Ambergris Caye is Belize's largest island, located in the clear shallow waters of the Caribbean Sea off of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. It is 25 miles long and, in some places, is a little over a mile wide. Ambergris Caye’s coastline is protected by a 190 mile long Barrier Reef, the second largest living coral reef in the world. It is jammed with jetties and dive shops, offering trips to different dive sites. San Pedro, the only town on Ambergris Caye, formerly had a Maya population of 10,000. In Mayan times, Ambergris Caye was a trading post. The narrow channel that separates Mexico and Belize was dug by the Maya to provide a trade route from the bay of Chetumal to the Caribbean. Today, San Pedro is clustered with wooden houses, combining Mexican and Caribbean decor, and some still with English colonial architecture. Gift shops, boutiques, bars, cafes, and restaurants make Ambergris Caye a wonderful tourist spot, combined with the relaxing pristine beaches, ecotourism and scuba diving along the magnificent coral and Barrier Reef.