Alex, K6VHF will be active as V31AZ from Belize.
He will operate on HF Bands.
QSL via home call, LOTW, ClubLog OQRS.
Previous activity:
Jeff, N1SNB will be active as V31AZ from Belize in CQ WW DX CW Contest, 28 - 29 November 2020.
He will operate in Single Operator All Band Low Power Category.
QSL via home call.
Ads for direct QSL:
JEFF DEMERS, 187 SALEM STREET, HAVERHILL, MA, 01835, USA.
Belize
Belize is a Central American country located between Mexico and Guatemala. Formally, it is subordinate to the British monarchy and until 1973 was known as British Honduras. Even after gaining independence from London in 1981, the national flag still bears the motto “I prosper in the shade.”
However, not everyone here speaks English; many locals only speak Spanish, and about a third of the population prefers to communicate in Creole. For another 3% of the population, the native language is Garifuna, which UNESCO experts in 2001 gave the status of a masterpiece of oral and intangible cultural heritage. The literacy rate of the population is 70%.
The Maya Indians once lived here, whose last settlements disappeared under the onslaught of the conquistadors only at the end of the 17th century. Now, in a state where a civilization that was advanced for its time once flourished, even such primitive infrastructure as supermarkets or shopping and entertainment centers is lacking. Cafes are occasionally found, but they only allow takeaway orders through a barred window. This is due to the extremely high crime rate in the country, which deters both locals and tourists from eating out. However, tourism remains the main source of income for the treasury — but with a lower crime rate, it could bring in many times more.
Foreigners come here to admire the amazingly rich nature and colorful architecture of the colonial period. The national museum has a rich exhibition of Mayan pottery. There are museums dedicated to reef ecology, handicrafts, and the history of seafaring. The capital is home to the lighthouse monument to Baron Bliss, who did a lot of good for this country, and the oldest Anglican church in Central America.
On the border with Guatemala, researchers will find numerous and fairly well-preserved centers of Mayan culture. These burials, wall reliefs, masks, and stepped pyramids have not yet been fully studied and still hold many secrets. The Maya left this region in the 10th century and moved to southern Mexico due to climate change. Due to constant droughts, it became difficult to grow crops in an area where only 0.7% of the land is covered by water. The mountains named after the Maya are located in the south of the country: they reach a height of 1,122 meters, and their depths are still poorly studied.
Nowadays, the weather and climate conditions in Belize are very favorable. Both in winter and summer, the air temperature stays around +25°C. The highest amount of precipitation occurs between May and June, and the lowest between January and May.
Protected jaguars and world-class diving
Although the country's territory does not exceed 23,000 square kilometers, it is home to approximately 4,000 species of plants, including poisonous ones. Almost half of the territory is covered by tropical forests, where rubber is actively harvested for the production of chewing gum. The jungles are home to snakes, insects dangerous to humans, parrots, hummingbirds, iguanas, armadillos, broad-nosed monkeys, and large predators, including jaguars, which are protected by law and cannot be killed. The country is home to the world's only jaguar reserve.
The waters off the coast of Belize are home to the second largest coral reef on the planet. One of its atolls is home to the Great Blue Hole, which Jacques-Yves Cousteau himself ranked among the 10 best diving sites on the planet. This hole is a karst sinkhole 124 m deep and 300 m in diameter. Before Cousteau's expedition, there were speculations that ancient people, when the sea level was significantly lower, dug this depression to store some valuable reserves. Today, when viewed from above, the water in the hole appears much darker than the rest of the sea — to admire this spectacle, some people parachute over the atoll.
There are five butterfly breeding centers in Belize, the most famous of which is called “Green Hills.” Visitors flock here in the mornings to watch the process of pupae turning into beautiful winged insects.
Private islands and vicious hurricanes
Belize is washed by a single sea, the Caribbean. This state owns about 200 islands, some of which are for sale. The most famous buyer to date is Bill Gates: he purchased the largest island in Belize for an estimated $25 million.
However, island owners must be prepared for the possibility that one fine day their property will be destroyed by a hurricane. They strike the country from the Caribbean Sea with enviable regularity. One of the hurricanes in 1961 destroyed 75% of the capital, which was called Belize. The new capital was built in a more protected area 50 km from the coast and named Belmopan. Its construction was completed in 1970, and its main buildings were deliberately designed to resemble Mayan pyramids.
The local currency, the Belizean dollar, is pegged to the US dollar at a ratio of two to one. Belize is an offshore zone and, despite the crime situation, offers foreigners immigration under a retirement program. There are no income or inheritance taxes in this country.
Keel-billed Toucan - national bird of Belize, Belize. Author - Mike Brown Twyford.
Recent oil and unusual punctuality
The population reaches 400,000 people, most of whom are mestizos. In the second half of the 20th century, thousands of migrants from neighboring countries moved to Belize, and during colonial times, slaves were brought here in large numbers from the African Congo. There is a theory that it was these slaves who brought the name “Belize” with them, as this toponym is also found in Angola, Africa. There is also a suggestion that the word “Belize” came from the Mayan language, where it meant muddy water in a river. In addition, some researchers consider the name of the country to be a distorted pronunciation of the surname “Wallace” — the name of a famous 18th-century pirate.
Unlike most inhabitants of Central and South America, Belizeans are not in the habit of being chronically late everywhere. They are extremely punctual and perceive tardiness as a sign of disrespect towards others. However, their love of leisure and entertainment is as strong as in other countries in the region: every month, Belize celebrates at least one holiday lasting four days or more.
72% of the population is employed in the service sector. The food, construction, textile, and oil industries account for 18% of jobs. Oil fields were discovered here recently, in 2006. Another 10% of the population is employed in agriculture, growing bananas, citrus fruits, and sugar cane for export. In addition, Belize exports seafood.
More than half of the population lives in cities, and each woman gives birth to an average of three children. The average life expectancy is 68 years. The GDP per capita is about $8,500 per year.