BELIZE BARRIER REEF 
______________________________________________________
The Belize Barrier Reef is the
second largest reef in the world and only Australia's Great Barrier Reef is larger. Just off the coast line
of the Central American country of Belize the barrier reef is a wonderful and beautiful site to
see.
One of the most popular activities to do while at Belize's Barrier Reef for locals and tourist alike is: spear fishing! If you never catch
anything while spear fishing it is still fun and exciting and the local people will always say, “You can't get fish
any fresher.”
One activity you should not expect to do while in Belize is
surfing. The Belize Barrier Reef naturally breaks down waves before they reach the
shore.
The Belize Barrier Reef alone brings over one-hundred-million US
Dollars to the country every single year. Belize has tens of thousands of tourist visit each year just to
experience this magnificent reef; one of Belize's prized treasures.
Unfortunately two major natural disasters threatened to completely destroy the Belize
Barrier Reef. In November of 1998 Hurricane Mitch directly hit the Barrier Reef ripping up hundreds of years worth
of coral growth. Since corals are animals and not plants they can not take root else where. Just after Hurricane
Mitch, El Nino brought warmer then usual waters to the reef and literally cooked it to death. All the dead reef on
the bottom of the ocean floor is known to the local Belizean people as, 'The Standing Dead.' In that fish still
like the coral reef whether it is dead or alive, there has been no impact to the livelihood of local people, since,
for many, the reef is their main source of food.
Over 10 years after Hurricane Mitch, Belize as a country, is recovering. Though the Belize Barrier Reef is not fully restored to
its' former glory, it is well on its' way and is still a must see world attraction! ~Anthony Benjamin~
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