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Belize Geography Profile

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LocationCentral America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
Geographic coordinates17 15 N, 88 45 W
Map referencesCentral America and the Caribbean
Areatotal: 22,966 sq km

land: 22,806 sq km

water: 160 sq km
Area - comparativeslightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundariestotal: 542 km

border countries (2): Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 276 km
Coastline386 km
Maritime claimsterritorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climatetropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
Terrainflat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Elevation extremeshighest point: Doyle's Delight 1,124 m

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

mean elevation: 173 m
Natural resourcesarable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Land useagricultural land: 6.9% (2018 est.)

arable land: 3.3% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 1.4% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 2.2% (2018 est.)

forest: 60.6% (2018 est.)

other: 32.5% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land35 sq km (2012)
Total renewable water resources21.734 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Natural hazardsfrequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Geography - noteonly country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean

Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021

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