978-1-4222-3285-9

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Belize

City, the land rises toward the beautiful, deep green Mountain Pine Ridge Area and the Maya Mountains. The highest peaks rise up along the Cockscomb Range. Abundant rainfall runs off from the highlands into streams, which flow into the Macal River. The Maya Mountains and the Cockscomb Range become the backbone of the southern half of the country. The southern part of Belize contains numerous small streams that rush down slopes and hurtle over ledges and caves. The rivers, carrying sand, clay, and silt , enrich the coastal land, providing good soil for citrus and banana crops. Fed by heavy annual rainfall, southern Belize has a true trop- ical rainforest that is rich with ferns, palms, lianas , and tropical hardwoods.

Caye Caulker is one of more than a thousand small islands, or cayes, that stretch along Belize’s Caribbean coast.