St. George's Caye

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St. George's Caye
St. George's Caye
St. George's Caye
Waters Caribbean Sea
Geographical location 17 ° 33 '11 "  N , 88 ° 4' 26"  W Coordinates: 17 ° 33 '11 "  N , 88 ° 4' 26"  W
St. George's Caye (Belize)
St. George's Caye
length 4 km
width 500 m
Residents 20th

St. George's Caye is an island off the coast of Belize . It is one of the 450 islands of the Belize Barrier Reef . Administratively it belongs to the Belize District .

geography

The crescent-shaped island is about eight miles off the coast, roughly level with Belize City . The Belize Barrier Reef is about two and a half kilometers to the east. The parts of the island that are in public ownership are declared a nature reserve.

history

A first settlement by Europeans took place in 1650 by the Spaniards, to whom the island was known as Cayo Cosina ("Kitchen Cay "). As a result, British pirates settled in what is now Belize, who hired themselves out in the tropical timber trade after the Treaty of Madrid . For a time, St. George's Caye was the largest town in the British settlement area in the Gulf of Honduras, later British Honduras . In the 18th century, as part of the rivalry between Spain and Great Britain, numerous skirmishes broke out in Belize that did not stop at St. George's Caye. The island was briefly conquered by the Spaniards in 1779, who deported all the inhabitants; In 1798, however, the British were able to defend the island in the battle of St. George's Caye against a superior Spanish force. The date of the battle (September 10th) is a national holiday in what is now Belize, and the outline of the island is depicted on the five dollar bill .
In 1961, Hurricane Hattie hit the island and divided it into several sections; the channels between the sections were refilled in the 1970s. The island's history has been explored continuously since the St. George's Caye Archeology Project was launched in 2009 as a joint venture between Texas State University and the Belize Institute of Archeology. Since 2010 the island has formally had the status of a village, which gives the residents a say in the development of the island.

economy

St. George's Caye is not connected to the Belizean power grid and there is no traffic or shops. There are several commercial resorts on the island . The British Army maintains a family resort for their soldiers on St. George's Caye.

gallery

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Belize Times article