Its population in was 16, Founded as a planned community in , Belmopan is one of the newest national capital cities in the world. Since Belmopan has been one of two settlements in Belize to hold official city status, along with Belize City. Belmopan is located in Cayo District at an altitude of 76 metres feet above sea level. 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 9 October The name chosen for the new capital, Belmopan, is derived from the union of two words: " Belize ", the name of the longest river in the country, and " Mopan ", [10] one of the rivers in this area, which empties into the Belize River.
From to the administration of Belmopan was managed by the Reconstruction and Development Corporation, known as "Recondev. 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. In February , the United States government broke ground and started building a new embassy in Belmopan, 43 years after it was chosen as the new capital city.
However, with four embassies and 29 consulates the former capital of Belize City still has most of the country's foreign diplomatic community. The majority of government buildings are situated either within or around the Ring Road, and a large area within the Ring Road is also given to parkland. The National Assembly Building is the focal point of the city's design, with the grey stone architecture and broad steps designed to resemble a Mayan temple, reflecting the nation's cultural heritage.
Surrounding buildings mirror this design, with the East Wing and West Wing buildings contributing to the overall impression of an ancient Mayan plaza. The original buildings were designed with extensive ventilation to accommodate the tropical climate leading to a pock-marked effect on the buildings' walls. Extensive internal renovations and the widespread introduction of air-conditioners has caused this design to become ineffective and inefficient. The climate at night is cool. The city is off the Hummingbird Highway.
