At the time of the Conquest, the Maya were confined to a single unbroken area that includes all of the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, Belize and the western portion of Honduras. The Maya may be thought of as the greatest culture-givers and innovators to the rest of the Central America. They developed advanced systems of mathematics, astrology, and writing; they built cities of stone temples and pyramids; and lived in a society with daily religious practices. Although the geographic region in which the Maya had occupied has since become multiple conventional political boundaries, there is a commonality of histories, cultures, economies, political systems, and geographic features shared by Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. More specifically, The Gulf of Honduras, also called the Bay of Honduras, is an inlet of the Caribbean Sea extending as far north as Dangriga, …show more content…
It is lined by the second-largest coral reef system in the world, the Belize Barrier Reef, and includes a number of small islands off the coasts of Belize and Honduras. It is a sanctuary for over fifty-six species of mammals, three-hundred and fifty birds, and more than fifty species of reptiles and amphibians. Due to overfishing, marine pollution, deforestation, and infrastructure development, the Gulf of Honduras is in a state of conservation. Organizations at the local and international level have created programs to help purchase land, buy equipment, and promote the implementation of ecologically-friendly product opportunities surrounding the area. The unique ecosystems created by the coastal inlet include barrier beaches, estuaries, marshlands, lagoons, and mangrove forests. These ecosystems have influenced the developments of diverse settlements and have been the most important reasons why people have settled along the