Cayo District

Cayo District is a district in the west of the nation of Belize. The district capital is the town of San Ignacio.

Geography

The Cayo District is the largest in Belize. It is located on the western side of the country which borders Guatemala. The nation's capital, Belmopan, is in the district. Also in the Cayo district the town of Benque Viejo del Carmen and the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena are located. The district has many villages such as Seven Miles (El Progresso), San Antonio, Valley of Peace, St. Margaret, Roaring Creek, Armenia, San Jose Succotz, Arenal, Buena Vista, Bullet Tree Falls, Calla Creek, Esperanza, Cristo Rey, Georgeville, Unitedville, Blackman Eddy, Ontario, Camalote, Los Tambos, More Tomorrow and Spanish Lookout.

The southern half of the Cayo District is very sparsely populated. A large majority of the district's population lives north of the 17th parallel.

The Cayo District contains the Pre-Columbian Maya ruins of Xunantunich, Cahal Pech, Chaa Creek, and Caracol. Major rivers in the district include the Macal River and the Mopan River.