Corozal District has:

• a population of 10,000
• an area of 718 square miles
• an economy based on the sugar industry

The residents of Belize's most northerly district are primarily Hispanic, most speaking both Spanish and English, who have built their homes on the foundations of the Mayan ceremonial center of Santa Rita. 

During the mid-1800's, there was a series of massacres of Mestizos (persons of mixed Spanish and Indian cultural background) and whites by enslaved Indians which occurred throughout Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, ending up with the Caste War. Thousands of Mestizos and Indians refugees fled to the south to what was then British Honduras looking for safety. They brought with them expertise in farming. Today, their descendants make up a majority of the population of Corozal.

At the time of the arrival of the refugees to Belize, the mahogany and logwood exports were declining. These refugees were experienced farmers, and soon Belize began exporting sugar to England with a rise in the production by mid 1860's to one million pounds per year. This required additional processing capability and the Libertad factory was built in Corozal, allowing the sugar production to continue to increase.

The sugar cane produced in Belize is noted for its high sucrose content,the highest in the world, due to the climatic conditions and soil fertility. In the 1970's, the US demand for sugar fell causing the closing of the Libertad factory. Today sugar cane is still grown in Corozal, but processed in the Orange Walk District.

The word Corozal was a derivation from the Spanish name for the cohune palm tree, considered by ancient Mayas as a symbol of fertility.

 

 

The Orange Walk District, with an area of 1790 square miles, is located north-northeast of the Belize District. This is the second largest district and lies between the Belize and Corozal districts to the east, Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west.

The population, consisting mostly of Spanish-speaking Mestizo, English-speaking Creole and German-speaking Mennonite farmers, is concentrated in Orange Walk Town and the rest in the more than twenty villages across the district. Most of the district is involved in agriculture, the land is highly cultivated with sugar cane as well as sorghum, rice, corn and vegetables by the Mennonite farmers.

Orange Walk District was previously dominated by loggers for over a hundred years until the refugees of the Caste War arrived in the late 19th century. At the time of logging all the timber was floated down the New River into the Corozal Bay, then to Belize City and shipped abroad. Similar to the Corozal District, at the time of the arrival of the refugees, the logging industry was in decline and eventually gave rise to the sugar industry.

Sugar has been the most important crop in this district. The sugar cane is used for making Belizean rum at the Cuello processing plant as well as for making molasses and sugar. Citrus, papaya and beef cattle are also produced in this district.

Although the Orange Walk District has no coast and is considered the least visited district, it boasts the remains of two ports, Mundy and Cairns, that were the scene of battles between earlier inhabitants of the district and Belizean settlers. 

The Orangewalk District is also known for pristine forests. The Rio Bravo Conservation Area covers a large portion of the District. The land is managed by the Programme for Belize, and is carefully managed for sustainable development. Tourism is on the rise in the Orangewalk District due to healthy populations of tropical wildlife and the rich archaeological sites just now coming to light.

 

 

With an area of 1633 square miles, the Belize District is the heart of the country. Most of the country's islands are located offshore of this district and within its boundaries. This district also has the two places where most travelers begin and end their journey, the International Airport and Ambergris Caye.

The Europeans first attempt to settle Belize was made in the Belize District, first as pirates and then as loggers. During logging, terms such as "booms" were used to refer to the areas where the loggers laid chains across the river to trap floating logs; and "bank" was the spot along the river where loggers first put ashore. Today this district has villages with names such as Burrell Boom, Flowers Bank and Bermudian Landing.

Offshore lie two of the three coral atolls in Belize. Closest to the main land is Turneffe Island, a group of mangrove islands surrounded by a coral rim. Manatee and crocodiles frequent the interior lagoons and bays of this atoll. Outside of Turneffe Island lies Lighthouse Reef, one of the most spectacular dive locations in the world. Within this atoll lies two protected areas: Half Moon Caye, the only nesting site of the Red-footed Booby in Belize; and the Jacques Cousteau made-famous Blue Hole.

Belize City, the commercial and social center of the country, perches on the delta of the Belize River. By far the largest city in the country, Belize City has a rich and colorful history. On any given day, you can see every cultural group in the country rubbing shoulders on the busy streets.

 

 

Set on the banks of the Macal River, with an area of 2061 square miles, is the fast growing Cayo District. This district has a population of 40 000, the majority of which are Spanish speaking Mestizos and Mayan Indians and a variety of Creoles,Garifunas, East Indians, Chinese, Lebanese and Mennonites. One fourth of the district's population resides in Belmopan, Santa Elena and San Ignacio, while the rest live in small villages or on farms.

Although the Cayo District lacks coral reefs and has no seashore, tourism is one of the most important industries in the district. Cayo is home to the largest Maya site of Caracol, and the most photographed ruin of Xunantunich; as well as offering the best in canoeing, river rafting, hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking in Belize.

Cayo is the Spanish word for island, and is believed to have been named by the early settlers when the area was bounded by two rivers. The only access to Cayo at that time was by boat, which took ten days to Belize City, or on horseback which took more than two weeks to a month.

The earliest settlers in this area were the Mayan Indians, who put up the longest resistance against the Spaniards in the Americas. Many attempts were made by the Spaniards to control and convert the Indians but all were futile. The Spaniards weren't able to subdue the Indians until they had fallen victim to the European disease of smallpox. The disease had killed nearly the entire population. By the early 1700's the Spaniards were able to control and re-settle the surviving Mayans in Guatemala.

The British and Creole loggers then set up camps in clearings where the Mopan and Macal River meet. This started the mahogany and chicle industry, San Ignacio being the major loading point on the Macal River. Eventually the mahogany was over harvested and chicle was replaced by synthetic rubber. 

The economy of the district then eventually shifted to agriculture and cattle ranching. The first cattle ranch ever established in Belize was in the Cayo District by an American in 1950 . Today, farmers are involved in raising cattle and pigs, growing sorghum,beans, fruit and various vegetables.

 

The Stann Creek District is Belize's second largest district, with an area of 986 square miles. Here exists the heart of the Garifuna culture in Belize. This culture evolved over a period of 350 years from an isolated mixture of Caribbean Indians and Africans. The Garifuna came to Belize from Roatan in 1832 and have been here ever since.

The majority of the population of the Stann Creek District is Garifuna, the remainder made up of Maya Indians, Creoles and Guatemalan and Salvadoran refugees.

The economy of the Stann Creek District revolves around citrus and banana. Citrus fruit is to Stann Creek what steel once was to Pittsburgh. A few visionaries gave birth to the industry in the mid 1920's by planting 13 trees a few miles west of Dangriga in the rich alluvial soils of the North Stann Creek River. This was followed in 1924 by serious commercial production of citrus, marking the beginning of the industry in Belize.  

Today the citrus industry is one of Belize's top three foreign exchange earners as well as the second most important agricultural activity. The country's two modern processing plants are located in the Stann Creek District - Belize Food Products at Salada some thirteen miles out of Dangriga and The Citrus Company of Belize located in Pomona. These two factories service 50,000 acres of citrus groves in Belize, transforming over a million boxes of fruit a year into concentrate and juice.

Although the local economy is dominated by citrus, banana once had that place. The banana industry goes back to 1880 when banana enclaves were created by US and British investors. In 1917, banana production was at a peak until the Panama Disease struck reducing the production until 1923. But by 1930's, the industry was again damaged by the Stikatoka disease. The industry was continuously attacked by diseases and hurricanes affecting the country's potential as an exporter.

Disease resistant trees were introduced in 1971 by the government. In the early 1980's banana prices remained stagnant, but by end of the decade had increased. Belize's bananas, under contract with Fyffes Group, are produced for export to Britain. Shipping takes place at the deep water port in Big Creek.

Stann Creek District is the passageway to the largely undisturbed southern section of the Barrier Reef, including some 35 Cayes which are ideal for fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling and kayaking. Although Belize is not known for its mainland beaches, the few that exist are located in the Stann Creek District. 

 

Much of the western part of this district is covered by tropical forests. The foothills of the Mayan Mountains rise from the flat coastal plain to one of the highest points in the country, Victoria Peak. This distinctive peak overlooks the Cockscomb Basin, the world's first reserve set aside for the protection of the jaguar.

 

 

The residents of the remote Toledo District, in the far south of Belize, often refer to their home as "the forgotten land". This district, covering 1669 square miles, is the poorest part of the country, with many isolated Mayan Indian villages surviving on subsistence farming.

The Toledo District is first and foremost Mayan Indian country; over half of the population is Mayan. Travelling south along the Southern Highway, clusters of thatched huts appear with increasing regularity. Mayan women herd their children along the roadside while balancing washloads on their heads; Mayan men return from their milpas or working plantations with machetes and shotguns in hand.

This southern district is divided into two main areas. The uplands, located in the interior, include the southern ramparts of the Maya Mountains. These are the rugged remains of a hard, white limestone shelf, now blanketed by some of the most pristine rainforest in Belize.  

The coastal lowlands consist of softer sediments, formed from the deposits of silt laden rivers. Here, striking groups of steep, jagged, limestone hills stick up like Mayan pyramids. Six major rivers snake through these hills, draining the torrential rains of the uplands. When these rivers flood, vast flood plains and seasonal swamps become important breeding and feeding grounds for birds, mammals, reptiles and fish.

This complex terrain has influenced human settlement of the far south. For centuries, Mayan cities and ceremonial centers dotted the region. Pacified and converted by the Spanish in the 1600's, they were driven out by the British in the 18th and 19th centuries to the great Peten forest in northern Guatemala.

In the mid 1800's, Garifuna settlements were founded at Punta Gorda, Punta Negra and Barranco, followed by Confederate gun runners seeking asylum at the end of the American Civil War. Sugar quickly became the dominant cash crop, and by 1870, twelve distinct sugar mills, all owned by the North American immigrants, were in full operation. But the price of sugar began to drop; tired of fighting the rain and insects, most of the North Americans returned to their homeland.

From the 1880's, two distinct groups of Mayan Indians, Mopan and Ketchi, began moving back into the region as laborers. Although related, tradition separates the two cultures, and their languages are as distinct as is Italian and Portuguese. Coming back from Peten, the Mopan Maya have a long tradition as independent small farmers; they settled in the uplands of Toledo around the village of San Antonio. The Ketchi Mayan on the other hand, immigrated from the Alta Verapaz District of central Guatemala to the lowlands of Toledo.

The Mayan villages are small and isolated, often requiring long treks over muddied trails to reach, making them the most self-reliant as well as the poorest of many ethnic groups in Belize. Adding to the melange are Mestizos, Creole, Chinese and East Indians who came to Toledo as loggers and sugar cane laborers and never left.  

But Toledo is rich in Belize's other resources - primary rain forest, monstrous caves and jungle covered ruins - making it an exciting destination for the adventurous traveler. The farther south in Belize you travel, the farther the Barrier Reef splits from the mainland. Off the Toledo District, the reef lies 40 miles east and makes a great hook as the Caribbean deepens into the Bay of Honduras. There are many small islands to visit, including Sapodilla Cayes, the southernmost island in Belize.