River · Belize
Belize River
Belize River is the longest river in Belize, a small country in Central America. It flows east through rainforest and farmland and reaches the Caribbean Sea just north of Belize City.
Picture credit: 1000Faces (Public domain) · epiphyllumlover (CC BY 3.0) · Laslovarga (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is the Belize River?
The river starts here: Hill country of western Belize, where two rivers meet.
It ends in the Caribbean Sea north of Belize City.
Countries on the river: Belize.
The story behind it
Many people in Belize simply call it the Old River, and it really is old in its work: long before there were roads, the Maya travelled on it in canoes, and later heavy mahogany logs were floated down to the coast. Today the brown water winds in great loops through jungle, cattle pasture and orange groves. Howler monkeys roar in the treetops so loudly that visitors think of a storm, iguanas drop from branches into the water, and crocodiles lie still on muddy banks. Near the mouth manatees graze on sea grass in the warm shallows. In the rainy season, especially when a hurricane comes close, the river can rise quickly and flood streets and gardens. Small boats and bridges connect villages that would otherwise be far apart.
Questions children ask
How long is the Belize River?
The river is about 290 kilometres long. Because it makes so many loops, a boat trip feels much longer than a glance at the map suggests.
Which country does the Belize River flow through?
Its course lies in Belize, from the western hills to the eastern coast. On the way it passes the towns of San Ignacio and Belmopan.
Where does the Belize River reach the sea?
It flows into the Caribbean Sea a little north of Belize City. Out at sea lies a long coral reef, the second longest barrier reef in the world.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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