Belize

American  

[buh-leez] / bəˈliz /

noun

1. Formerly British Honduras.  a parliamentary democracy in northern Central America: a former British crown colony; gained independence 1981. 8,867 sq. mi. (22,966 sq. km). Belmopan.

2. Also called Belize City.  a seaport in and the main city of Belize.

3. a river flowing northeast through Belize to the Gulf of Honduras. 180 miles (290 km) long.

---

Belize British  

/ bəˈliːz /

noun

1. Former name (until 1973): British Honduras.  a state in Central America, on the Caribbean Sea: site of a Mayan civilization until the 9th century _ad ; colonized by the British from 1638; granted internal self-government in 1964; became an independent state within the Commonwealth in 1981. Official language: English; Carib and Spanish are also spoken. Currency: Belize dollar. Capital: Belmopan. Pop: 334 297 (2013 est). Area: 22 965 sq km (8867 sq miles)

---

Other Word Forms

• Belizean adjective

Example Sentences

To say that our picture of the Mayan civilization—an interlocking network of kingdoms occupying the Yucatán Peninsula and swaths of present-day Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador from roughly 1000 B.C. to A.D.

From The Wall Street Journal

They believe its steep walls could form the deepest blue hole in the Caribbean, rivalling Belize's famous Great Blue Hole.

From BBC

Some cruise ports in foreign countries such as Belize have medication stalls that cater to passengers.

From Barron's

Before this discovery, only five major tektite fields were known worldwide, located in Australasia, Central Europe, the Ivory Coast, North America, and Belize.

From Science Daily

Jacob, 41, played professional basketball for years in such places as Belize, Mexico, Germany and Bolivia.

From Los Angeles Times