WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Prior to independence Belize had been a British colony since 1862, changing its name to Belize from British Honduras in June 1973.

Detailed explanation-2: -British Honduras was a Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973, until September 1981, when it gained full independence as Belize.

Detailed explanation-3: -Spain retained sovereignty over the area. The last Spanish attack on the British settlement, the Battle of St. George’s Caye, occurred two years after the outbreak of war in 1796. The British drove off the Spanish, thwarting Spain’s last attempt to control the territory or dislodge other settlers.

Detailed explanation-4: -Belize, which was known as British Honduras until 1973, was the last British colony on the American mainland. Its prolonged path to independence was marked by a unique international campaign (even while it was still a British colony) against the irredentist claims of its neighbour Guatemala.

Detailed explanation-5: -For a while, Belize remained under Jamaica’s control, but in 1884, it got its own governor and became a separate colony. The British settlers who came to Belize called themselves Baymen, and in the early 18th century, they started importing African slaves to help cut logwood and later on, mahogany.