Belize has more in common with the Caribbean island-states than with its Central American neighbours.
This is reflected in its major languages, English and Creole, and in its mainly Anglo-Caribbean architecture and its relatively peaceful political culture.
It also has peoples and cultures found elsewhere in the Americas - Spanish-speaking Mestizos, who are of mixed Maya Indian and European ancestry, Creoles, who speak a Creole dialect of English and who are often of African and African-European extraction, and Garifuna, who are the descendants of Carib indians and Africans.
CHAMPION OF GARIFUNA
Nonetheless, the ethnic make-up is changing and the use of Spanish is on the rise, boosted by an amnesty for many immigrants from neighbouring Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, was the UK's last colony on the American mainland. Its independence was delayed until 1981 by long-running tension with neighbouring Guatemala, which claims a large portion of its territory.
Guatemala recognised Belize's independence in 1991, but the neighbours have yet to settle their border dispute, which is rooted in colonial times.
In common with many Caribbean economies, the service sector has overtaken agriculture, fishing and forestry.
Tourism is a major source of foreign currency. Belize's attractions include wildlife, Mayan ruins and one of the longest barrier reefs in the world. More than 200 islands nestle inside the reef.
Cruise ship arrivals have seen a massive increase in recent years. But tourism has its price; among the challenges facing Belize is the threat to the habitats of its mammals and birds.
Also, Belize has a problem with violent crime, much of it drug-related, and the trafficking of narcotics to the US. In 2006 the US state department included Belize in a list of countries which it said were not doing enough to tackle human trafficking.
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor
Prime minister: Dean Barrow
Dean Barrow's opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) won general elections in February 2008, unseating the government of Said Musa, which had been power for 10 years.
Mr Barrow, a former foreign minister, promised a corruption-free government that would increase spending on infrastructure and get more Belizeans investing in tourism.
He promised new laws to curb embezzlement by public officials, as well as fighting crime and building new homes.
Mr Musa, leader of the People's United Party, or PUP, has been a prominent political figure since Belize won independence from Britain in 1981. But his popularity had been shaken by corruption scandals, ballooning public debt and tax hikes that sparked riots in 2005.
The PUP was the driving force behind independence and has won 10 of 12 elections since Belize, then under British rule, first elected a legislative assembly in 1954.
Musa has driven economic growth, bringing more cruise ships and starting crude oil drilling. But he borrowed heavily and had to calm investors with a debt restructuring in late 2006.
Both parties are centrist with similar economic policies.
Belize has no daily newspapers; some of the privately-owned weeklies are subsidised by political parties.
State-run radio was privatised in 1998 and listeners now rely on a range of private commercial stations, most of them networked across the country.
Private television stations are on the air and cable TV is available in the towns.
The constitution guarantees media freedom, but provides exceptions in the interest of national security, public order and morality.
The press
Television
Radio
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