Belmopan City is the capital of Belize since 1972. It is located at the crossroads of the George Price Highway and the Hummingbird Highway, giving it a very centralized location in the country. Belmopan is bordered on the west by Roaring Creek and on the north by the George Price Highway.

History

Belmopan was founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Hattie, a Category 5 storm that struck Belize Town on October 31, 1961, causing widespread destruction and prompting the British colonial government to relocate the capital inland. In 1962, a committee selected a site 82 km southwest of Belize Town, near the Waterway 20 Valley and the Mountain Pine Ridge foothills, at an elevation of 76 meters above sea level for flood protection. Premier George Cadle Price led negotiations in London in 1964 to secure funding from the United Kingdom. Construction began in 1966-1967, with the first phase completed in 1970 at a cost of BZ$24 million (US$12 million). Government offices relocated that year, and housing development continued through the 1970s, initially housing mostly civil servants and their families.^[1]

The city was designed as a "Garden City" with a Ring Road encircling key areas, promoting green spaces and modern infrastructure.

In 1972, Belmopan was officially inaugurated.

Belmopan was managed by Recondev until a referendum was held in 1999 for the city to be run by a city council. So in 2000 Belmopan became the second city in Belize.^[2]

In September 1993, Belize Christian Academy opened its doors in a rented building on Forest Drive. There were 38 students and 4 teachers. Fourteen nationalities were represented in the student body. It was clear that God had done this!

After the first year was completed and the 8th grade graduation took place, it was determined that BCA would be extended to include 9th grade and each year another year of high school would be added until a complete high school was in existence. At such point, the Ministry of Education granted a License for Belize Christian Academy High School. The first high school graduation was a real landmark in June 1998. There were 10 graduates – eight of which went on to colleges in the U.S. Three of those graduates have since taught at BCA.^[3]

In 2004 the main campus of the University of Belize was moved to Belmopan from Belize City.^[4]

Quality Schools International was invited to open an international school in Belmopan City , by the US State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools. QSI began to work with Belizean officials to attain licensure to open a school in the early summer of 2011. By the end of that summer, August 2011, QSI International School of Belize opened in its first location, Settlement 41. The school operated in that location for its first four years. At that time, most of the students were children of US State Department employees.

In the summer of 2015, the QSI school changed locations. Providing a safe, aesthetically pleasing facility within the capital city, Belmopan. The school moved to the University Heights location on Dean Crescent in August 2015.^[5]

On July 16, 2021 the new Judy Diego Government Preschool was inaugurated.^[6]

• Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil March 1, 1983
• Honorary Consulate of Chile October 11, 1990
• Embassy of the Republic of Cuba 1995
• Honorary Consulate of the Dominican Republic June 6, 1989
• Honorary Consulate of Ecuador 1990s
• Embassy of the Republic of El Salvador 1982
• Honorary Consulate General of India March 28, 1983
• Embassy of Japan 1982
• Embassy of the United Mexican States Foreign relations were established on September 21, 1981. The embassy in Belmopan was designed by Teodoro González de León.^[7][8]
• Honorary Consulate of Sweden^[8]
• British High Commission Opened in Belmopan in 1981 upon Belize's independence; moved to current location in 1984^[8]
• Embassy of the United States of America Diplomatic relations were established on September 21, 1981. The embassy was relocated to Belmopan on December 11, 2006.^[9][8]
• Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela 1990

^[10]

Belmopan City was named after the Belize River and the Mopan River and gained the nickname of Garden City.^[11]

In March of 2000 Belmopan was upgraded to city status as Belmopan City.^[12][2]