Corozal District

Last updated
Corozal District
Nickname: 
Coro
Corozal in Belize.svg
Location of the district in Belize
Country Flag of Belize.svg  Belize
Capital Corozal Town
Area
  Total1,860 km2 (720 sq mi)
Population
 (2016 Estimate)
  Total46,472
  Density25/km2 (65/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code BZ-CZL
Website www.quepasacorozal.com

Corozal District is the northernmost district of the nation of Belize. The population was 33,894 in 2000. The district capital is Corozal Town.

Contents

Pre-Columbian Maya ruins are found in Corozal at Santa Rita near Corozal Town, and at Cerros.

Towns and Villages

Corozal District includes Corozal Town and the villages of Buena Vista, Calcutta, Caledonia, Carolina, Chan Chen, Chunox, Concepcion, Consejo, Copper Bank, Cristo Rey, Estrella, Libertad, Little Belize, Louisville, Paraiso, Patchacan, Progresso, Ranchito, San Andres, San Antonio, San Joaquin, San Narciso, San Roman, San Victor, San Pedro, Santa Clara, Sarteneja, Xaibe, and Yo Chen.[ citation needed ]

In addition, the island of Ambergris Caye is geographically closer to Corozal District than the district in which it is administrated, Belize District.[ citation needed ]

Political divisions

There are four political divisions in the Corozal District.[ citation needed ]

Economy

While Corozal District depended for many years on the sugar industry, at one time having its own sugar factory in Libertad Village, today the economy is more diversified. Sugar production and other agricultural crops such as papaya are still central to the way of life of many rural Corozalenos, but occupations in the tourism industry are slowly becoming more prominent. Now almost 65% of Corozalenos depend on the Commercial Free Zone for employment. The Zone is located on the border of Belize and Mexico.[ citation needed ]

Contraband is the biggest source of growing income in Corozal since it is adjacent to Mexico, and includes such things as vegetables, fruits, liquors, cigarettes, and gasoline.[ citation needed ]

Languages

English is the most spoken language in Corozal, followed by Spanish. 80% speak English very well and 60% speak Spanish very well.[ citation needed ]

Corozal's villages are divided by colour and language:

Corozal Town, the main centre of the District, is peopled by a mix of Belize's races and cultures, most notably the Maya Mestizos. Spanish and English are the major languages spoken.[ citation needed ]

Calcutta, Estrella Village, Libertad, Ranchito, and San Antonio are populated by East Indian people and speak English and Spanish very well.[ citation needed ]

Chan Chen, Chunox, Cristo Rey, Louisville, Patchakan, San Pedro, San Victor Village, Xaibe, and Yo Chen are populated by Maya people and speak Spanish and Yucatec Maya language very well, along with some English.[ citation needed ]

Buena Vista, Caledonia, Conception, San Narciso, San Roman, and Santa Clara are populated by Maya-Mestizo people who speak Spanish, some English and elders speaking Yucatec Maya. They are not obliged to learn English, because school teachers teach in Spanish but write in English and because at work the primary language is Spanish, so villagers are not exposed to English on a daily basis.[ citation needed ]

Progresso, San Andres, and Sarteneja Village are populated by Creole and Hispanic people, who share their cultures and languages in English and Spanish.[ citation needed ]

Little Belize is populated by Mennonites, who speak German.[ citation needed ]

Education

Belize Adventist College and Belize Adventist Junior College are located in the village of Calcutta in the Corozal District. Corozal Community College and Corozal Junior College are found in the village of San Andres and also near San Antonio in Corozal District.[ citation needed ]

St. Viator Vocational High School is located just outside Chunox in the Corozal District.[ citation needed ]

Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College(CEMJC) and Escuela Secundaria Tecnica Mexico or E.S.T.M. is located in the village of San Roman in the Corozal District.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Belize</span> Demographics of country

Demographics of the population of Belize include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corozal Town</span> Town in Corozal, Belize

Corozal Town is a town in Belize, capital of Corozal District. Corozal Town is located about 84 miles north of Belize City, and 9 miles from the border with Mexico. The population of Corozal Town, according to the main results of the 2010 census, is 9,871.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange Walk Town</span> Town in Orange Walk, Belize

Orange Walk Town is the fourth largest town in Belize, with a population of about 13,400. It is the capital of the Orange Walk District. Orange Walk Town is located on the left bank of the New River, 53 miles (85 km) north of Belize City and 30 miles (48 km) south of Corozal Town. Despite the English name of the city, its residents are primarily Spanish-speaking mestizos. The city is in a very low-lying area of Belize, though the police station sits atop a buried Mayan pyramid at 49 m (161 ft) tall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange Walk District</span> Northwestern district of Belize

Orange Walk District is a district in the northwest of the nation of Belize, with its district capital in Orange Walk Town.

Guinea Grass is a village in the Orange Walk District of the nation of Belize. It is 38 metres above sea level. According to the 2000 census, Guinea Grass had a population of 2,510 people; by 2010 the census figures showed a population of 3,500. The population is made up of mostly Mestizos, Creoles, and East Indians. There are a number of Mennonites, Taiwanese and other Central American immigrants living near or immediately in the village.

Xaibe is small rural settlement in the country of Belize mainly consisting of people from the Yucatec Maya ethnicity. It is located in Corozal District. The name Xaibe literally means 'crossroads'. The people of the Maya civilization often traversed across the village to reach other Maya villages. The population of the village is very small. The last available data of the population of Xaibe in 2010 revealed that it had a modest population of approximately 1,575 people. There is, however, evidence of the fact that the people belonging to the Maya civilization resided in the Xaibe village. These people then gradually shifted to Mexico, just across the border at the time of the Caste War of Yucatán. The village is known for celebrating the Maya tradition Hanal Pixan which means "food for the souls" also known as Day of the Dead.

Little Belize is a colony of conservative Plautdietsch-speaking "Russian" Mennonites, known as "Old Colony Mennonites", in the Corozal District of Belize. It is part of the Corozal South East constituency. Little Belize is located east of Progresso at an elevation of 1 meter above sea level. Because the Mennonite colony is close to Progresso, it is sometimes called "Progresso".

Chunox is a village located in the Corozal District of Belize, with a population of 1,143 people. It is primarily an agricultural community surrounded by sugar cane fields, and is located on the east bank of Laguna Seca. The official language is English, but most residents speak Spanish due to their Maya Mestizo ancestry. St. Viator Vocational High School serves the village. There are several Maya residential mound groups in Chunox from the Classic Period. Copper Bank, a fishing village, is situated across the lagoon from Chunox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San José, Belize</span> Town in Orange Walk District, Belize

San José is a village in the Orange Walk District of Belize. In the 2000 census, San José had a population of 2,254 people. The village is the fourth largest in the Orange Walk district and is estimated to have almost 3,000 residents as of 2016 mainly of Yucatec Maya-Mestizo ancestry. San José is adjacent to San Pablo and is only divided from the latter by a speed bump. Combined, the two villages make up the third largest population center in the Orange Walk District with approximately 4,000 residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Consejo</span> Village in Corozal District, Belize

Consejo is a village in the north of Corozal District, Belize. Consejo is located on a point of land where the bays of Corozal and Chetumal meet. Consejo is about 8 miles from the district capital of Corozal Town, and 2 miles (3.2 km) across the water from Chetumal, Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Belize</span>

According to the 2010 census, the major languages spoken in Belize include English, Spanish and Kriol, all three spoken by more than 40% of the population. Mayan languages are also spoken in certain areas, as well as German.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Joaquín, Corozal</span> Place in Corozal District, Belize

San Joaquín is a village in the Corozal District of Belize. It is one of the largest villages in Corozal. The town was formed as a result of Mestizos migrating to escape the 1847–1901 Caste War of Yucatán.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calcutta, Belize</span> Place in Corozal District, Belize

Calcutta is a village in the Corozal District of Belize.

Sarteneja is the largest fishing community and the second largest village in Belize. It recorded a population of 3,500 according to a 2016 estimate. The name Sarteneja is a Castilian distortion of its original Mayan name Tza-ten-a-ha, which means 'give me water'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copper Bank</span> Place in Corozal District, Belize

Copper Bank is a fishing village in the Corozal District of Belize. It is situated on the west bank of Laguna Seca, a shallow lagoon that empties into Chetumal Bay just north-east of the village. The closest settlement is Chunox, located approximately 1.25 miles away on the east bank of the Laguna Seca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hispanic and Latin American Belizean</span>

Hispanic and Latin American Belizeans are Belizeans of full or partial Hispanic and Latin American descent. Currently, they comprise around 52.9% of Belize's population.

Chan Chen is a village located in Corozal District, Belize. Most of the inhabitants speak Spanish or Yucatec Maya, along with some English. The name Chan Chen is Yucatec maya meaning "small well" in English. Most Chan Chen inhabitants are of Maya ancestry.

San Pedro is a small village in the Corozal District in the nation of Belize. It is part of the Corozal North constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Narciso, Belize</span> Village in Corozal District

San Narciso is a village in Corozal District, Belize. It is part of the Corozal South West constituency.

References

    18°15′N88°20′W / 18.250°N 88.333°W / 18.250; -88.333