The country of Belize is located in the northern part of Central America and the country is shaped roughly like a triangle and about the size of the state of Massachusetts. For people who are not familiar with this part of the world, Belize is nestled between the borders of Quintana Roo – a Mexican state – two departments of Guatemala, namely Petén and Izabal, the Caribbean Sea. The country itself totals 22,960 square kilometers although the northern interior of the country and all along the coastline are filled with exotic lagoons which reduces the total land mass.

The country’s location provides it with a subtropical climate that benefit from the prevailing wind coming in off of the Caribbean Sea. The wind is a brisk one and it keeps the temperature in Belize around 79 degrees Fahrenheit all year round. The humidity for the most part is kept under control from the breezes that flow over the land from the Caribbean, making it comfortable enough for summer clothing all year long.

Of course, the climate in Belize is affected by the countries natural landscape. While the median temperature is 79, it can climb up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and down to 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. It is unusual that the temperature rises or falls above or below these averages although the elevation, flora and fauna in the area and the geological makeup of the area you are in can affect the temperature at any given time. For those visitors to Belize who enjoy swimming in the ocean, the temperature of the saltwater in the Caribbean Sea usually ranges between 75 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit, providing the perfect water temperature for snorkeling, swimming, and scuba diving. The temperatures in the higher elevations of Belize such as the highland plateau in the southern part of the country tend to be cooler than the warmer inland areas.

Belize enjoys an annual rainfall of 50 inches to the north of the country while the south sees more at 170 inches. Normally the rainy season occurs from June to August with the dry season from February to May but the changes that keep occurring in the global weather pattern make it harder to predict if this will happen each year. By October the weather has cooled and between November through February the average humidity is around 85 percent with scattered rain showers.

The country has been known to be affected by hurricanes off the Caribbean Sea and they tend to be very violent storms that have devastated areas of the country. Between 1931 and 1978 many cities and towns – including Belize City – have been leveled by hurricanes that have included storm tides in excess of four meters high with winds over 300 kilometers per hour. When Belize City was destroyed by a hurricane for the second time in the course of 30 years, the government moved the countries capital to Belmopan, located 80 kilometers further inland and less affected by the devastating effects of the hurricane season.