Dangriga is the largest town in the Stann Creek District as well as all of Southern Belize, home to about 8,800 people. Originally called Stann Creek Town, in 1975 its name was changed to Dangriga by the Garifuna cultural majority. The name is taken from a phrase in the local Garifuna language meaning "here, the sweet water is close at hand"
Dangriga lies along the banks of the North Stann Creek Rivera and offers the atmosphere of a quiet seaside fishing town.
Dangriga began as an English trading station but was settled by a large group of Garifuna in the early 19th C. Also known as Black Caribs or Garinagu, the Garifuna are of mixed African and Caribbean Indian heritage originating on St Vincent in the 17th C. Today, many Garifuna reside throughout Belize, representing 6.2% of the nation's population. Dangriga is the center of Garifuna culture in Belize, and a jumping off-point to visit several offshore cayes.