Maps of Cities in Belize

About Cities and Towns in Belize

Belize has nine municipalities: two cities and seven towns. The cities are Belize City and Belmopan. The towns are Benque Viejo del Carmen, Corozal Town, Dangriga, Orange Walk Town, Punta Gorda, San Ignacio and San Pedro Town. Each municipality has an elected council headed by a mayor. Most rural communities are villages run by village councils.

Belize City, in the Belize District, is the country's largest urban area. It is also the main seaport and the centre of trade and finance. It sits at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, a branch of the Belize River, on the coast of the Caribbean Sea. Belize City was the capital of British Honduras until Hurricane Hattie hit the coast in 1961 and caused heavy damage. After the hurricane, the government decided to build a new capital further inland. The country's main international gateway, Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, is in nearby Ladyville.

Belmopan, in the Cayo District, became the capital in 1970. It is one of the smallest capital cities in the Americas by population.

Several towns are the administrative centres of Belize's six districts. Corozal Town, near the border with Mexico, is the capital of the Corozal District. Orange Walk Town is the capital of the Orange Walk District and a centre of the sugar cane industry. San Ignacio, which shares a town council with neighbouring Santa Elena across the Macal River, is the capital of the Cayo District. Dangriga is the capital of the Stann Creek District. Punta Gorda, the southernmost town, is the capital of the Toledo District.

Dangriga is known as the cultural centre of the Garifuna people in Belize. Garifuna Settlement Day, a national holiday on 19 November, is celebrated there.

Two towns are not district capitals. Benque Viejo del Carmen is in the Cayo District, close to the border with Guatemala. San Pedro Town is on Ambergris Caye in the Belize District and is a major centre of the country's tourism industry.