Belize

Originally the site of Mayan city states, both the British and the Spanish were interested in the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Belize gained its independence in 1981, but was not recognized by Guatemala until 1992, and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was growing steadily from 1999 – 2007, but slowed in 2008 with the set-backs in the global economy. Located on the Caribbean Sea, between Mexico and Guatemala, Belize's tourism sector has become the mainstay of the economy, and Counterpart works to develop sustainable biodiversity conservationism in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation.

Map and country information, The World Factbook 2009. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2009.