Monkey River Town
Encyclopedia
Monkey River Town is a village
in the north of the Toledo District
of the Central America
n nation of Belize
. It is on the Caribbean Sea
on the southern shore of the mouth of Belize's Monkey River
. In 2011 the estimated population was 200 people.
The village is one of the last purely Creole settlements in Belize, and many traditional practises are still carried out, such as cooking over the "fyah haat" (fire hearth). A road was built in the late 80's from the Southern Highway through orange groves and jungle to the village car park, and links the village to the outside world, although much travel is still by sea. The main occupations are fishing
and ecotourism
. There are two small hotels, and nearby a fishing resort which can be reached by a five minute sea trip. Guides can be easily found at Monkey River village to take visitors up the river to see the howler monkeys and other wildlife.
in 1891 at which time it had a population of some 2500 people, mostly engaged in the lumber
and banana
industry. With the decline of these industries and a blight of banana trees in this area in the second half of the 20th century the population declined, and in 1981 was legally reclassified as a village again, although retaining the historic name of "Town".
On October 9, 2001, Hurricane Iris
made landfall at Monkey River Town as a 145 mph Category Four storm. The storm demolished most of the homes in the village, and destroyed the banana crop. The area's formerly large population of black howler monkey
s was similarly greatly reduced, but has come back strongly and several troups are to be seen along the river, a popular eco tourist attraction. Researchers from the University of Calgary
led by Dr. Mary Pavelka study the monkey population year round.
Erosion of the southern foreshore, where the village is located, has been an important issue over recent years, this has been halted by a recent government project which installed a botan sea defence. Further work wil be carried out as finance permits. The northern foreshore is relatively unaffected.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the north of the Toledo District
Toledo District
Toledo District is the southernmost district in Belize, and Punta Gorda the District capital. Although the least developed region in the country, it features some of the most pristine rainforests, extensive cave networks, coastal lowland plains, and offshore cays...
of the Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
n nation of Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
. It is on the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
on the southern shore of the mouth of Belize's Monkey River
Monkey River
Monkey River is a coastal watercourse in southern Belize that rises in the Maya Mountains and discharges to the Caribbean Sea near Monkey River Town. One of Belize's major rivers, Monkey River has northern headwaters which originate in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, where the Swasey Branch...
. In 2011 the estimated population was 200 people.
The village is one of the last purely Creole settlements in Belize, and many traditional practises are still carried out, such as cooking over the "fyah haat" (fire hearth). A road was built in the late 80's from the Southern Highway through orange groves and jungle to the village car park, and links the village to the outside world, although much travel is still by sea. The main occupations are fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
. There are two small hotels, and nearby a fishing resort which can be reached by a five minute sea trip. Guides can be easily found at Monkey River village to take visitors up the river to see the howler monkeys and other wildlife.
History
The village was incorporated as a townTown
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in 1891 at which time it had a population of some 2500 people, mostly engaged in the lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
and banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
industry. With the decline of these industries and a blight of banana trees in this area in the second half of the 20th century the population declined, and in 1981 was legally reclassified as a village again, although retaining the historic name of "Town".
On October 9, 2001, Hurricane Iris
Hurricane Iris
Hurricane Iris was a Category 4 hurricane that devastated Belize in October 2001. It was the eleventh tropical cyclone, ninth named storm, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the second strongest storm of the season behind Hurricane...
made landfall at Monkey River Town as a 145 mph Category Four storm. The storm demolished most of the homes in the village, and destroyed the banana crop. The area's formerly large population of black howler monkey
Howler monkey
Howler monkeys are among the largest of the New World monkeys. Fifteen species are currently recognised. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae. These monkeys are native to South and Central American forests...
s was similarly greatly reduced, but has come back strongly and several troups are to be seen along the river, a popular eco tourist attraction. Researchers from the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
led by Dr. Mary Pavelka study the monkey population year round.
Erosion of the southern foreshore, where the village is located, has been an important issue over recent years, this has been halted by a recent government project which installed a botan sea defence. Further work wil be carried out as finance permits. The northern foreshore is relatively unaffected.