Belmopan, the capital of Belize since 1971, is located in the geographic center of the country. The decision to move the capital from Belize City to Belmopan was easy. Belize City was reduced to rubble after Hurricane Hattie in 1961.

The Belize River valley stretches for miles to the west and north of Belmopan. This broad floodplain is the center of intensive agricultural development. To the east, the land slopes gently toward the sea and is carpeted with tropical forest and limestone hills. To the south rise the foothills of the Maya Mountains.

Being a young town, Belmopan has a small population of about 5,400 civil servants and city workers. Most of the diplomatic missions in Belize are located in Belmopan. The area around the town is rapidily developing with the influx of thousands of Central American refugees that have been flooding into the country since the early 1980's.

Despite its young age, Belmopan has accumulated an impressive number of attractions. The Belize Archives hold the nation's historical records and attract students and researchers world-wide. The Department of Archaeology maintains the archaeological vault in Belmopan, safe guarding many of the Mayan treasures uncovered throughout Belize's countryside.

A few minutes out of Belmopan lies Guanacaste National Park, one of the oldest reserves in Belize. Five minutes out of the town, you can be canoeing on the Belize River, once the major throughway from Cayo to the coast. The Belize Zoo is a half hour's drive to the northeast. And to the south snakes the beautiful Hummingbird Highway taking you to Dangriga and the Stann Creek District. No wonder that Belmopan has often been described as the "Springboard to Adventure".