The history of Belize, and in particular of Belmopan, is an interesting story of a capital being created and not one that expanded over time. It is also a story of how weather can play a huge role in the development of a country.
After Hurricane Hattie in 1961, with winds of up to 190 miles per hour, and following the destruction of approximately 75% of Belize City, the government decided to encourage the building of a new capital. There are a couple things that the government wanted in a new capital of Belize – a place inland on better terrain that was less affected by hurricanes, a place with low-priced land, and an area for industrial projects. A later a committee choose a new site now known as Belmopan. Since Belize was run by the British, a delegation was sent to the United Kingdom to obtain financing for the new capital. The preliminary response from the UK government was sympathetic because it made sense to relocate the capital away from the coast as a safe guard against severe weather; however, the British government was not ready to commit funds on the project. A representative of the British government was encouraged to fly to Belize in an effort to get the necessary financial commitment.
The UK government did send a representative that gave an implied commitment to the building of a new capital of Belize – Belmopan. The name Belmopan was derived from the combination of “Belize” – the longest|river the country – and “Mopan” – one of the rivers in the area. Although only some of the necessary 20 million U.S. dollars was raised, work began on the new capital in 1967 and the initial phase of development was completed 3 years later. The city has been growing and becoming more established ever since then.
One of the things that caused the growth of Belmopan is Belize immigration. People from the surrounding countries have come to Belmopan and, in many cases, moved to the outer edge of the capital to establish homes,households. As the city has grown over time these communities have become part of Belmopan Belize and have lead to it being one of the most culturally diverse parts of the country.