Stann Creek District, Belize
Stann Creek District
Stann Creek District is a district in the south east region of Belize. According to the 2000 census, the district had a population of 26,665 people. Its capital is the city of Dangriga, formerly known as “Stann Creek Town.” Stann comes from “stanns,” or safe havens used by colonialists coming from the “old world” to the “new world.”
Located within the Stann Creek district are the port of Big Creek (the main port of Belize’s banana industry), the peninsula and village of Placencia (a popular tourist resort), the villages of Alta Vista, Commerce Bight, Dancing Pool, Georgetown, Guana Church Bank, High Sand, Independence and Mango Creek, Kendal, Lagarto Bank, Maya Mopan, Middle Bank, Middlesex, Mullins River, New Home, Pomona, Quarry Hill, Rancho Grande, Red Bank, Regalia, Sarawina, Silver Creek Camp, San Roman, Belize, Sittee and the Garifuna village of Hopkins on the Sittee River.
The district is split into two Constituencies. They are Dangriga, which contains the town proper and the surrounding villages (including Hopkins and Seine Bight) and the offshore islands (cayes), and Stann Creek West, which contains most of the rest including, Placencia and Independence.
The Stann Creek District is also home to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary where the south fork of Stann Creek rises. Within the preserve is Victoria Peak, the highest point in Belize, at 1120 meters (3,675 feet) above sea level. Between Dangriga and Placencia on the coast is one of the most unique of all the Belize resorts, Kanantik Reef and Jungle Resort. Kanantik won acclaim from Architectural Digest for its construction and architecture by creating traditional thatched-roof oceanfront cabanas with hand-crafted furnishings made from Belizean hardwoods and styling its interiors in the Mayan tradition. Kanantik also hosts weekly Garifuna dancers and traditional music. The Garifuna are direct descendants of a group of African slaves who escaped two ship-wrecked Spanish slave ships near St. Vincent in 1635. They celebrate a diverse and rich culture that is a blend of African traditions of music, dance and religious ceremonies; Native American farming, hunting, and fishing techniques; and a French and Arawak influenced language.
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