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Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of Belize

Ethnicity

Nearly half of Belize's population is "mestizo," which is a combination of ethnic American Indians and Europeans, primarily Spanish. Another quarter of the people are creole, which is a term that loosely defines anyone who is a combination of ethnicities; in Belize this term generally refers to people that are of English or Scottish and African descent. The rest of the people in Belize tend to be ethnically Mayan (American Indian), Garifuna (a combination of American Indians and Africans), or of another small ethnic group.

Language

Nearly half of Belize's population natively speaks Spanish, while another third are native creole speakers. Other native languages spoken in Belize include Mayan, English, Garifuna, and others; Mayan and Garifuna are both American Indian languages.

Oddly, the only official language in Belize is English, despite having very few native English speakers. This forces the people to learn English in schools and encourages the tourism industry as nearly everyone speaks English to some degree. Spanish is also a common language of communication in Belize, especially between linguistic groups.

Religion

Nearly half of Belize's population is Roman Catholic with another quarter of its people following various forms of Protestantism. Nearly another full quarter of the population is either atheist or don't strongly identify with any particular religion.

Catholicism is a Christian religion that is one of the first Christian religions (founded after the death of Jesus in about 30-33 AD). Catholicism believes that there is a single God who created everything, a savior, the son of God, Jesus Christ who is the forgiver of sins, and there is the Holy Spirit, which makes up the last part of the Holy Trinity. Catholics follow the teachings of the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments. Much of the faith is based on the life and teachings of Jesus, which is found in the gospels (in the New Testament).

Continue reading on Safari the Globe to Learn the Catholic Church's doctrines, liturgy, symbolism, traditions, & hierarchy

This page was last updated: May, 2014