It is a democratic state with a population of 250,000 and a territory of 9,000 sq miles. The capital is in Belize City.
Local population is ethnically diverse.
It includes descendants of the original Mayan culture, as well as various mixtures of Caribbean people, Caucasians, Chinese and East Indians. Increasing role in local economy is playing international tourism and offshore financial industry. Belize benefits from preferential trade arrangements with the United States, Canada, and the European Community. Official language - English. Spanish is quite popular.