Update: Belize
Telecommunications Limited (BTL) has
a new Numbering Plan for Belize,
effective from May 1, 2002. With
this numbering plan, a
new
7-digit number will be applied
countrywide, replacing the existing
4 or 5-digit telephone number, plus
area code. The new system has
no
area codes (similar to the
system introduced in Guatemala
several years ago). You'll now need
dial the
entire 7 digits for all
calls whether within the same
area or district or to another area
or district. I wish I could tell you
about a simple way to convert the
old numbers into the new, but in
many cases the conversion code
depends on whether the number is a
landline and on the current area
code, or a fixed or mobile cellular
phone. However, here are two ways to
find out: You can visit one of two
websites set up for the conversion:
and , then click on the
New
Numbering Plan icon and type in
the old number in the box. If you're
already in Belize you can pick up a
booklet listing conversion codes
from any BTL office (locations of
the main ones are covered in the
Rough
Guide ). BTL introduced this
change with very little warning.
Certainly they made no mention of it
when I interviewed a member of their
customer service team last year,
while researching the current (2nd)
edition of
The Rough Guide to
Belize . Many businesses had no
idea of the forthcoming change until
I told them, sometimes only weeks
before May 1st. I've tried using the
conversion box on the website and
I've found it (generally) works for
landline phones (most numbers in
Belize) but didn't do too well on
cell phones. I hope this helps. If
you continue to have problems,
contact me at and I'll try to find
out the correct number for you.
Please note that most of the numbers
listed on this website have been
updated.
-Peter Eltringham
Wedged into the northeastern
corner of Central America between
Mexico's Yucatán peninsula and the
Petén forests of Guatemala, Belize
offers some of the most breathtaking
scenery anywhere in the Caribbean.
The country actually consists of
marginally more sea than land, with
the dazzling turquoise shallows and
cobalt depths of the longest barrier
reef in the Americas just
offshore. Here, beneath the surface,
a brilliant, technicolour world of
fish and corals awaits divers and
snorkellers. Scattered along the
reef, a chain of islands - known as cayes
- protect the mainland from the
ocean swell and offer more than a
hint of tropical paradise. Beyond
the reef lie the real jewels in
Belize's natural crown - three of
only four coral atolls in the
Caribbean.
Belizeans recognize the
importance of conservation and their
country boasts a higher proportion
of protected land (over 40 percent)
than any other. This has allowed the
densely forested interior to
remain relatively untouched,
boasting abundant natural
attractions, including the highest
waterfall in Central America and the
world's only jaguar reserve. Rich
tropical forests support a
tremendous range of wildlife
, including howler and spider
monkeys, tapirs and pumas, jabiru
storks and scarlet macaws; spend any
time inland and you're sure to see
the national bird, the very visible
keel-billed toucan.
Despite being the only Central
American country without a volcano,
Belize does have some rugged uplands
in the south-central region, where
the Maya Mountains rise to
over 1100m. The country's main
rivers rise here, flowing north or
east to the Caribbean, forming along
the way some of the largest cave
systems in the Americas, few of
which have been fully explored.
These caves often bear traces of the
Maya civilization that
dominated the area from around 2000
BC until the arrival of the Spanish.
The most obvious remains of this
fascinating culture are the ruins of
dozens of ancient cities
rising out of the rainforest.
Officially English-speaking
, and only gaining full independence
from Britain in 1981, Belize is as
much a Caribbean nation as a Latin
one, but one with plenty of
distinctively Central American
features, above all a blend of
cultures and races that includes
Maya, mestizo, African and European.
Spanish is at least as widely spoken
as English, but the rich, lilting Creole
is the spoken language understood
and used by almost every Belizean,
whatever their first tongue. You'll
hear this everywhere - and though
based on English, it's less
comprehensible to outsiders than you
might expect.
With far less of a language
barrier to overcome than elsewhere
in the region, uncrowded Belize is
the ideal first stop on a tour of
the isthmus. And, although it's the
second-smallest country in Central
America (slightly larger than El
Salvador), the wealth of national
parks and reserves, the numerous
small hotels and restaurants,
together with plenty of reliable
public transport make Belize an
ideal place to travel independently,
giving visitors plenty of scope to
explore little-visited Caribbean
islands as well as the heartland of
the ancient Maya.
