Welcome to Belize City!
Belize City is the largest city in Belize. It is on a small peninsula protruding into the Caribbean Sea. It was the capital city until flooding and other damage from a hurricane in 1961 prompted the government to relocate to Belmopan, closer to the geographic center of the country.
Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a distributary of the Belize River. The Belize River empties into the Caribbean Sea eight kilometers (five miles) from Belize City on the Philip Goldson Highway on the coast of the Caribbean. 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 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 in 1970.