Corozal is the northernmost

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of the nation of

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

. The population was 46,071 in 2024. The district capital is Corozal Town.

Pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

ruins are found in Corozal at Santa Rita near Corozal Town, and at Cerros.

Administrative divisions

There are four political divisions in the Corozal District. *'' Corozal Bay'' is represented by the Peoples United Party's David "Dido" Vega, in his first term. The division includes most of Corozal Town proper. *'' Corozal North'' covers the villages immediately north and west of Corozal Town and is held by three-term representative Hugo Patt of the UDP. *'' Corozal South East'' has long been a PUP stronghold under father and son Florencio Marin Sr. (who stepped down in 2008 after seven terms) and Florencio Marin Jr., who is now in his fourth term. *'' Corozal South West'' is represented by the PUP representative Ramiro Ramirez, who beat incumbent Dr. Angel Campos of the UDP in 2020.

Towns and villages

Corozal District includes Corozal Town and the villages of Buena Vista,

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

, Caledonia, Carolina, Chan Chen, Chunox, Concepcion, Consejo, Copper Bank, Cristo Rey, Estrella, Libertad, Little Belize,

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, Paraiso, Patchacan, Progresso, Ranchito, San Andres, San Antonio, San Joaquin, San Narciso, San Roman, San Victor, San Pedro, Santa Clara, Sarteneja, Xaibe, and Yo Chen. In addition, the island of Ambergris Caye is geographically closer to Corozal District than the district in which it is administrated, Belize District.

Demographics

Ethnicity

Languages

English is the most spoken language in Corozal, followed by Spanish. 80% speak English very well and 60% speak Spanish very well. Corozal's villages are divided by colour and language: Corozal Town, the main centre of the District, is peopled by a mix of Belize's races and cultures, most notably the

Mestizo ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...

s. Spanish and English are the major languages spoken. Calcutta, Estrella Village, Libertad, Ranchito, and San Antonio are populated by East Indian people and speak English and Spanish very well. Chan Chen, Chunox, Cristo Rey, Louisville, Patchakan, San Pedro, San Victor Village, Xaibe, and Yo Chen are populated by

Maya people Maya () are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people who lived w ...

and speak Spanish and

Yucatec Maya Yucatec Maya ( ; referred to by its speakers as or ) is a Mayan languages, Mayan language spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula, including part of northern Belize. There is also a significant diasporic community of Yucatec Maya speakers in San Fra ...

language very well, along with some English. Buena Vista, Caledonia, Conception, San Narciso, San Roman, and Santa Clara are populated by Maya-Mestizo people who speak Spanish, some English and elders speaking

. They are not obliged to learn English, because school teachers teach in Spanish but write in English and because at work the primary language is Spanish, so villagers are not exposed to English on a daily basis. Progresso, San Andres, and Sarteneja Village are populated by Creole and Hispanic people, who share their cultures and languages in English and Spanish. Little Belize is populated by Mennonites, who speak German.

Economy

While Corozal District depended for many years on the sugar industry, at one time having its own sugar factory in Libertad Village, today the economy is more diversified. Sugar production and other agricultural crops such as papaya are still central to the way of life of many rural Corozalenos, but occupations in the tourism industry are slowly becoming more prominent. Now almost 65% of Corozalenos depend on the Commercial Free Zone for employment. The Zone is located on the border of Belize and Mexico. Contraband is the biggest source of growing income in Corozal since it is adjacent to Mexico, and includes such things as vegetables, fruits, liquors, cigarettes, and gasoline.

Education

Belize Adventist College and

Belize Adventist Junior College Belize Adventist Junior College is a Christian Junior college in the Calcutta Village of the Corozal District in Belize. The Belize Adventist Junior College provides students with an education in a Christian setting. It is a part of the Seventh ...

are located in the village of Calcutta in the Corozal District. Corozal Community College and Corozal Junior College are found in the village of San Andres and also near San Antonio in Corozal District. St. Viator Vocational High School is located just outside Chunox in the Corozal District. Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College(CEMJC) and Escuela Secundaria Tecnica Mexico or E.S.T.M. is located in the village of San Roman in the Corozal District.

References

External links

*
News website
{{Authority control Districts of Belize Mestizo communities in Belize