Cayo District | |
|---|---|
 Location of the district in Belize | |
| Country | Belize |
| Capital | San Ignacio |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5,338 km2 (2,061 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 90,579 |
| • Density | 17/km2 (44/sq mi) |
| Estimate | |
| ISO 3166 code | BZ-CY |
Cayo District is a district located in the west part of Belize. It is the most extensive, second-most populous and third-most densely populated of the six districts of Belize. The district's capital is the town of San Ignacio.
Being the largest district, it borders Guatemala to the west, Orange Walk district to the north, Belize district to the northeast, Stann Creek district to the southeast and Toledo district to the south. The nation's capital, Belmopan, is located within the district.
Other important towns and cities in the district include Benque Viejo del Carmen, twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena (District's Capital), Seven Miles (El Progreso), San Antonio, Valley of Peace, St. Margaret, Roaring Creek, Armenia, San Jose Succotz, Arenal, Buena Vista, Bullet Tree Falls, Calla Creek, Esperanza, Cristo Rey, Georgeville, Unitedville, Blackman Eddy, Ontario, Camalote, Los Tambos, More Tomorrow and Spanish Lookout.
Major rivers in the district include the Macal River and the Mopan River.
Cayo District is primarily an agricultural district, with the chief crops being citrus fruit (more specifically, oranges, grapefruit, and tangerine), as well as bananas. Recently, oil was found in Spanish Lookout and it is now in production.
There are two major highways in the District, the George Price Highway, that runs from Belize City to the Guatemalan border, and the Hummingbird Highway which starts in Belmopan and ends at the juncture of the Coastal Road and the Southern Highway that ends in the Stann Creek District. In addition to the ruins listed above there are several other important nature reserves including two National Parks, Blue Hole and Guanacaste National Park. Ecotourism is also an integral part of the region's economy.
Politically, Cayo is divided into six constituencies, described in detail here:
Cayo District contains several pre-Columbian mayan ruins and sites, among these are Caracol, Xunantunich, Cahal Pech, [3] Baking Pot, Lower Dover and El Pilar.
According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census, Cayo District's total population is of 73,202 residents (compared to the district's 2000 population of 53,715); of whom 36,803 are males and 36,399 are females. The total number of households is 15,497 and the average household size is 4.7. [1]
The southern half of Cayo District is very low densely populated. A large majority of the district's population lives north of the 17th parallel.
In 2010, the total population of Cayo's urban areas was of 36,455; 17,939 males and 18,516 females. 7,468 total households and a 4.9 average household size. The total population of Cayo's rural areas was of 36,747; 18,864 males and 17,883 females. 8,029 total households and a 4.6 average household size. [1]
Dangriga, formerly known as Stann Creek Town, is a town in southern Belize, located on the Caribbean coast at the mouth of the North Stann Creek River. It is the capital of Belize's Stann Creek District. Dangriga is served by the Dangriga Airport. Commonly known as the "culture capital of Belize" due to its influence on punta music and other forms of Garifuna culture, Dangriga is the largest settlement in southern Belize.
Stann Creek District is a district in the south east region of Belize. According to the 2010 census, the district had a population of 32,166 people. Its capital is the town of Dangriga, formerly known as "Stann Creek Town." Stann comes from "stanns," or safe havens used by colonialists coming from the "old world" to the "new world."
Belize District is a district of the nation of Belize. Its capital is Belize City.
Orange Walk District is a district in the northwest of the nation of Belize, with its district capital in Orange Walk Town.
San Ignacio and Santa Elena are towns in western Belize. San Ignacio serves as the cultural-economic hub of Cayo District. It got its start from mahogany and chicle production during British colonisation. Over time it attracted people from the surrounding areas, which led to the diverse population of the town today. San Ignacio is the largest settlement in Cayo District and the second largest in the country, after Belize City.
The People's United Party (PUP) is one of two major political parties in Belize. It is currently the governing party of Belize after success in the 2020 Belizean general election, winning a majority of 26 seats out of 31 in the Belizean House of Representatives. It is a centre-left Christian democratic party. The party leader is Johnny Briceño, who currently serves as the Prime Minister of Belize.
The Hummingbird Highway is one of the four major highways in Belize. It connects the George Price Highway outside of Belmopan, Cayo District to the Southern Highway outside of Dangriga, Stann Creek District. It partially follows, and sometimes uses the infrastructure of, the former Stann Creek Railway.
The George Price Highway is one of four main highways in Belize. It originates in Belize City, runs west through Hattieville, the Belize Zoo, the capital city of Belmopan, San Ignacio, San José Succotz and terminates at the Guatemalan border at Benque Viejo. The highway bisects the country and ties the eastern and western parts of Belize together. A new steel bridge over Beaver Dam Creek was constructed to replace the broken concrete one.
Elections in Belize are the duly held elections held at various levels of government in the nation of Belize.
The House of Representatives of Belize is the lower chamber of the National Assembly, the other being the Senate. It was created under the 1981 constitution. Members are commonly called "Area Representatives."
The Belize Elections and Boundaries Department is the hands-on administrator of Belizean electoral politics. It was established in 1989 as a subordinate to the Elections and Boundaries Commission.
Belize's 6 districts are politically divided into 31 constituencies. Each constituency sends one representative to Belize's House of Representatives for 5-year terms. This election is known as the General Election. Each person votes for the candidate they would want to represent their constituency in Central Government.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to Belize:
Hawkesworth Bridge is a one lane suspension bridge in San Ignacio, Belize. Built in 1949 and imported from Middlesbrough, England, it crosses the Macal River linking San Ignacio to its sister-town Santa Elena. It is currently the only drivable suspension bridge in Belize. Work began in October 2012 on a new, larger bridge that will link Santa Elena and San Ignacio that will span 154 meters across the Macal River.
His Majesty's Government in Belize, also referred to as the Belizean Government is the democratic administrative authority of Belize, a constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. It was formed in 1981 after gaining sovereignty from the United Kingdom. The constitution is the supreme law of Belize.
General elections were held in Belize on 7 March 2012 to elect all 31 members of the Belize House of Representatives as well as offices in the various local governments. The election was run by the Elections and Boundaries Commission's Elections and Boundaries Department. Dean Barrow and his United Democratic Party (UDP) were re-elected, but lost eight seats to the opposition People's United Party (PUP) to maintain a slim 17-14 majority in the Belize House. The upper house of the Belize National Assembly, the Senate, was appointed after the election by the UDP-led government in accordance with the Constitution of Belize.
Cayo North East is an electoral constituency in the Cayo District represented in the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belize since 2015 by Orlando Habet of the People's United Party.
Municipal elections were held in Belize on 7 March 2018. Voters elected a total 67 representatives. This includes a mayor in each of the nine communities, 42 town councils and 16 city councillors. The elections saw the People's United Party approach local parity with the ruling United Democratic Party. In 2015, the UDP won 62 out of the 67 seats nationwide, with the opposition People's United Party won the remaining seats. In 2018, the UDP won 41 seats, with the PUP picking up the remaining 26. The PUP gained complete council control of Belize City and Corozal Town, picked up a council seat in Dangriga, and regained complete control of the Orange Walk Town council. The Belize Progressive Party had 13 councillor candidates in three elections, and mayoral candidates in those three elections as well as in San Ignacio/Santa Elena. There were also seven independent candidates for mayor.
16°50′N88°55′W / 16.833°N 88.917°W
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
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