Map of Belize showing Cayo District
'Cayo District' is a
district in the west of the nation of
Belize. The District capital is the town of
San Ignacio.
Geography
The Cayo District is the largest district in Belize. Within the Cayo District are the national capital of
Belmopan, the district capital of
San Ignacio, the town of
Benque Viejo del Carmen, the villages of
San Antonio Cayo,
Valley of Peace,
St. Margret's,
Roaring Creek,
Albaina,
San Jose Succotz,
Arenal,
Buena Vista,,
Calla Creek,
Chorro,
Dry Creek Bank,
Garbutt's Falls and
Spanish Lookout,
Toro,
Vaca and
Providencien. Cayo District also contains the
Pre-Columbian Maya ruins of
Xunantunich,
Cahal Pech, and
Caracol. Major rivers in the Cayo District include the
Macal River and the
Mopan River.
Importance and location
The Cayo District is primarily an agricultural district, with the chief crops being
citrus, (oranges, grapefruit, and
tangerine), as well as bananas. Recently oil was found in
Spanish Lookout and is now in production. There are 2 major highways in the District. The
Western Highway runs from
Belize City to the
Guatemalan border, and the
Hummingbird Highway which starts in Belmopan and ends at the juncture of the Coastal Road and the
Southern Highway in the
Stann Creek District. In addition to the ruins listed above there are several other important
nature reserves including two National Parks,
Blue Hole (park) and
Guanacaste National Park.
Ecotourism is also an integral part of the region's economy.
According to the
2000 census, Cayo District had a
population of 53,715 people.
Political divisions
Politically, Cayo is divided into six
constituencies, described in detail here:
★ '
Belmopan': Containing the capital and surrounding suburbs; newly created. Its standard bearers are Cayo South representative John Saldivar (UDP) and Rolando Zetina of the PUP.
★
Cayo Northeast: Another new constituency centered on Spanish Lookout. The UDP's Elvin Penner and the PUP's Orlando Habet will decide this seat in 2008.
★
Cayo North: Current representative Ainslie Leslie.
★ Cayo Central: Current representative Mario Castellanos.
★ Cayo West: The UDP's Erwin Contreras, former footballer, is the standing rep for this seat.
★ Cayo South: Currently held by John Saldivar of the UDP; Ramon Witz will contest here in 2008 due to Saldivar's jump to Belmopan.
External links
★
Map
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