About Belmopan
After Hurricane Hattie, with winds of up to 300 km/h, and following the destruction of approximately 75% of the houses and business places in Belize City, the government of the day in its manifesto for the year 1961, entitled "PUP for Progress" (PUP is the People's United Party), proposed to encourage and promote the building of a new capital city. This new capital would be situated on better terrain, would entail no costly reclamation of land, and would also provide for an industrial area. In 1962, a committee chose the site now known as Belmopan, located 82 kilometres (51 miles) west of the old capital of Belize City. Belmopan is 76 metres (250 ft) above sea level, near the Belize River Valley, with an imposing view of the majestic Mountain Pine Ridge foothills. It boasts cool climate conditions at night. In 1964, since Belize was still a colony (known as British Honduras), Premier George Price led a delegation to London in the United Kingdom to seek funds to finance the new capital. Although they were not ready to commit to funding such a large project, the British government showed interest due to the logic of locating the capital on high ground safe from tidal waves. In order to encourage financial commitment from the British Government, Premier Price and the PUP government invited Mr. Anthony Greenwood, Secretary of State for the Commonwealth and Colonies to visit Belize.
One of the highlights of this visit was the unveiling of a monument at mile 49 on the Western Highway. The monument records that Lord Greenwood dedicated the site for the new capital on October 9, 1965. Thus in a fashion there was a commitment. The name chosen for the new capital -- Belmopan -- derived from union of two words: "Belize", the name of the longest river in the country, and "Mopan", one of the rivers in this area, which empties into the Belize River. The initial estimated cost for building this new city was forty million Belize dollars (twenty million U.S. dollars), however, only twenty million Belize dollars (ten million U.S. dollars) were available, but the momentum was not to be lost. In 1967, work began; the first phase of the new city was completed in 1970 at a cost of 24,000,000 Belize dollars (12,000,000 U.S. dollars). From 1970 to 2000 the administration of Belmopan was managed by the Reconstruction and Development Corporation, known as "Recondev". Recondev was vested with the power and authority to provide, or cause to be provided, the municipal functions necessary for the smooth running of the city's business and infrastructure.
There was a reluctance initially amongst foreign governments to relocate their embassies to Belmopan as there was some doubt as to whether this inland area would really become the functioning capital of Belize. In February 2005, the United States government broke ground and started building a new United States Embassy in Belmopan, 43 years after Belmopan was chosen as the new capital city. The U.S. Embassy was inaugurated December,11 2006.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Belmopan".
Educational institutions
The City of Belmopan has three Pre-Schools, three Primary Schools and two Secondary Schools as well as a modern Regional Language Centre (RLC), located on the central campus of the University of Belize, where students from neighbouring Spanish-speaking countries come to study English. University of Belize's campus in Belmopan comprises the following faculties: Education and Arts, Management and Social Sciences, Science and Technology, and Nursing and Allied Health. The Church/State system prevails in Belizean education especially where Pre-School, Primary and Secondary School education is concerned,and nearly all schools in Belmopan are sustained by churches.
Local missionaries and non-profit organizations also provide practical educational opportunities for Belizeans.
Go to our links page for Belmopan links
Belmopan Market Square
The Belmopan Market Square is where many businesses are located.
This includes three banks (Belize Bank - Scotia Bank and First Caribbean International Bank, two computer part stores, the post office (822-2122), Police Station, several government buildings, the bus terminal, an office supply store, and several restaurants and food stands.
On Tuesday's & Friday's local vendors and farmers set up a variety of different stands to sell almost everything from vegetables/fruits to Mennonite's hand-made furniture.
Make sure to get an early start on these market days to get the best bargains.
Finding your way in Belmopan
Gas Stations - There are gas stations in and around Belmopan and San Ignacio; in Benque Viejo, Spanish Lookout, Roaring Creek, Unitedville Village and San Antonio village near Mountain Pine Ridge. Gasoline cost around $7.10 BZE per gallon as of Nov. 2008.
Grocery Stores - Almost every town in Cayo has a variety of small “Tiendas” which sell "staples"--rice, beans, canned goods, bread, soft drinks, and so on. If you are looking for grocery stores that carry a wider selection of foods, try the following stores.
Belmopan has Brodie's, in the Shopping Center. Brodie's is a Belizean chain of store which carries household items and home decoration items, as well as a good selection of groceries.
Telephone - Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) has offices in Belmopan, San Ignacio, and Benque Viejo where they can help you take care of all your phone call needs. Most hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other places of business will now also let you use their phone, if you make the call using a BTL Phone Card. Phone cards come in denominations from BZ$5 to BZ$50 (BZ$2 = US$1). The cost for calls you make, is automatically, deducted from the value of the card, and the phone from which you are calling is not charged. You can buy the cards at any BTL offices and almost every shops.
Email / Internet Access - Many resorts, hotels and tourist related businesses in Belmopan offer Email and internet services to visitors. PC.com and Angelus Press located near each other and both very easy to find are also places offering internet access.
Western Union - should you need an emergency transfer of cash. In Belmopan - Papi’s Home Center on Constitution Drive and Atlantic Bank in the Garden City Plaza shopping mall are agents for Western Union.
Post Offices / Express Mail - Virtually every town and village in Cayo have a small post office, often part of a store, where you can buy stamps and send or receive mail. For sending packages or more complicated transactions. Visit the post office in Belmopan located in the Market square and near the Police Station.
Police - If you need to contact the police to report a crime, an automobile accident, or for any other reason, there is a police station in Belmopan (822-2221). In case of emergency, dial 911 anywhere in Belize for police assistance.
Work Permit Applications - If you need a work permit Application you can obtain one at Angelus Press accross Scotia Bank on Constitution Drive. Cost is less than $1 dollar Belize per form.
Pharmacies - The "Friendly" Pharmacy in San Ignacio is a well stocked North American style pharmacy. Registered Pharmacist on hand and specializes in medicines for special medical needs. 822-2807
Banks - First Caribbean International Bank 822-2382; ScotiaBank [Belize] LTD 822-1414, Alliance Bank of Belize LTD 822-0311, Atlantic Bank LTD 822-2742,Belize Bank Ltd 822-2303
Health Facilities - La Loma Luz Hospital, a private hospital located in Santa Elena, has a good reputation as a primary care center and 24 hour emergency services. Their phone number is 824-2087 and FAX is 824-2674. There are also three government run health facilities in the district: the San Ignacio Hospital, 824-2066; the Belmopan Hospital, 822-2264; and the Mopan Clinic in Benque Viejo 823-2079.
Social and community activities - The City Council promotes Belmopan as "The Garden City." A Crime Prevention Initiative has recently been introduced by the Council in conjunction with the Belize Police Department, which introduced a Special Constable/Community Policing Programme. The Council cooperates with social organizations like the Lions Club, the Belize Scout Association, Rotary International, and other NGOs.
Ethnic composition - Belmopan proper is a mix of ethnicities including Kriols, Garifuna, Mestizo, Maya and more historically recent immigrants from Asian countries and Northern America.
There are five zones around Belmopan proper:
Salvapan - population 3,000 - mostly of Central American origin.
San Martin - population 1,694 - mixed origins (Kriol & Central American Mayan).
Las Flores - population 453 - mostly Central American origin.
Maya Mopan - population 241 - mostly Ketchi/Mopan Maya.
Riviera - population unknown - mix of Central American immigrants and locals.
