Belmopan << `behl` moh PAN >> (pop. 26,000), is the capital of Belize. It lies about 35 miles (55 kilometers) inland from the Caribbean Sea. Belmopan became the capital in August 1970, when Belize was still a British dependency. The city’s inland location helps protect it from damage caused by hurricanes and flooding that strike Belize City, the former capital, on the coast.
Construction of Belmopan, a planned city, began in the late 1960’s. The city’s first structures were government buildings and homes for government workers. Since Belize gained independence in 1981, Belmopan has grown slowly in size and importance.
The name Belmopan comes from Belize, the name of the country and its chief river, and Mopan, the name of an Indigenous (native) Maya group. As early as the A.D. 500’s, the Maya civilization flourished in the area that is now Belize. Maya designs decorate several of the city’s government buildings.
