British Honduras

British Honduras was a colony in Maya Lowlands and Highlands (Mesoamerica and Caribbean) that lasted from 1862 to 1981 CE, about 119 years. Its people spoke Germanic languages (Gothic, Frankish, English, German, Dutch, Norse).

British colony formalised in 1862 from the Belize settlement. Guatemala claimed the territory, which delayed independence. After Hurricane Hattie in 1961 the capital moved inland to Belmopan.

See British Honduras on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

1862 to 1981 CE

Duration

119 years

Type

Colony

Region

Maya Lowlands and Highlands, Mesoamerica and Caribbean

Language family

Germanic

Capital

Belize City

Came from

• Baymen settlement of Belize c. 1650 to 1862 CE

Became

• Belize 1981 CE to the present

Events in Mesoamerica and Caribbean during its time

• 1910 Mexican Revolution
• 1914 Panama Canal opens
• 1959 Cuban Revolution
• 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

Neighbours in Mesoamerica and Caribbean

• Haiti 1804 CE to the present
• Spanish Cuba 1511 to 1898 CE
• British West Indies 1624 to 1983 CE
• Colony of Jamaica 1655 to 1962 CE
• Mexico 1823 CE to the present
• Cuba 1959 CE to the present
• Dutch Caribbean 1634 CE to the present
• Spanish Puerto Rico 1508 to 1898 CE
• French Antilles 1635 to 1946 CE
• Mosquito Kingdom c. 1638 to 1894 CE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE, North and West Africa
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Europe
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Middle East
• Portuguese Empire 1415 to 1999 CE, Europe
• Kingdom of Kongo c. 1390 to 1914 CE, Central and Southern Africa
• Qing dynasty 1636 to 1912 CE, East Asia
• United States 1776 CE to the present, North America
• United Kingdom 1801 CE to the present, Europe
• Russian Empire 1721 to 1917 CE, Europe
• Dutch East Indies 1800 to 1949 CE, Southeast Asia

Questions