Belmopan:
Situated on the Belize River, about 80 km from the Gulf of Honduras, Belmopan's protected inland site made it the ideal choice as the new capital of Belize, after coastal Belize City was devastated by another hurricane in 1961.The name of the city combines the words "Belize" and "Mopan", the language spoken by the Maya of Cayo. The layout of the main government buildings, designed in the 1960s, is modelled on a Maya city, grouped around a central plaza. In classic new-town terms Belmopan was meant to symbolize the dawn of a new era, with tree-lined avenues, banks, a couple of embassies and telecommunications worthy of a world centre.
