flag of Belize

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flag of Belize

Written by Whitney Smith

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Flag of Belize — **flag of Belize** national flag with horizontal stripes of red, dark blue, and red, incorporating on its wide middle stripe the national coat of arms. It typically has a width-to-length ratio of 3 to 5.

In 1819 the colony then known as British Honduras obtained its coat of arms, subsequently slightly modified. The design featured a mahogany tree, hinting at the rich sylvan resources of the area, as well as a shield and two supporters. In the original design the supporters were of African background, but now one is a mestizo, the other a mulatto (or “Creole,” as the term is defined in Belize). These men hold tools of the trade—an ax and the paddle used to send trees downriver for export. The shield is divided into three sections—a paddle and a maul crossed on a white background, a two-handed saw and an ax crossed on dark yellow, and a ship sailing over waves on blue. The Latin motto “Sub umbra floreo” (“I flourish in the shade”) is a reference to the area’s forests and its establishment as a colony under British protection. The Union Jack was part of the shield in the coat of arms officially granted in 1907, but it was later omitted.

Believing that in the past the coat of arms had appeared on a white disk in the centre of a blue flag, nationalists established that flag for the People’s United Party, which led the nation to independence. The arms were framed by a wreath bearing 50 leaves, a reminder of the year 1950, when the first opposition to British rule began. After local self-government was established in 1964, the flag unofficially flew over public buildings. Finally, on independence day (September 21, 1981), a revised national flag was officially hoisted. Red horizontal stripes were added at top and bottom for the opposition United Democratic Party so that the national flag would not be simply that of the People’s United Party.

Whitney Smith

Belize

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Belize summary

Belize

Also known as: Belice, British Honduras

Written by William J. Griffith, Alfred E. Alford•All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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News •

Eve's Montserrat edges Belize 1-0 • June 4, 2025, 2:16 PM ET (Trinidad Guardian)

Belize, country located on the northeast coast of Central America. Belize, which was known as British Honduras until 1973, was the last British colony on the American mainland. Its prolonged path to independence was marked by a unique international campaign (even while it was still a British colony) against the irredentist claims of its neighbour Guatemala. Belize achieved independence on September 21, 1981, but it has retained its historical link with the United Kingdom through membership in the Commonwealth.

Belize is often thought of as a Caribbean country in Central America because it has a history similar to that of English-speaking Caribbean nations. Indeed, Belize’s institutions and official language reflect its history as a British colony. However, its culture is more typical of that of other Central American countries. Belize’s small population is ethnically diverse and includes a large proportion of immigrants. Since the 1970s, migration has shifted Belize’s ethnic composition from a predominantly Creole (mixed African and British descent) population to one in which mestizos (in Belize, people of mixed Mayan and Spanish ancestry) make up half of the total inhabitants. Belize has one of the most stable and democratic political systems in Central America. After its original capital, Belize City, was ravaged by a hurricane in 1961, a new capital, Belmopan, was built inland, about 50 miles (80 km) west of Belize City, which remains the country’s commercial and cultural centre as well as its most populous city.

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Head Of Government:: Prime Minister: John Briceño

Capital:: Belmopan

Population:: (2025 est.) 417,300

Head Of State:: British Monarch: King Charles III, represented by Governor-General: Froyla Tzalam

Form Of Government:: constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (Senate [12^{1, 2}]; House of Representatives [31²])

The name Belize is traditionally believed to have been derived from the Spanish pronunciation of the last name of Peter Wallace, a Scottish buccaneer who may have begun a settlement at the mouth of the Belize River about 1638. It is also possible that the name evolved from the Mayan word belix (“muddy water”) or belikin (“land facing the sea”).

Land

Situated south of the Yucatán Peninsula, Belize is a land of mountains, swamps, and tropical jungle. It is bounded by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The country has a 174-mile (280-km) coastline.

Relief

The southern half of the country is dominated by the rugged Maya Mountains, a plateau of igneous rock cut by erosion into hills and valleys that stretch in a southwesterly to northeasterly direction. The Cockscomb Range, a spur of the Maya Mountains, runs toward the sea and rises to Doyle’s Delight. The northern half of the country consists of limestone lowlands and swamps less than 200 feet (60 metres) above sea level.

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Drainage and soils

The lowlands are drained by the navigable Belize River (on which stands Belize City), the New River, and the Hondo River (which forms the northern frontier with Mexico). Both the New and the Hondo rivers drain into Chetumal Bay to the north. South of Belize City the coastal plain is crossed by short river valleys. Along the coast is the Belize Barrier Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world, which is fringed by dozens of small islands called cays. The reef reserve system was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996. Belize’s most fertile soils are the limestone soils found in the northern half of the country and in the coastal plain and river valleys in the south.