Editing Orange Walk District

{{Short description|Northwestern district of Belize}}
{{Infobox settlement
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| name                    = Orange Walk District
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| native_name_lang        = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| settlement_type         = [[Districts of Belize|District]]
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| image_map               = {{switcher | [[File:Orange Walk District and its neighbors.svg | frameless]] | Orange Walk and its neighbors{{efn | {{hlist | [[Corozal District|Corozal]] | [[Belize District|Belize]] | [[Cayo District|Cayo]] | In [[Guatemala]]: | [[Petén Department|Petén]] | In [[Mexico]]: | [[Campeche]] | [[Quintana Roo]] }} }} | [[File:Orange Walk in Belize.svg | frameless]] | Location in Belize }}
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| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = {{flag|Belize}}
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| seat_type               = Capital
| seat                    = [[Orange Walk Town]]
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| unit_pref               = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
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| area_total_km2          = 4737
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| population_footnotes    = <ref>{{cite web| title= Mid-Year Population by District and Sex, 2009 | url= http://www.statisticsbelize.org.bz/dms20uc/dynamicdata/docs/20100112164405_2.pdf | publisher= Statistical Institute of Belize}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/Belize.html|title=Belize: Districts, Towns & Villages - Population Statistics in Maps and Charts|website=Citypopulation.de|access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref>
| population_total        = 55,622
| population_as_of        = 2024 Estimate
| population_density_km2  = auto
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| iso_code                = BZ-OW
| website                 = {{URL|http://www.orangewalk.com/}} 
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}}

'''Orange Walk''' is a [[Districts of Belize|district]] in the northwest of the nation of [[Belize]], with its district capital in [[Orange Walk Town]].

==Demographics==
===Main settlements===
The Orange Walk District, with an area of 1,829 square miles (4,636 square km), is located north-northwest of the [[Belize District]]. This is the second largest district in terms of total area in comparison to other districts in Belize, and lies between the Belize and [[Corozal District|Corozal]] districts to the east, Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west. Villages in Orange Walk District include [[August Pine Ridge]], [[Blue Creek (Belize)|Blue Creek]], [[Carmelita, Belize|Carmelita]], Chan Pine Ridge, [[Douglas, Belize|Douglas]], [[Indian Church, Belize|Indian Church]], [[Guinea Grass]], [[San Antonio, Belize|San Antonio]], [[San Carlos, Belize|San Carlos]], [[San Estevan, Belize|San Estevan]], [[San Felipe, Orange Walk|San Felipe]], [[San José, Belize|San José]], [[San Jose Palmar]], [[Nuevo San Juan, Belize|Nuevo San Juan]], [[San Lazaro, Belize|San Lazaro]], [[San Luis, Belize|San Luis]], [[San Pablo, Orange Walk|San Pablo]], [[San Román, Orange Walk|San Román]], [[Santa Cruz, Belize|Santa Cruz]], [[Santa Martha]], [[Shipyard, Belize|Shipyard]], [[Trial Farm, Belize|Trial Farm]], [[Trinidad, Belize|Trinidad]] and [[Yo Creek]]. Other settlements with smaller numbers of inhabitants may also be found, as well as ancient Mayan sites such as Cuello, [[Lamanai]], Noh Mul and Chan Chich. The [[Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area]], a large private nature reserve in the [[Yalbac Hills]], is also located in this district. The land is highly cultivated with sugar cane, sorghum, rice, corn and vegetables, with a significant amount of this agriculture done by [[Mennonites in Belize|Mennonite]] farmers. 
 
According to the <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statisticsbelize.org.bz|title=Statistical Institute of Belize|website=Statisticsbelize.org.bz|access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref> Statistical Institute of Belize, the Orange Walk District had an estimated [[population]] of 45,419 persons for the 2010 population and housing census; 13,400 of these persons lived in the urban area of Orange Walk Town while 32,019 lived in rural areas.

===Ethnicity===
{| class="wikitable sortable left" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Ethnicity
|-
! colspan="2|2010<ref>{{Cite web |title=Main results of 2010 population and housing census |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812062733/http://www.statisticsbelize.org.bz/dms20uc/dynamicdata/docs/20110505004542_2.pdf#page=5}}</ref>
! colspan="2|2022<ref name="2022 Belize Census">{{cite web |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fsib.org.bz%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FCensus2022_GeneralCharacteristics.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |title=Census 2022 |access-date=2025-04-18}}</ref>
|-
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
|-
| [[Mestizo]] || 34,616 || 77.26% || 43,236 || 79.84%
|-
| [[Europeans|European]]:<br />* German ([[Mennonites in Belize|Mennonite]])<br />* British (Anglo-Celtic) ||4,950<br />''4,852<br />98''||11.05%<br />''10.83%<br />0.22%'' || 5,921<br>''5,831<br>90'' || 10.94%<br>''10.77%<br>0.17%''
|-
| [[Belizean Creole people|Creole]] || 2,402 || 5.36% || 3,412 || 6.30%
|-
| [[Garifuna]] || 262 || 0.58% || 311 || 0.57%
|-
| [[Qʼeqchiʼ|Qʼeqchi Maya]] || 72 || 0.16% || 188 || 0.34% 
|-
| [[Chinese people|Chinese/Asian]] || 344 || 0.77% || 170 || 0.31%
|-
| [[Indo-Caribbean|East Indian]] || 159 || 0.35% || 163 || 0.30% 
|-
| [[Yucatec Maya people|Yucatec Maya]] || 164 || 0.37% || 109 || 0.20% 
|-
| [[Mopan people|Mopan Maya]] || 237 || 0.53% || 105 || 0.19%  
|-
| Other || 243 || 0.54% || 281 || 0.52%
|-
| Not stated || – || – || 257 || 0.47%
|-
| Mixed || 1,355 || 2.98% || – || –
|-
| '''Total''' || '''44,804''' || '''100%''' || '''54,152''' || '''100%'''
|}

===Language===
In the Orange Walk District, Spanish, Kriol and English are the most spoken languages. The [[Mennonites in Belize|Mennonite community]], which is around 37.5% of the district's population, speaks primarily [[German language|German]]. In many villages [[Yucatec Maya]] is still spoken by elders.

==Economy==
The capital of the district is Orange Walk Town, with an estimated population of 13,400.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statisticsbelize.org.bz|title=Statistical Institute of Belize -|website=Statisticsbelize.org.bz|access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref> The district is home to mostly [[Maya people|Maya]] [[mestizo]] descendants of Mexican refugees who fled from the 1840 [[Caste War of Yucatán|Caste War]].  The district's main economic base is drawn from [[agriculture]], with [[sugar cane]] being the primary crop.  This is slowly being replaced by a combination of alternative crops such [[potato]]es, [[onion]]s and [[soya bean]]s.  Orange Walk is also important for its production of dairy products, citrus fruits, beef and rum production. Another emerging industry is tourism due to healthy populations of tropical wildlife and the rich archaeological sites now coming to light. There are over 400 recorded bird species in the district, making Orange Walk a birdwatcher's paradise. Several settlements in the district are also home to German speaking [[Mennonites|Amish Mennonites]].  The district is also the home of two rivers, the [[Rio Hondo (Belize)|Rio Hondo]], which also forms part of the border with [[Mexico]], and the [[New River (Belize)|New River]], which has as its source Belize's largest body of water, the New River Lagoon.

==History==
Industry in Orange Walk was previously dominated by logging for over a hundred years until the refugees of the Caste War arrived in the late 19th century.  At the time of logging, all the timber was floated down the New River into the Corozal Bay, then to Belize City and shipped abroad. At the time of the arrival of the Caste War refugees, the logging industry was in decline and eventually the [[sugar industry]] was established. There has been evidence that some Yucatec Maya were still living in a remote area of Yalbac hills of the district when the British arrived in the Orange walk District.

Although the Orange Walk District has no coast because it is locked inland, it boasts the remains of two forts, Forts Mundy and Cairns, built by soldiers of the British Honduras West India Regiment. The forts were built in the 19th century after battles between earlier Mayan inhabitants of the district, most notably [[Marcus Canul]] and his Icaiche Indians, and settlers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://orangewalk.com/component/content/article/46-orange-walk-articles/297-history-of-orange-walk-town |title=Welcome to Orange Walk Town, Belize, News, Stores, Autos, Real Estate, Hotels, Restaurants |access-date=2013-04-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017072653/http://www.orangewalk.com/component/content/article/46-orange-walk-articles/297-history-of-orange-walk-town |archive-date=2013-10-17 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simplybelize.org/episode01.html|title=SimplyBelize.Org - Episode #1 :: The Yucatec Maya|website=Simplybelize.org|access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref>

==Political divisions==
Politically, Orange Walk is divided into 4 [[Constituencies of Belize|constituencies]], three currently under the [[People's United Party]] (PUP) and one under the [[United Democratic Party (Belize)|United Democratic Party]] (UDP).

*Orange Walk Central: Orange Walk Central generally includes the vicinity of Orange Walk Town and the village of San Estevan. Since 1993, this seat has been held by the PUP's John Briceno. Briceno was re-elected in the 2015 elections.
*Orange Walk East: Orange Walk East includes the eastern area of Orange Walk Town and the easternmost villages in the district, particularly [[San Jose Palmar]], [[Chan Pine Ridge]], [[Tower Hill, Belize|Tower Hill]], [[Carmelita, Belize|Carmelita]] and [[Santa Martha]]. Elodio Aragon of the UDP won this seat in the 2015 elections.
*Orange Walk North: Gaspar Vega won this seat for the UDP in the 2015 elections. The area includes the Otro Benque area of Orange Walk Town and the villages of Trial Farm, San Jose, San Pablo, Douglas, San Roman, San Luis, Nuevo San Juan, San Antonio and Santa Cruz.
*Orange Walk South: Orange Walk South contains the villages of San Lazaro, Yo Creek, Trinidad, August Pine Ridge, San Felipe, Guinea Grass, Blue Creek, Shipyard and a number of other villages. Jose Abelardo Mai for the PUP is the recently elected area representative in the 2015 elections.

==References==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111217184353/http://belize.fm/orange-walk-district-belize-t/ Orange Walk district at belize.fm]
* [http://www.belize.net/html/maps/orangemap.shtml Map]
* [http://orangewalk.com/component/content/article/46-orange-walk-articles/297-history-of-orange-walk-town History of Orange Walk Town]

{{Districts of Belize}}

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[[Category:Orange Walk District| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Belize]]
[[Category:Mestizo communities in Belize]]