Belize, the only English-speaking country in South America, has long attracted us with its superb 200-mile-long barrier reef, its impressive, mysterious Mayan temples hidden in lush rain forests, and its ebullient culture.

• TOTAL AREA: 22,966 sq km

• LAND AREA: 22,806 sq km

• WATER AREA: 160 sq km

• POPULATION: 287,730

• RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4%

• LANGUAGES: English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole

• GOVERNMENT TYPE: Parliamentary Democracy

• CAPITAL CITY: Belmopan

• OFFICIAL CURRENCY: Belizean dollar (BZD)

• TIME ZONE: GMT/UTC -6