Belmopan - the capital of Belize
One of the countries located in Central America, Belize, is the most attractive for tourists from the UK, because, unlike its Spanish-speaking neighbors, it made English the official language. The capital of Belize, the city of Belmopan, is surrounded by greenery, inviting you to plunge into a truly heavenly delight. And almost half of the country's territory is given to national reserves and parks. The coastal strip is the most beautiful lagoons and coral reefs, attracting many fans of the underwater kingdom.
History of the city and the capital
The territory of Belize, like other states located nearby, has more than once become a training ground for hurricanes of various strengths. The greatest number of destruction remained after the hurricane with the beautiful name Hattie swept across the country. The city of Belize, which was the center of the British colony that existed at that time, was destroyed by almost 75%.
Therefore, it was decided to build a new capital, which will be located further from the coastline. The committee chose a site 82 kilometers from the city of Belize, it is here that Belmopan is now located.
True, it is known that the local authorities had no particular desire to leave the coastal, already inhabited territories. And yet today the government buildings of the independent state are in the new capital, like many embassies..
Name secrets
Since the city was being built on a completely new place, where there were no earlier settlements, the question arose about the name of the capital. It was decided to unite the two river toponyms, «Belize», the largest water flow in the country, and «Mopana» - tributary of Belize. This name is quite justified, since the main administrative center of the country is located at the confluence of the two largest waterways.
Cultural and natural resources
It is clear that Belmopan itself cannot be in the center of attention of tourists arriving in the country, but it becomes a transit point on the way to the main natural attractions, among which are:
- Tropical Education Center and associated zoo;
- Monkey Bay Nature Reserve;
- Guanacaste Park.
The Belize Zoo opened in 1983, and today it is home to the most famous representatives of the local fauna and inhabitants of other tropical regions of the planet. In addition, the zoo has a tropical educational center, guided tours, lectures, classes for children and adults..
Monkey Bay Nature Reserve also offers a wide variety of recreational activities for tourists. First of all, this is canoeing on the Sibun River, a nature trail, observation of numerous representatives of the local avifauna.
