economic control. ... Yucatán is the name of one of the 31 states of Mexico, located on the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. ... Orange Walk District is a district in the northwest of the nation of Belize, with its district capital in Orange Walk Town. ... The Corozal District is the northernmost district of the nation of Belize. ... The Qeqchi language is spoken in Guatemala and Belize. ... El Petén Petén is a department of the nation of Guatemala. ...

English is the official language. The Spanish language is the native tongue of about 35% of the people and is spoken as a second language by another 20%. The various Maya groups still speak their original Mayan languages. Most people speak an English-based creole language, called Kriol in the new orthography, similar to various other English-based Creoles of the Caribbean. English is the primary language of public education, with Spanish taught in primary and secondary school as well. Bilingualism is encouraged. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... Page 9 of the Dresden Codex showing the classic Maya language written in Mayan hieroglyphs (from the 1880 Förstermann edition) The Mayan languages (alternatively: Maya languages)[1] form a language family spoken in Mesoamerica and northern Central America. ... A creole language, or simply a creole, is stable language that originated from a non-trivial combination of two or more languages, typically with many features that are not inherited from any parent. ... Belizean Creole, also called Belizean Kriol, Kriol or Belizean, is closely related to Miskito Coastal Creole, Colón Creole, and San Andrés and Providencia Creole. ...

The rate of functional literacy is 94.1%.

About 80% of the population is Christian; the Buddhist Church and other groups account for most of the remaining 20%. Mennonites make up 4.1% of the population. Their colloquial language is Plautdietsch, while standard German is mainly used as the language of worship and religious education. Muslim settlers number about 7,160 (2.5% of the population). This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after and influenced by the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons (1496-1561). ... Plautdietsch, or Mennonite Low German, is a language spoken by the Mennonites, who are ethnically Dutch, but who adopted an East Low German dialect while they were refugees in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia (later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), beginning in the early-to-mid 1500s. ... Standard German is the prescriptive norm variant of the German language used as a written language, in formal contexts, and for communication between different dialect areas. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ...

Demographic data from the CIA World Factbook

Population pyramid

Image File history File links Belize_population_pyramid_2006. ... Image File history File links Belize_population_pyramid_2006. ... This distribution is named for the pyramidal shape of its graph. ...

Population

287,730 (July 2006 est.)

Belize's Largest Cities & Towns by Population

1. Belize City, BZ - 70,800
2. Orange Walk Town, OW - 17,300
3. San Ignacio, CY - 16,800
4. Belmopan, CY - 13,500
5. Dangriga, SC - 10,800
6. Corozal Town, CZ - 8,900
7. San Pedro, BZ - 8,500
8. Benque Viejo del Carmen, CY - 7,200
9. Punta Gorda, TO - 5,000
10. Trial Farm, OW - 4,500
11. Ladyville, BZ - 4,400

- Based on 2005 estimate. Belize City, Belize is the largest city of the Central American nation Belize, and its former capital. ... Orange Walk Town is the second largest town in the nation of Belize, with a population of about 14,000. ... view of part of San Ignacio Cayo San Ignacio Cayo is a town in the west of the nation of Belize; it is capital of Belizes Cayo District. ... Belmopan, estimated population 12,300, is the capital of Belize. ... Town street Dangriga, formerly known as Stann Creek Town, is a town in the south of the nation of Belize, at the mouth of the river of Stann Creek on the Caribbean Sea. ... Corozal Town is a town in the nation of Belize. ... San Pedro Town is a town in the Belize District of the nation of Belize, Central America. ... Benque Viejo del Carmen is a town in the Cayo District of the nation of Belize, with a population of about 5,200 people, mostly of Maya decent. ... Boats rest on the shore in Punta Gorda Punta Gorda is a town in the nation of Belize. ... Trial Farm is a town in the Orange Walk District of the nation of Belize. ... Ladyville is a town in the Belize District of the nation of Belize, to the north west of Belize City. ...

Age structure

0-14 years: 39.5% (male 57,923/female 55,678)

15-64 years: 57% (male 82,960/female 81,046)

65 years and over: 3.5% (male 4,888/female 5,235) (2006 est.)

Median age

Total: 19.6 years

Male: 19.5 years

Female: 19.8 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate

2.31% (2006 est.)

Birth rate

28.84 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

5.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female

Total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate

Total: 24.89 deaths/1,000 live births

Male: 28.07 deaths/1,000 live births

Female: 21.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 68.3 years

Male: 66.43 years

Female: 70.26 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.6 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: 2.4% (2003 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS: 3,600 (2003 est.)

Deaths: Less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Belizean(s)

Adjective: Belizean

Ethnic groups

Mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, White 7.8, Garifuna 6.1%, other 1.9%

Religions

Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000)

The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA), colloquially referred to as the Adventists, is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination that grew out of the prophetic Millerite movement in the United States during the middle part of the 19th century. ... The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after and influenced by the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons (1496-1561). ... The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ...

Languages

English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 79.5%

Male: 77.0%

Female: 82.5% (2003 est.)

References

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain. and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website. The World Factbook 2007 (government edtion) cover. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

See also

• Belizean Kriol people
• Garifuna
• Islam in Belize
• Languages of Belize
• Maya peoples
• Roman Catholicism in Belize
• Ethnic groups in Central America

The Belizean Creole or Kriol are Creole descendants of African slaves who were brought primarily from Jamaica and Nicaraguas Mosquito Coast to cut down mahogany trees. ... Garífuna is a spanish term for the people and language of the Garínagu. ... The statistics for Islam in Belize estimate a total Muslim population of 2,794, representing 1 percent of the total population. ... The official language of Belize is English and sole language of instruction in its school systems. ... this article concerns in particular the contemporary indigenous peoples and cultures who descend from, or remain, speakers of the Mayan languages of southern Mesoamerica. ... The Roman Catholic Church in Belize is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. ... Central America is a region formed by 7 Hispanic countries and one Anglo-Saxon (Belize). ...

External links

• Kekchi and Mopan history - Maya history by Native Planet