The Mayan civilization
flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first
millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony,
Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th
century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as
well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace
agreement formally ending the conflict, which had left more than 100,000
people dead and had created, by some estimates, some 1 million refugees.
Geography
Guatemala
Location:
Central America, bordering the
North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the
Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize
Geographic coordinates:
15 30 N, 90 15 W
Map references:
Central America and the
Caribbean
Area:
total: 108,890 sq km
land: 108,430 sq km water: 460 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
total: 1,687 km
border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras
256 km, Mexico 962 km
Coastline:
400 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid in
lowlands; cooler in highlands
Terrain:
mostly mountains with narrow
coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific
Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m
total: 2.01 cu km/yr
(6%/13%/80%) per capita: 160 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
numerous volcanoes in
mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely
susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms
Environment - current issues:
deforestation in the Peten
rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of
the selected agreements
total: 19.2 years
male: 18.6 years female: 19.7 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.11% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
28.55 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.19 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.26 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86
male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 28.79
deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 26.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.99
years male: 68.22 years female: 71.86 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.59 children born/woman (2008
est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
78,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,800 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk:
intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue
fever and malaria (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Guatemalan(s)
adjective: Guatemalan
Ethnic groups:
Mestizo (mixed
Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European 59.4%,
K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%,
indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1% (2001 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic, Protestant,
indigenous Mayan beliefs
Languages:
Spanish 60%, Amerindian
languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including
Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and
over can read and write total population: 69.1%
male: 75.4% female: 63.3% (2002 census)
Government
Guatemala
Country name:
conventional long form:
Republic of Guatemala conventional short form: Guatemala
local long form: Republica de Guatemala local short
form: Guatemala
Government type:
constitutional democratic
republic
Capital:
name: Guatemala
geographic coordinates: 14 37 N, 90 31 W time
difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in April; ends
last Friday in September; note - there is no DST planned for 2007-2009
Administrative divisions:
22 departments (departamentos,
singular - departamento); Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango,
Chiquimula, El Progreso, Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal,
Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten, Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu, Sacatepequez,
San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Solola, Suchitepequez, Totonicapan, Zacapa
Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September
(1821)
Constitution:
31 May 1985, effective 14
January 1986; note - suspended 25 May 1993 by former President Jorge
SERRANO; reinstated 5 June 1993 following ouster of president; amended
November 1993
Legal system:
civil law system; judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal;
note - active duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are
restricted to their barracks on election day
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008); Vice President
Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government head of government:
President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008); Vice President
Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008) cabinet: Council of
Ministers appointed by the president elections: president
elected by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive
terms); election last held 9 September 2007; runoff held 4 November 2007
(next to be held September 2011) election results: Alvaro COLOM
Caballeros elected president; percent of vote - Alvaro COLOM Caballeros
52.8%, Otto PEREZ Molina 47.2%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Congress of the
Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9
September 2007 (next to be held in September 2011) election
results: percent of vote by party - UNE 30.4%, GANA 23.4%, PP 18.9%,
FRG 9.5%, PU 5.1%, other 12.7%; seats by party - UNE 48, GANA 37, PP 30,
FRG 15, PU 8, CASA 5, EG 4, PAN 4, UCN 4, URNG 2, UD 1
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court or Corte
de Constitucionalidad is Guatemala's highest court (five judges are
elected for concurrent five-year terms); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte
Suprema de Justicia (13 members serve concurrent five-year terms and elect
a president of the Court each year from among their number; the president
of the Supreme Court of Justice also supervises trial judges around the
country, who are named to five-year terms)
Political parties and leaders:
Center of Social Action or CASA
[Eduardo SUGER]; Democracy Front or FRENTE [Alfonso CABRERA]; Democratic
Union or UD [Manuel CONDE Orellana]; Encounter for Guatemala or EG [Nineth
MONTENGRO]; Grand National Alliance or GANA [Alfredo VILLA]; Guatemalan
National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Hector NUILA]; Guatemalan Republican
Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Ruben
Dario MORALES]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Alvaro COLOM Caballeros];
Patriot Party or PP [Ret. Gen. Otto PEREZ Molina]; Unionista Party or PU
[Fritz GARCIA]; Unity of National Change or UCN [Sidney SHAW]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Agrarian Owners Group or
UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI; Committee for Campesino Unity or
CUC; Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and
Financial Associations or CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM
chief of mission:
Ambassador Francisco VILLAGRAN de Leon chancery: 2220 R Street
NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952
FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908 consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Providence, San
Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador James M. DERHAM embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone
10, Guatemala City mailing address: APO AA 34024
telephone: [502] 2326-4000 FAX: [502] 2326-4654
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of
light blue (hoist side), white, and light blue with the coat of arms
centered in the white band; the coat of arms includes a green and red
quetzal (the national bird) and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD
15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain)
all superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed swords
and framed by a wreath
Economy
Guatemala
Economy - overview:
Guatemala is the most populous
of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half
that of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for
about one-fourth of GDP, two-fifths of exports, and half of the labor
force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products, with sugar
exports benefiting from increased global demand for ethanol. The 1996
signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a
major obstacle to foreign investment, and Guatemala since then has pursued
important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. On 1 July 2006, the
Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) entered into force between
the US and Guatemala and has since spurred increased investment in the
export sector. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with
about 56% of the population below the poverty line. Other ongoing
challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating further
assistance from international donors, upgrading both government and
private financial operations, curtailing drug trafficking and rampant
crime, and narrowing the trade deficit. Given Guatemala's large expatriate
community in the United States, it is the top remittance recipient in
Central America, with inflows serving as a primary source of foreign
income equivalent to nearly two-thirds of exports.
coffee, sugar, petroleum,
apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom
Exports - partners:
US 44.6%, El Salvador 11.9%,
Honduras 7.2%, Mexico 5.2% (2006)
Imports:
$12.67 billion f.o.b. (2007
est.)
Imports - commodities:
fuels, machinery and transport
equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity
Imports - partners:
US 33.2%, Mexico 8.8%, China
6.5%, El Salvador 5.3%, South Korea 4.9% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$253.6 million (2005 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.559 billion (31 December
2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$5.561 billion (31 December
2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Currency (code):
quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD),
others allowed
Currency code:
GTQ; USD
Exchange rates:
quetzales per US dollar -
7.6833 (2007), 7.6026 (2006), 7.6339 (2005), 7.9465 (2004), 7.9409 (2003)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Guatemala
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.355 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
7.179 million (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment:
fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala
domestic: state-owned telecommunications company privatized in
the late 1990s opening the way for competition; fixed-line teledensity 11
per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 60 per 100
persons international: country code - 502; landing point for
both the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the SAM-1
fiber optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to
South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; connected
to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15
(2000)
Radios:
835,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
1.323 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.gt
Internet hosts:
40,927 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
5 (2000)
Internet users:
1.32 million (2006)
Transportation
Guatemala
Airports:
402 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 12 2,438
to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523
m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 390 2,438
to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523
m: 82 under 914 m: 301 (2007)
Pipelines:
oil 480 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 886 km
narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 14,095 km
paved: 4,863 km (includes 75 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,232 km (1999)
Waterways:
990 km note: 260 km
navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season
(2007)
Ports and terminals:
Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de
Castilla
Military
Guatemala
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Marines),
Air Force
Military service age and obligation:
all male citizens between the
ages of 18 and 50 are liable for military service; conscript service
obligation varies from 12 to 24 months; women can serve as officers (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49:
2,861,696 females age 16-49: 3,062,967 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49:
2,310,272 females age 16-49: 2,622,450 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49: 161,550
females age 16-49: 159,760 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.4% (2006)
Transnational Issues
Guatemala
Disputes - international:
annual ministerial meetings
under the OAS-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and
Confidence Building Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and
maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea; the Line of Adjacency
created under the 2002 Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous
international boundary to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain
forests of Belize's border region; Mexico must deal with thousands of
impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous
border looking for work in Mexico and the United States
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: undetermined
(estimates vary from none to 1 million displaced from government's
scorched-earth offensive in 1980s against indigenous people) (2006)
Illicit drugs:
major transit country for
cocaine and heroin; in 2005, cultivated 100 hectares of opium poppy after
reemerging as a potential source of opium in 2004; potential production of
less than 1 metric ton of pure heroin; marijuana cultivation for mostly
domestic consumption; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging
area for drugs (particularly for cocaine); money laundering is a serious
problem; corruption is a major problem
