Belize, a British colony since 1862, was granted complete sovereignty over its internal affairs in 1964 and formally achieved independence on September 21, 1981, becoming a member of the Commonwealth and joining the United Nations.
貝里斯於一八六二年正式成為英國的殖民地，一九六四年英國給予貝國內政完全自主，一九八一年九月廿一日貝里斯正式獨立，成為大英國協之一員，並加入聯合國。