Belize City is the largest city in
Belize
Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...
. It was once the
capital
Capital and its variations may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital
** List of national capitals
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter
Econom ...
of the former
British Honduras
British Honduras was a Crown colony on the east coast of Central America — specifically located on the southern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony — renamed Belize from June 1973 . According to the 2022 census, Belize City has a population of 63,999 people. It is at the mouth of the
Haulover Creek, which is a
distributary
A distributary, or a distributary channel is a stream channel that branches off and flows a main stream channel. It is the opposite of a ''tributary'', a stream that flows another stream or river. Distributaries are a result of river bifurc ...
of the
Belize River. The Belize River empties into the Caribbean Sea from Belize City on the
Philip Goldson Highway on the coast of the
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and industrial hub. Cruise ships drop anchor outside the port and are tendered by local citizens. The city was almost entirely destroyed in October 1961 when
Hurricane Hattie
Hurricane Hattie was the strongest and deadliest tropical cyclone of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season, reaching peak intensity as a List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes, Category5 hurricane. The ninth Tropical cyclone, tropical storm, sevent ...
swept ashore. It was the capital of British Honduras (as Belize was then named) until the government was moved to the new capital of
Belmopan
Belmopan () is the capital city of Belize. Its population in 2010 was 16,451. Belmopan is the smallest capital city in the continental Americas (by population) and the third-largest settlement in Belize, behind Belize City and San Ignacio. Fou ...
in 1970.
History
Belize City
was founded as "Belize Town" in 1638 by
English lumber harvesters. It had been a small
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (East Africa), a p ...
settlement called ''Holzuz''. Belize Town was ideal for the English as a central post because it was on the sea and a natural outlet for local rivers and creeks down which the British shipped logwood and
mahogany
Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...
. Belize Town also became the home of the thousands of African slaves brought in by the English (
later the British, beginning in 1707) to toil in the forestry industry. It was the coordination site for the 1798
Battle of St. George's Caye, won by the British against would-be invaders, and the home of the local courts and government officials up to the 1970s. For this reason, historians often say that "the capital was the colony", because the center of British control was here.
This sentiment remains true today. Even though people like
Antonio Soberanis Gómez,
George Price and
Evan X Hyde all lobbied to take their movements outside, and other ethnic groups such as the
Garifuna
The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and Amerindian ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and traditionally speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language.
The Garifuna ...
and
Mestizos
( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to ...
sprang up elsewhere in the country, people looked to Belize Town for guidance.
Natural disasters
Belize City has been directly struck by two hurricanes since 1900, the
1931 hurricane and the 1961
Hurricane Hattie
Hurricane Hattie was the strongest and deadliest tropical cyclone of the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season, reaching peak intensity as a List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes, Category5 hurricane. The ninth Tropical cyclone, tropical storm, sevent ...
, and at various times areas of the city have burnt down, the most recent being fires in the 1999 and 2004. The city was also hit hard by
Hurricane Richard
Hurricane Richard was a damaging tropical cyclone that affected areas of Central America in October 2010. It developed on October 20 from an Low-pressure area, area of low pressure that had stalled in the Caribbean Sea. The system moved ...
in 2010 and by the 2016
Hurricane Earl The name Earl has been used for eight tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean.
* Hurricane Earl (1980) — a Category 1 hurricane that drifted over the central Atlantic Ocean without affecting land.
* Hurricane Earl (1986) — a Category 2 hurric ...
. Fires on the Northside and Southside have burnt out great stretches of housing, but the fire department was able to quench most of these. The city is also susceptible to flooding in the rainy season.
Location and geographic setting
Belize City spreads out Mile 6 on the Western Highway and Mile 5 on the Northern Highway, at the Haulover Bridge.
The city proper is usually divided into two areas: Northside, bounded by Haulover Creek and ending in the east at the Fort George area, and Southside, extending to the outskirts of the city and the port area including downtown. Politically, it is divided into ten constituencies.
Cityscape
Freetown, the westernmost constituency on Northside, is home to the Belama, Coral Grove, Buttonwood Bay and Vista Del Mar suburbs. Within the city proper it extends up to around the former Belize Technical College area.
Caribbean Shores includes Kings' Park, a small suburb north and west of Freetown Road, West Landivar, home to two of the
University of Belize's three city campuses, and residential University Heights.
Pickstock inhabits the banks of the Haulover Creek extending to Barrack Road.
St. John's Cathedral stands on the southern end of Albert Street. St. John's is the oldest Anglican Church in Central America, and one of the oldest buildings in Belize. The orange bricks came to Belize aboard British ships as ballast. Construction began in 1812, and the church was completed in 1820. St. John's is the only Anglican cathedral in the world outside England where the crowning of kings took place.
Fort George is perhaps the most colonial area in the city and contains Memorial Park, the
Baron Bliss Grave and
Baron Bliss Lighthouse and the Museum of Belize.
On the Southside, Lake Independence, Collet and Port Loyola are home to some of the city's poorest residents. "London bridges", rickety wooden pallets linking dwellings, and low-strung poles are not uncommon here. On the east side of Central American Boulevard are Mesopotamia, Queen's Square and Albert, which are slightly better. Albert contains the downtown streets of Albert and Regent Streets.
Bridges and other infrastructure
The divisions of the city are linked by four bridges: the Swing Bridge, at Market Square and North Front Street; the Belchina Bascule Bridge at the Douglas Jones Street and Youth for the Future Drive junction; the Belcan Bridge linking Central American Boulevard and the roundabout leading to the Northern Highway and Caribbean Shores, and a recently built fourth bridge linking Fabers' Road and the southern Lake Independence/Port Loyola area to the Belama and northwest suburbs of the city. Numerous smaller bridges link individual streets.
The three main canals running in Belize City, are Haulover Creek, Burdon Canal and Collet Canal. All of them run through Southside.
Climate
Belize City features a
tropical monsoon climate
An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...
, with very warm to hot and humid conditions throughout the course of the year. The city has a lengthy wet season that runs from May through February and a short dry season covering the remaining two months. However, as is the characteristic of several cities with tropical monsoon climates, Belize City sees some precipitation during its dry season. March is Belize City's driest month with only of rainfall observed, a somewhat unusual month for a city with this climate type. Typically the driest month for a city with a tropical monsoon climate is the month after the winter solstice, which in Belize City would be January. Average monthly temperatures remain relatively constant throughout the course of the year, ranging from .
Educational institutions
Belize City has more educational institutions at every level than any other city in Belize. Most city children in Belize attend high school. The only three schools that are not coed are on the Northside:
Saint John's College (boys), Saint Catherine's Academy (girls) and Pallotti High School (girls). One Southside school that was previously all girls, Sadie Vernon Technical (Belize Continuation), became coed in 2005.
There are three other private schools in Belize City: Belize Elementary School and its continuation
Belize High School behind it, both on Princess Margret Drive, and the Hummingbird Elementary School.
Culture
Belize City's culture is considered similar to that of Caribbean capital cities such as
St. George's, Grenada, or
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Guyana. It is situated in Demerara-Mahaica, region 4, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, at the mouth of the Demerara River. It is nicknamed the "Garden City of the Caribbean." It is ...
. Always busy in the daytime, the city has the hustle and bustle one would associate with a city of 70,800. Notable cultural events include Garifuna Settlement Day (November 19), Belize City Carnival (September), Baron Bliss Day (March 9).
Museums in the city include the
Bliss Institute,
Image Factory Art Foundation and Gallery
An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be displayed through other media, including a projec ...
, the
Maritime Museum
A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navy, navies and the m ...
and the
Museum of Belize. There is an annual
Street Art Festival.
Economy
The majority of working Belizeans travel to work in downtown offices or else ply their trade on the street sides. Belize City is home to branches of all the major banks of Belize and the Central Bank, as well as nearly all insurance centers, marketplaces and the like. Belize City is the hub for both national and international air, sea and road travel.
Port of Belize
The city is home to the
Port of Belize, the country's main port facility.
Government
Belize City is operated by a mayor-council form of government. The Belize City Council is composed of 10 councillors (generally reflecting the ten
constituencies of Belize City) and a mayor, all elected in municipal elections held every third year in March. After the
most recent municipal elections in 2024, the mayor is
Bernard Wagner of the
People's United Party
The People's United Party (, PUP) is one of two major political parties in Belize. It is currently the governing party of Belize after success in the 2025 Belizean general election, winning a majority of 26 seats out of 31 in the Belizean Hou ...
.
The city is also home to the
House of Culture, formerly the official residence of the
Governor-General of Belize
The governor-general of Belize is the representative of the Belizean monarch, currently King Charles III, in Belize. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister of Belize. The functions of the go ...
until 1984. The
Supreme Court of Belize still sits in Belize City.
Transportation
Belize City will have railway lines southwestward to
Spanish Lookout via
Belmopan
Belmopan () is the capital city of Belize. Its population in 2010 was 16,451. Belmopan is the smallest capital city in the continental Americas (by population) and the third-largest settlement in Belize, behind Belize City and San Ignacio. Fou ...
and northward to
Orange Walk Town
Orange Walk is the fourth largest town in Belize, with a population of about 13,400 (Official Release of the Main Findings of the 2010 Population and Housing Census). It is the capital of the Orange Walk District. Orange Walk Town is located on ...
. Feasibility studies are being conducted by
CRECG.
Air travel
The city is served by
Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, in
Ladyville, northwest of Belize City, and by
Belize City Municipal Airport, within the city itself.
Sister cities
*
Greensburg, United States
*
Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
, United States
*
Evanston, United States
*
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
*
Yeosu
Yeosu, formerly romanized as Yosu, is a coastal city located on the southern shore of South Korea. With a population of 268,823, Yeosu is the second largest city in South Jeolla Province. In 1998, the Old Yeosu City, Yeocheon City and Yeocheon C ...
, South Korea
*
Prairie View, United States
Notable residents
*
Moses Michael Levi Barrow (born Jamal Michael Barrow; 1978), better known by his stage name Shyne, Belizean rapper and politician
*
Isaiah Emmanuel Morter
See also
*
Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital
*
List of Belize-related topics
Notes
References
External links
History of Belize CityHistory of Belize CityBelize City Council*
Belize City Interactive map with Points of Interest {{Authority control
Belize City
Belize River
Populated places in Belize District
Populated coastal places in Belize
Port settlements in Central America
Port cities in the Caribbean
Populated places established in 1638
1638 establishments in New Spain