a state in Central America, on the Caribbean Sea: site of a Mayan civilization until the 9th century ad; colonized by the British from 1638; granted internal self-government in 1964; became an independent state within the Commonwealth in 1981. Official language: English; Carib and Spanish are also spoken. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: Belize dollar. Capital: Belmopan. Pop: 374 681 (2017 est). Area: 22 965 sq km (8867 sq miles)