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Like most other countries, the history of Belize is interesting and complex. Belize originally belonged to the Maya civilization. From the 16th century BC to 4th century AD, Belize was under the control of the Maya. The contact of Belize with the Europeans began in the year 1511, when some ship wrecked sailors reached the shore of Belize. However, most of those Spanish sailors were kept as slaves or else were sacrificed. Only one of them, by the name of Gonzalo Guerrero, managed to escape and later married in the royal family.
Till the year 1670 the Europeans maintained trade relations with the people of Belize. Belize had large areas covered by mahogany tress. Mahogany timber became the most important item of export. During this period Belize witnessed indiscriminate felling of trees. However during this period none of the European powers showed any signs of colonizing Belize.
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Finally, in the year 1871, Belize was included in the list of British colonies. Hence during this period from 1871 the history of Belize was marked by colonial culture. The important towns in the British colony of Belize were Punta Gorda, Stann Creek Town, Orange Walk Town, Belize City, Monkey River, Corozal Town, Mullins River and San Ignacio Cayo. However in the 19th century the people of Belize started agitating for independence. In the year 1964 the British government granted internal self-government to the people of Belize.
In the year 1981, on September 21, Belize was granted independence. Belize became a free state. The city of Belmopan was made the capital of Belize. Since its independence, the history of Belize has witnessed great development and improvements. However, the state still remains an important center of drug trade, unemployment and urban crime. Recently, tourism has become an important source of revenue in Belize and the government is trying its best to remove unemployment from the state.
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