Newspapers Bermuda Sun Weekly, 1964— Mid-Ocean News, 1911-Weekly. Recorder, 1938-Weekly. Royal Gazette, 1784-Daily. Some of the books listed above are out of print but are available for reference in the Bermuda Library, Hamilton, Bermuda, and possibly also in other reference libraries abroad. T BRITISH ANTARCTIC TERRITORY HE British Antarctic Territory was designated by an Order-in-Council which came into force on the 3rd March 1962, and with the exception of the island of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, consists of the area previously known as the Falkland Islands Dependencies. The territory lies between longitudes 20° and 80°W. south of latitude 60°S. Within these bounds lie the South Orkneys, the South Shetlands and the Antarctic Peninsula, together with all adjacent islands and the land mass extending to the South Pole. The majority of the islands in the territory are wild and rugged with many glaciers. The Antarctic Peninsula is mountainous, the highest peak being Mount Andrew Jackson (about 11,000 feet). There is a snow-covered plateau which extends along the peninsula but declines from 7,000 feet in the south to about 4,000 feet in the north. The main continental area is covered by ice and fringed by floating ice shelves, generally about 800 feet thick. The territory has a rigorous polar climate. The British population of the territory consists solely of male scientists and technicians who man the British Antarctic Survey scientific stations. During the winter of 1970 the total number was 88. In the summer months when relief personnel arrive, together with summer field workers, this figure may almost double. The exact number of other nationals working in the area is not known. There are no towns in the territory and scientific and field stations are situated on various islands and parts of the mainland. The Antarctic bases are relieved, resupplied and restaffed between November and May each year, by the Survey's Royal Research Ship John Biscoe and a chartered ship operating from the UK. A new ship, R.R.S. Bransfield, will be commissioned in time for the 1970-71 season, and will replace the chartered vessel. Two light aircraft, which are wintered in Canada, assist with the annual relief and provide support for field parties. One base, Fossil Bluff is supplied entirely by air from Adelaide Island. In addition to normal radio communication, teleprinters link four of the bases to administrative offices in the Falkland Islands and London. Until the year ended 30th June 1962 British Antarctic Territory finances were embodied in those of the Falkland Islands Dependencies. From 1st April 1967 responsibility for the British Antarctic Survey was transferred from the Commonwealth Office to the Ministry of Education and Science. The Survey and the territory were separately financed from 1st July 1967. The following table shows revenue and expenditure for the years 1968-71. The main island group of the South Shetlands was discovered and taken possession of by Captain W. Smith in 1819, whilst the South Orkney Islands owe their discovery to Captain G. Powell in 1821. The Antarctic Peninsula was discovered in 1820 by Edward Bransfield, R.N., and taken into the possession of Great Britain by John Biscoe in 1832. The penetration of what is now known as the Weddell Sea and the final discovery of the continental land masses to the south and east of the Antarctic Peninsula can be attributed to many great explorers-Cook, Weddell, Ross and Bruce to name but a few. Many of the islands within the territory were used as temporary bases for the early sealing and whaling expeditions, but at Deception Island of the South Shetlands Islands a more permanent and more active whaling station was in operation from 1906 to 1931. During this time a magistrate was in permanent residence for the summer months. In the 1943-44 season, under the code name of ‘Operation Tabarin', the first of what are now known as the British Antarctic Survey bases were established at Deception Island and Port Lockroy. Since then the number of occupied stations has at times been as many as 12 but in recent years the number has been 6, most stations being somewhat larger. In December 1967 Deception Island was temporarily evacuated because of a volcanic eruption. A second eruption in February 1969 partially destroyed the station, which has now been abandoned. The locations of the occupied stations are: Signy Island-South Orkney Islands 60° 43′ S., 45° 36′ W. Argentine Islands (Galindez Island)-West coast of Graham Land 65° 15′ S., 64° 16' W. Adelaide Island-West coast of Graham Land 67° 46′ S., 68° 54′ W. Stonington Island-Marguerite Bay 68° 11' S., 67° 00′ W. Fossil Bluff-George VI Sound 71° 20′ S., 68° 17′ W. Halley Bay-Caird Coast 75° 30′ S., 26° 39′ W. A station is also maintained by the Survey at King Edward Point, South Georgia (51° 17′ S., 36° 30′ W.) outside the British Antarctic Territory. Other bases which have been established, but are at present unoccupied, are: Cape Geddes, Laurie Island, South Orkney Islands. Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Islands. View Point, Duse Bay. Deception Island, South Shetland Islands. Hope Bay, Trinity Peninsula. Danco Coast, Graham Land. Anvers Island, Palmer Archipelago. Port Lockroy, Wiencke Island, Palmer Archipelago. Prospect Point, Graham Coast. Detaille Island, Loubet Coast, Graham Land. Horseshoe Island, Marguerite Bay. The territory is administered by the High Commissioner, resident in Stanley, Falkland Islands. A Court of Appeal was set up on the 1st July 1965 for the purpose of hearing and determining appeals from the courts of the territory. 1962 HIGH COMMISSIONERS Sir Edwin Arrowsmith, KCMG 1964 Sir Cosmo Haskard, KCMG, MBE DIRECTOR, BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY READING LIST CHRISTIE, E. W. H. The Antarctic Problem. Allen & Unwin, 1951. PRIESTLEY, R. E. et al., Eds., Antarctic Research: A Review of British Scientific Achievement in Antarctica. Foreword by H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh. Butterworth, 1964. B BRITISH HONDURAS RITISH HONDURAS is situated on the east coast of Central America bounded on the north and part of the west by Mexico and by Guatemala on the remainder of the west and south. In length the country extends 174 miles from the Rio Hondo in the north to the Sarstoon River in the south. In breadth the widest part (Belize City to Benque Viejo del Carmen) is 68 miles. Its land area is about 8,866 square miles which includes a number of islets (known as cayes) lying off the coast. The coastline is for the most part flat and swampy but the country rises gradually towards the interior. The Maya Mountains and the Cockscombs, which reach a height of 3,800 feet (Victoria Peak), form the backbone of the southern half of the territory. All the Western (Cayo) District is hilly and includes the Mountain Pine Ridge most of which lies between 1,000 and 2,000 feet above sea level but rises in parts to around 3,000 feet. The northern districts are also hilly except towards the coast but contain considerable areas of low tableland. There are seventeen principal rivers, of which the Belize River is the most important. None is navigable by vessels over five feet draught and few for any distance. The coastal waters are shallow for 10-20 miles to the east. This shallow sea is dotted with cayes and is bounded by a coral encrusted reef second only in size to the great barrier reef off the eastern coast of Australia. Three separate reef areas lie still further to the east and the most easterly islet is more than 60 miles to the east of Belize City. The climate is sub-tropical and on the whole agreeable. In the capital, Belize City, the temperature averages 75°F from November to January and 81°F from May to September. The mean annual temperature is 79°F. Day temperatures often reach 90°F-96°F and night temperatures may very occasionally fall to the fifties. Most of the year the heat and humidity are tempered by sea breezes. This description applies with small variation along the whole coastal area. Inland, the day temperatures during the dry season tend to be higher, but drop considerably at night. Rainfall increases from north to south: There are two dry seasons, the main one from March to May and the other in August and September (called the Maugre Season). British Honduras has been struck from time to time by hurricanes. In recent years: a hurricane struck Belize City on 10th September 1931, causing heavy loss of life and property; on 27th September 1955 hurricane ‘Janet' struck the northern part of the country completely destroying the town of Corozal and damaging dozens of villages in the Corozal and Orange Walk Districts; on 15th July 1960 hurricane 'Abby' struck the area of the Sittee River, south of Stann Creek, causing some damage to crops and dwellings; on 24th July 1961 hurricane ‘Anna' wrought fairly extensive damage to crops and houses in the villages of Seine Bight and Placentia and Sittee River and almost completely destroyed banana plantations at Waha Leaf in the Stann Creek District; on 31st October 1961 hurricane 'Hattie' caused 262 deaths and most serious damage to Belize City; Stann Creek Town and other parts of the country. The estimated population at July 1969 was 122,000. At the census taken in April 1960 the de facto total population was 90,505. A census was taken on 7th April 1970. The report will be available later this year. In 1966 the birth rate was 43.6 per 1,000 population; the death rate 6.9 per 1,000. The infant death rate per 1,000 live births was 50. The main racial groups are: Creoles, Amerindians (Maya) and Caribs. There are also a number of persons of East Indian and Spanish descent. The races are, however, now heavily inter-mixed and a great many persons would have considerable difficulty in deciding to which group they belong. The great majority of the population belong to one or other of the Christian churches. About 60 per cent are Roman Catholics and 40 per cent Protestants. Q* In addition to a large contribution in the field of education a few of the denominations, notably the Roman Catholics and Nazarenes, operate health clinics, and many provide social and family welfare services. Until 1970, Belize City was the capital, where one third of the country's population lived. The new capital of the country is Belmopan, situated at Roaring Creek, some fifty miles inland on the western highway. The country is divided into six districts: Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize, Cayo, Stann Creek and Toledo. There are eighteen electoral areas-six in Belize City and two in each of the districts, including the Belize District outside Belize City. English is the official language. In certain areas, for instance in Corozal, Orange Walk and Cayo Districts, the mother tongue of the people is Spanish and in the southern districts there are ethnic groups whose first language is Carib or Maya. But everywhere English is, from the beginning, the medium of instruction in schools. A start has now been made in introducing the teaching of Spanish in primary schools and bilingualism is the objective. Education is compulsory from the age of six to 14. Primary school education is provided by 160 schools run almost entirely by the churches with a Government subsidy. In 1968, 28,257 pupils were enrolled free of cost, in Government and Government-assisted schools, with about 1,000 more pupils enrolled in private schools. Secondary education is provided by 17 schools with a total of 2,642 pupils. All these, with the exception of the Belize Technical College, a Government institution, are church schools and school fees are charged, but the Government provides more than 317 students with scholarships. A Junior College run by Government was opened in January 1969. It has an enrolment of over 300. No fee is charged. There is a Teachers' Training College (the Belize Teachers' College) in Belize City where about 115 teachers pursue various courses. Four Church Secondary Schools now offer a two-year post-high school course. The students sit advanced level G.C.E. examinations. There is no university and students must go abroad for further study, scholarships being awarded to the University of the West Indies and other universities in Britain, Canada and the U.S.A. Expenditure on education in 1968 was 16.1 per cent of the national revenue, or $1,964,900 B.H.* Only about 5 per cent of the population over the age of 10 years are illiterate. In addition $717,630 was spent on capital projects. The Baron Bliss Institute which was opened in May 1954 is maintained and operated by the Government for the encouragement of cultural activities. The National Library Service, the headquarters of which are housed in a section of the institute, has established a large number of service points all over the country. There is a British Council library in Belize City. The Government operates a radio broadcasting service (Radio Belize). Programmes are in English and Spanish. The country is relatively free from endemic diseases. Malaria, which was most prevalent, is no longer a problem owing to an intense programme of malaria eradication. The main general hospital with 162 beds is in Belize City. A new hospital with 30 beds was opened in Punta Gorda in the Toledo District in 1965 and there are small hospitals in all the other districts. There is also a 21-bed private hospital in Belize City. There are some twenty Government and Mission rural dispensaries. An infirmary and a mental hospital are maintained by the Government in Belize City and there is a temporary tuberculosis sanatorium * B.H. $4=£1 sterling. |