If you’re an American like me, you may have briefly covered Belize in a middle school geography class, but as an adult in the world you may only be able to identify it by name or locate it on a map. Despite it’s small size, Belize has a fascinating history that ties it more closely with Jamaica and other Caribbean nations than neighboring Mexico or Guatemala.

Belize only gained independence from the UK in 1981, and before that was a dependent entity known as British Honduras. Because of this, the official language is English. However, due to the nation’s proximity to Spanish-speaking countries as well as its very diverse population, a large percentage of the population is multilingual. Most residents also speak Belizean Creole (a mix between English and local dialects), which I had the opportunity to overhear a few times during my visit. As an American, it was almost impossible to understand, but it was totally fascinating to listen to.

Belize also has strong cultural ties to other former British colonies in the region. Perhaps for this reason, the town of Corozal reminded me of some of the small settlements I’ve seen in the Bahamas, which gained independence from the UK in 1973, less than ten years before Belize did.

The capital of the country is Belmopan, a centrally-located city of only 16,000 people. In addition to being tiny compared to other world capitals, Belmopan has only been the seat of government since 1970. Before that, Belize City, the country’s largest settlement, served as the capital of British Honduras.

If you take a look at Google maps, you’ll see a dashed border between Belize and Guatemala. This is because Guatemala has claimed the southern half of Belize despite not exercising control there. This conflict has persisted for hundreds of years up until now, and continues to cause tensions and influence local and regional politics.

With all of these facts in mind, Belize is clearly a fascinating country. The country is also home to a large number of Mayan archaeological sites, reflecting the rich pre-colonial history of the region going back thousands of years. It’s a shame that Caribbean history is so often neglected in American education, not only because it is interesting and worth studying in its own right, but also because it paints a more complete picture of where America comes from and how British colonialism continues to affect life for many of our international neighbors even today.