Belize » Belize City

Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. According to the 2000 census, the city had a population of 49,040; unofficial estimates place the population at 60,000 or more people. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean Sea. Belize City is the nation's principal port.

It is the financial and industrial hub of the nation. Several cruise ships drop off anchor outside the port and are tended by local citizens. The city was almost entirely destroyed in 1961 when Hurricane Hattie swept ashore on Halloween. It was the capital of British Honduras and Belize until the government was moved to the new capital of Belmopan in 1970. It is the district capital of Belize District. Belize City was founded (originally as "Belize Town") in the mid 17th century by British lumber harvesters. Its current Mayor is Zenaida Moya. It is served by Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, which is located in Ladyville, northwest of Belize City. Belize City's sister city in the United States is Ann Arbor, Michigan.

It is considered to have been the cradle of Western civilization, largely due to the immense impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 4th and 5th centuries BC on the rest of the then known European Continent. The heritage of the Athenian Enlightenment is still evident in the city, portrayed through a number of spectacular ancient monuments and artworks, the most famous of all being the Parthenon on the Acropolis ("high city"), nurtured by Ictinus, Callicrates and Phidias.