Belize is a country in North America, in Central America and the Caribbean, with about 423,000 people (2025) and an area of 22,966 square kilometres. Its capital is Belmopan, and it shares land borders with 2 countries.
By Team Geography·Last reviewed
Flag of BelizeBelize in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.
The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Belize's 5, in full.
PLACELens 1 of 5
Central America's Caribbean outlier
Belize sits on the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, the only Central American country with its shoreline entirely on the Caribbean Sea. Its territory covers just 22,966 square kilometers, making it the second smallest country in Central America. Offshore lies the Belize Barrier Reef, the second longest in the world after Australia's, stretching 300 kilometers and sheltering hundreds of islands called cayes.
More on Belize Barrier Reef
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of the larger Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. It supports over 500 species of fish and 100 species of coral, and its famous Great Blue Hole is a giant marine sinkhole 300 meters across.
4 more lenses on Belize in the app
STORY The only English-speaking country in Central America
NOW Debt-for-nature became national policy
NOW Guatemala's long-standing territorial claim
THREAD A Caribbean culture on a Central American coast
Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.
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Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.
Common questions
What is the capital of Belize?
The capital of Belize is Belmopan. Belmopan lies at about 17.3 degrees north and 88.8 degrees west. Belize is in North America, in the region often called Central America and the Caribbean. It is home to about 423,000 people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Belize?
About 423,000 people live in Belize, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 170th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 22,966 square kilometres, that is about 18 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Belize?
Belize shares land borders with 2 countries: Guatemala and Mexico. The map on this page outlines each of them around Belize. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Belize?
Belize covers 22,966 square kilometres, or about 8,867 square miles. That makes it the 147th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 423,000 gives a density of 18 people per square kilometre.
Belize is a country in North America, in Central America and the Caribbean, with about 423,000 people (2025) and an area of 22,966 square kilometres. Its capital is Belmopan, and it shares land borders with 2 countries.
Capital
Belmopan
Continent
North America
Region
Central America and the Caribbean
Population
422,924 2025, World Bank. 170th of 195.
Area
22,966 km² (8,867 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 147th largest of 195.
Population density
18 people per km²
Land neighbours
2: Guatemala, Mexico
UN status
Member state
PLACE · from the Geography app
Central America's Caribbean outlier
Belize sits on the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, the only Central American country with its shoreline entirely on the Caribbean Sea. Its territory covers just 22,966 square kilometers, making it the second smallest country in Central America. Offshore lies the Belize Barrier Reef, the second longest in the world after Australia's, stretching 300 kilometers and sheltering hundreds of islands called cayes.
Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/belize/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
Geography · Country report
Belize
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Colour Belize on the map, then fill in what you find.
Capital
Continent
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Three things I learned
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Keep going on your iPhone. Scan for Geography: the world, one country at a time, about five minutes a day. No quizzes and no streaks. playgeography.app/countries/belize/ · Map data: Natural Earth. Figures: World Bank and national sources, as listed on the page.
