Page 207 - Central America

Portable Cards and eBooks The eBooks contain
links to the 3DAVI
The cayes (pronounced keys), the offshore atolls, Explore the Sea
and the barrier reef are the main attractions in Be- module of over 400
lize. The barrier reef, which is 185 miles long, is the web pages that
longest in the Western Hemisphere. describes Coral,
Sponges and Sea
Critters.

T he cayes (pronounced keys), the offshore at- velopment of many fine resorts to serve the wa- land meets the water.
olls, and the barrier reef are the main attrac- ter sports enthusiasts and the marine naturalists.
tions in Belize. The barrier reef, which is 185 miles The cayes and atolls provide superior opportuni- The central part of Belize consists of sandy
long, is the longest in the Western Hemisphere. ty for SCUBA diving, snorkeling, fishing, boating, soil that supports large savannas. Approxi-

The cayes are coral sand and/or mangroves is- sailing, sailboarding, and sea kayaking, as well mately thirty miles southwest of Belize City, the

lands, that are located between the mainland as habitat for both nesting birds and turtles. The land begins to rise dramatically to between 1,500

and the barrier reef, on the barrier reef, and on or northern half of the mainland of Belize is a plain and 3,680 feet above sea level in the enchanting

within the reef perimeters of the offshore atolls. that was once the bed of a sea. The land is cov- Mountain Pine Ridge region and the Maya Moun-

Although the mangrove cayes are normally unin- ered with a thin layer of soil, that supports scrub tains. Abundant rainfall runs off the highlands to

habitable by humans, they do provide a superior vegetation and dense hardwood tropical forest. the northwest in a number of streams which flow

habitat for birds and marine life. Many birds, fish, The northern coastal area is neither land nor sea, into the Macal River. Ultimately, the Macal River

shellfish, and marine organisms begin their lives but a lagoonal, marshy transition between the and the Mopan River converge to provide the

within the protection of the mangrove. The coral two. The coastal vegetation consists of mangrove headwaters of the Belize River.

cayes, which are distinguishable by their palm and grasses, and lagoons are bordered by tus-

trees, have provided the foundation for the de- sock grasses, cypress, and sycamore where the