The Only English Speaking Country in Central America

Every time we think of English-speaking countries inevitably we think of two countries: England and the United States. It is like there were no other places where English is the first language. We certainly know of Canada and Australia but we easily forget New Zealand or the Philippines. Nevertheless, there is one country that we cannot be blamed for not remembering because it rarely makes the headlines and in fact very few are aware that it even exists, but it does. Its name is Belize and is in Central America though unlike the other countries in the region this is the only one where English and no Spanish is the first language. How did this happen? The story is an interesting one.

It turns out that the British were looking for someplace in terra firma to extend their empire. They have already taken over many of the Caribbean islands and though not directly they founded a small settlement in a territory that the Spanish considered theirs but had neglected to occupy which is now Belize. At first, the British did not even call it a colony since they were afraid they could not successfully defend the territory if the Spanish attacked  from what is now Mexico. For a long time the people of Belize were and were not part of The British empire having to even defend themselves from outsider forces until they became part of the empire at some point in the 19th century with the name of British Honduras. Belize was granted independence in the early eighties and ever since has remained loyal to the British crown since it is part of the British Commonwealth.

Belize is these days a peaceful nation (the crime rate is by far the lowest in the region) whose economy flourishes thanks to trade, agriculture and especially tourism since Belize may be a small country but is by far one of the most beautiful.