English and Spanish are the official languages of Belize. This stems from the country being a former British colony. Belize is the only country in Central America with English as the official language. Also, English and Spanish are the primary languages of public education, government and most media outlets. About half of Belizeans regardless of ethnicity speak a mostly  English-based creole called Belize Creole (or ''Kriol'' in Belize Creole). Although English is widely used, Kriol is spoken in all situations whether informal, formal, social or interethnic dialogue, even in meetings of the House of Representatives.