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
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 the website have been
updated.
-Peter Eltringham
The narrow, crowded streets of BELIZE
CITY can initially be daunting
to anyone who has been prepared by
the usual tales of crime-ridden
urban decay. Admittedly, at first
glance the city is unprepossessing.
Its buildings - many of them
dilapidated wooden structures -
stand right at the edge of the road,
and few sidewalks offer refuge to
pedestrians from the ever-increasing
numbers of vehicles. The hazards of
Belize City, however, are often
reported by those who have never
been here. If you approach the city
with an open mind and take some
precautions with your belongings,
you may well be pleasantly
surprised.
The city has a distinguished
history, a handful of sights worth
visiting and, particularly during
the September celebrations ,
an astonishing energy. The seventy
thousand people of Belize City
represent every ethnic group in the
country, with the Creole
descendants of former slaves and
Baymen forming the dominant element,
generating an easy-going Caribbean
atmosphere.
Belize City is divided neatly
into north and south halves by the Haulover
Creek , a delta branch of the
Belize River. The pivotal point of
the city centre is the Swing
Bridge , always busy with
traffic and opened twice a day to
allow larger vessels up and down the
river. North of the Swing
Bridge is the slightly more upmarket
part of town, home to the most
expensive hotels. South of
the Swing Bridge is the market and
commercial zone, the location of all
the city's banks and a couple of
supermarkets. The city is small
enough to make walking the
easiest way to get around.
