Belmopan
| Belmopan | |
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Coordinates: 17 ° 15 ′ N , 88 ° 46 ′ W
Belmopan on the map of Belize
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| Basic data | |
| Country | Belize |
| District | Cayo |
| City foundation | August 1, 1970 |
| Residents | 13,900 (2010) |
| Detailed data | |
| height | 76 m |
| Waters | Belize River |
| prefix | +501 8 |
| Time zone | UTC −6 |
| City Presidency | Simeon López (UDP) |
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Belmopan [dt. bɛlmoʊˈpæn ] is the capital of the Central American state Belize (until 1973 British Honduras ) and has about 24,000 inhabitants (as of 2018). The name Belmopan is an art term and was made up of the words Belize and Mopan (a local river). Belmopan's founding of the city was on August 1, 1970.
location
Belmopan is located east of the Belize River at latitude 17 ° 15 'north and longitude 88 ° 46' west at an altitude of 76 meters above sea level. The city is located in the province of Cayo , around 80 km further inland than the former capital Belize City on the coast of the Gulf of Honduras , which was largely destroyed on October 31, 1961 by Hurricane Hattie .
In 1965 the final decision was taken to build a new capital in a safer location and in 1970 the seat of government was relocated from British Honduras to Belmopan. The government buildings were based on the classic Maya architecture in a modern style . Originally 40,000 inhabitants were planned for the planned capital , due to the location and the hot and humid climate the city has only about 24,000 inhabitants to this day. Most of the large companies and organizations, as well as most of the embassies, are still based in Belize City . The University of Belize is also located here . Popular excursion points not far from Belmopan are the Guanacaste National Park and the Belize Zoo . Belmopan also organizes tours to the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave, which is an important archaeological site .
population
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 2,935 |
| 1991 | 3,558 |
| 2000 | 5,088 |
| 2010 | 13,931 |
| 2018 | 23,038 |
Town twinning
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Lansing , Michigan, USA
sons and daughters of the town
- Carlos Slusher (* 1971), football player
- Dion Frazer (* 1981), football player
- Elroy Smith (born 1981), football player
Web links
- Belmopan Belize - Capital of Belize Online (In English)
- Official website of the Belmopan City Council