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Belize History Belize

 
 
Area : 3424  sq.mi - Population 307889 hab.
Belize

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 Historical dates

1000BC - 300AD: Belize was in the pre-classic Maya period
400AD - 900AD: The Mayan Empire was then at its height (Classical period)
1000AD: The Mayan civilisation began to gradually deteriorate and disappeared at the beginning of the 16th century
1502: Christopher Columbus surveyed the southern coast of Belize and called it the Bay of Honduras
1600s: The country's forests were exploited by the Spanish, and then by the English
1798: The victory of the English fleet over the Spanish Armada off Saint-George's Cay marked the beginning of British colonisation
1862: Great Britain officially incorporated Belize into its empire. The territory was then called British Honduras
Post WWII: The deterioration of the economic situation provoked claims for independence. Internal autonomy was allowed in 1964
1973: The country took the name of Belize 1981: The country gained independence