10th September: Belize national day

Today is Belize's national day, aka Battle of St George's Caye Day, celebrating the final battle in the Spanish attempt to expel the settlers in 1798. Here are 10 things you might not know about Belize:

1. Belize is the only Central American country whose official language is English, as it was once part of the British Empire known as British Honduras. It is still part of the Commonwealth with Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch.
2. The name Belize derives from the Belize river, which in turn derives from a Mayan word, belix (or beliz), meaning "muddy-watered".
3. Its earliest inhabitants were the Maya, and Belize has about 900 Mayan sites. One of them Caracol, was bigger in its heyday than Belize's current largest city, Belize City. Although most of the original Maya in Belize died out, there are still descendants of the Maya living there, who migrated to Belize to escape slavery in other parts of Central America. The tallest building in Belize is actually a Mayan temple: El Caana (“Sky Place”) in Caracol and is 137 feet tall.
4. The highest point in Belize is Doyle's Delight at 1,124 m (3,688 ft). It was previously thought to be Victoria Peak, but recent assessments determined that it is slightly lower at 1120 meters. The name Doyle's Delight was coined by Sharon Matola in 1989. The name is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book The Lost World, which contains the quote "there must be something wild and wonderful in a country such as this, and we're the men to find it out!". Recently there has been an attempt to rename the peak with a more traditional name, "Kaan Witz" which is Maya for "Sky Mountain", but the new name has not caught on.
5. Belize has the second largest barrier reef in the world (after Australia's) which is around 386 kilometres (240 mi) long. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to around 500 different species of fish as well as being a magnet for scuba diving tourists. However, marine biologists estimate that only 10% of the barrier reef species have been discovered.
6. The capital is Belmopan. Belize City was the capital until 1961, when it was almost completely destroyed by Hurricane Hattie. The capital was moved to Belmopan which has a population of around 12,000, making it the smallest capital city in the world.
7. Belize has the only Jaguar reserve in the world, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife sanctuary.
8. A traditional dish in Belize is Iguana, nicknamed “Bamboo Chicken“, although they are now a protected species so it is illegal to hunt and eat them. Another delicacy is Gibnut, a type of rodent which is considered a delicacy and is said to taste like Rabbit. This dish has been nicknamed "Royal Rat" because the Queen was famously served one during one of her visits to Belize. We are not told whether she liked it!
9. About 4% of the population are Russian Mennonites, who despite the name, speak German. Most of them came from Mexico in the 1950s. In appearance, they are a bit like the Amish - the women wear bonnets and long dresses while the men wear denim overalls and hats. The men may wear traditional suspenders and dark trousers.
10. The National Flower of Belize is the black orchid; the National Tree is the Mahogany tree, the national bird is the keel-billed toucan and the National Animal is the Baird's Tapir, the largest land mammal of the American tropics. It is also known as the mountain cow, although it is actually related to the Horse and the Rhinoceros. It is protected under Belizean law.