Sittee River
Encyclopedia
The Sittee River is a river in Belize
.
Located in central Belize, the mangrove
s located at the mouth of this river are the tallest ever reported for the Caribbean region and among the tallest anywhere in the entire Neotropics. The mouth of the Sittee River represents the optimal conditions for mangrove development and the forest found there has a high level of structural development. Freshwater
flows and sediment
s carried by the river itself, draining from the Maya Mountains
, and tidal flushing from the Caribbean Sea
all support this tree growth. The forest at the mouth of the river is composed of three mangrove species: red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle
), white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa
), and black mangrove (Avicennia germinans
).
In 2001, the arrival of Hurricane Iris
caused significant flooding in local communities. Sittee River possesses a population of 312. Only 2 mi (3.2 km) from the river, Sittee River Methodist primary school, a religious public school, suffered significant damage to their library, losing many of their children's books and resources. While it is slowly rebuilding it's book collection, its library remains sparse due to hurricane damages.
Located in Sittee River Village, Serpon Sugar Mill
is the ruins of a 19th century sugar refinery
which has been designated a park. There is a small general store with camping and a community phone on the main village road.
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...
.
Located in central Belize, the mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s located at the mouth of this river are the tallest ever reported for the Caribbean region and among the tallest anywhere in the entire Neotropics. The mouth of the Sittee River represents the optimal conditions for mangrove development and the forest found there has a high level of structural development. Freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
flows and sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s carried by the river itself, draining from the Maya Mountains
Maya Mountains
The Maya Mountains are a mountain range in Belize and eastern Guatemala. The highest peaks are Doyle's Delight at and Victoria Peak at . The Maya Mountains and associated foothills contain a number of important Mayan ruins including the sites of Lubaantun, Nim Li Punit, Cahal Pech, and Chaa Creek;...
, and tidal flushing from 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....
all support this tree growth. The forest at the mouth of the river is composed of three mangrove species: red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle
Rhizophora mangle
Rhizophora mangle, known as the red mangrove, is distributed in estuarine ecosystems throughout the tropics. Its viviparous "seeds," in actuality called propagules, become fully mature plants before dropping off the parent tree...
), white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa
Laguncularia racemosa
Laguncularia racemosa is a species of flowering plant in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae...
), and black mangrove (Avicennia germinans
Avicennia germinans
Avicennia germinans, commonly known as the black mangrove, is a species of flowering plant in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae.A. germinans grows in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and on the Atlantic coast of tropical Africa, where it thrives...
).
In 2001, the arrival of 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...
caused significant flooding in local communities. Sittee River possesses a population of 312. Only 2 mi (3.2 km) from the river, Sittee River Methodist primary school, a religious public school, suffered significant damage to their library, losing many of their children's books and resources. While it is slowly rebuilding it's book collection, its library remains sparse due to hurricane damages.
Located in Sittee River Village, Serpon Sugar Mill
Serpon Sugar Mill
Serpon Sugar Mill is an historical site in Belize, consisting of the remnants of a steam-powered sugar mill whose constructed in 1865 marked the beginning of the country's industrial era...
is the ruins of a 19th century sugar refinery
Sugar refinery
A sugar refinery is a factory which refines raw sugar.Many cane sugar mills produce raw sugar, i.e. sugar with more colour and therefore more impurities than the white sugar which is normally consumed in households and used as an ingredient in soft drinks, cookies and so forth...
which has been designated a park. There is a small general store with camping and a community phone on the main village road.