Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Mottled Owl and its scientific name is Ciccaba Virgata. The Mottled Owl can be found in Northern Mexico, Central America, and Northern South America and lives in extensive, diverse, and wild habitats.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Piper Auritum which is commonly known as False kava or Hoja Santa. The Piper Auritum is native to Central and South America and the West Indies and can be found on forest edges. The above picture was shot at Chaa Creek’s private 365 acre nature reserve.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Teeth of the American Mostodon whose scientific name is Mammut americanum. The American Mostodon first appeared during the early Miocene period and persisted in the fossil record until the end of the Pleistocene era and were widespread throughout North and Central America.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Sapodilla Fruit and its scientific name is Marnilkara zapota. The Sapodilla fruit is native to Southern Mexico, Northeastern Guatemala, Belize and throughout Central America, and it is believed that the Spaniards introduced it long ago in tropical America and the West Indies.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Cowhorn Orchid and it is scientifically known as Cyrtopodium punctatum. This species of orchid is commonly found in diverse ecosystems ranging from Florida, Cuba, Central America and to Northern South America. Its dazzling flowers are distributed in the following Belize’s districts – Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize, Cayo, and Stann Creek.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Soursop and is scientifically known as Annona muricata. It is a native species to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Northern South America, and is recognized as Guanabana in Latin American countries. This picture was photographed at the Maya Organic Farm on a tree that could have up to forty healthy fruits at a given time.

Belize is the only country in Central America with English as the official language. The small country, measuring 180 miles long and 68 miles wide, is a popular vacation destination for tourists whose native language is English. But Belize is good for much more than just lounging in white sand while watching the shimmering teal waves roll in and out while drinks, ordered in English, are replenished. Behind the luxurious resorts and relaxing vacation packages, Belize is an adventure destination.

With the long awaited arrival of 2012, there is growing interest in the ancient Maya civilisation, and this is a double edged sword. On one hand, it is good to see this rich, highly advanced ancient culture finally getting the attention it deserves. Hopefully, this attention will turn into greater research opportunities leading to a better understanding of this enigmatic civilisation.

The holiday spirit thrives all year round in Belize, but from September to January it get a bit more… well, spirited… The exuberance of Independence Day never quite wears off as the party train keeps chugging towards New Years, and the first stop along the way is on October 12, Columbus Day in Belize.

The former British Honduras will satisfy those who feel the need for the perfect beach. Take a water taxi from the West Indian flavoured Belize City and head out to the diving paradise of Ambergris Key. There are no large hotels on the island and barely any paved roads, but everyone has a boat, which comes quite handy because the Caribbean’s best diving reef is just off the coast. The locals speak English as their official language, so ordering that lobster at sunset from your favourite beach shack won’t be a problem. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why Ambergis Key was voted one of the best islands in the world by Islands Magazine. Fly into Belize city for less with Vayama’s deals to Central America and the Caribbean.

The Maya of Belize have depended upon rosewood for thousands of years, selectively harvesting the beautiful timber in a sustainable manner from forests near their villages for a range of uses, from traditional marimbas and other musical instruments, to the sturdy posts that support their homes. With overseas markets such as China putting more demand on a limited supply of the slow growing trees, the Maya need all the help they can get.

Belize’s well-traveled Cayo District is loaded with outdoor adventures – cave tubing, zip lining, mountain biking, jungle hiking, horseback riding, river canoeing, bird watching, temple exploration, and the list goes on. What we really liked about staying at Chaa Creek was that we could do most activities within the nature reserve.

Located in Central America just south of Mexico, Belize sits along enchanting turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Every year, thousands of scuba divers from around the world visit Belize in search of the perfect dive. Belize is home to three of four atolls, – a ring-shaped formation of coral reef – located in the Western hemisphere. This makes Belize one of the best dive spots in the world. Their crystal clear and warm waters provide great visibility.

Here’s a list of the best dive locations in Belize:

I want to be an Ecokid so that I can protect the environment from the pollution of the cars because we are destroying our world. People if we cut the plant and the grass is like if we are killing someone very important. Because we are killing a piece of land where children can have fun. We will not be able to respire good air if we live in garbage. Because we have no air people we need to discontinue the chemical in the water.

The Caribbean Vacation Sweepstakes offered free eco-holidays inclusive of: Round trip transfers from International Airport or Belize City, A visit to the Belize Zoo with transfer on arrival or departure, four nights Cottage accommodation, full breakfast, lunch and dinner, guided visits to the Natural History Museum, Butterfly Farm, and Belize Rainforest Medicinal Trail, canoeing on the Macal River, guided early morning bird watching, one full & half day tour to Belize’s Maya Temple Sites, Sacred Caves, or Nature Reserves.

When I first heard that my friend was going to visit Belize, I thought that she was referring to a small and unknown local restaurant. I had never heard of this tiny country before, which is located in the heart of Central America. Due to a family emergency, my friend was unable to go on her journey as originally scheduled; however, she was smart enough to purchase travel insurance.

Back at our cottage The Daily Jungle Journal was waiting to be perused, with information including the Evening Dinner Menu, the upcoming weather forecast, the Chef’s Corner, the on-site activities schedule, for that evening and the following day, and more.

Schools may promote environmental education, conservation practices or once a year’s celebration of Earth Day. However, the lack of real life, hands-on exposures to environmental education may lead to a generation of unaware and ill prepared young adults. We might be producing a generation of people that lacks the knowledge of sustainable and responsible living.

“[Belize] recognizes that its competitive edge is its cultural and natural heritage…and has in the past 12 months, put into place a sustainable tourism development. That’s a pretty bold step you won’t see in many countries around the world.”

There’s little evidence to visitors that any part of Belize is under threat. The jungles are lush and verdant, alive with macaws, toucans, parrots and howler monkeys. The water is teeming with fish, turtles and sea mammals.

“In many respects,” says Christ, [Belize] stands as a model… It’s not a secret, but a lot of people haven’t yet discovered it.”

The precise tektite-hosting stratigraphic horizon has not been specifically delineated as yet but it would be within young Quaternary sediments such as the alluvial terraces of the Belize River. It is also likely that the present-day surface of older limestone terrains located to the north of Bullet Tree Falls and Santa Familia would be identical to the tektite-bearing paleo-erosional surface from 800,000 years ago.