Guatemala on Pixibot

For the city, see Guatemala City.

The Republic of Guatemala is a country in Central America, in the south of the continent of North America, bordering both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, Belize to the northeast, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast.

RepÃºblica de Guatemala

National motto: None

Official language - Capital Guatemala City

President Ã“scar Berger

Area - Total - % water Ranked 103rd 108,890 kmÂ² 0.4%

Population
- Total (2004) - Density

Ranked 62nd
14,655,189 119/kmÂ²

Independence from Spain
September 15, 1821

Currency Quetzal

Time zone UTC-6

National anthem Guatemala Feliz

Guatemala Internet TLD .gt

Calling Code 502

History

History of Guatemala Guatemala Survivor

From the 3rd century BCE to the 11th century CE, the lowlands area of the PetÃ©n region of Guatemala was the heart of the flourishing Maya civilization.

After the collapse of the lowland states, the Maya states of the central highlands continued until conquered by the Spanish, who first arrived in 1523 and colonised the area. Alta Verapaz is known for the fact that after failing to conquer it by the sword the Spanish entered by the cross, with missionaries. Almost all Pre-Columbian Maya books were lost due to the policy of Spaniards during the colonial period of burning them. The Popol Vuh, a Pre-Columbian Maya creation story, is one that survived.

Guatemala became independent of Spain in 1821, first as a part of the United Provinces of Central America. This confederation fell apart in a war from 1838 to 1840, and Guatemala became an independent nation.

Guatemalan history has been marked by various interventions by the United States. The Central Intelligence Agency with little support from Guatemalan citizens, orchestrated the overthrow of the democratic Guatemalan government in 1954. This was known as Operation PBSUCCESS and led to a period of unrest in the nation in which over 100,000 Guatemalans were killed. Further involvedment of the CIA in Guatemala included the training of 5,000 cuban anticastristas on Guatemalan soil for what would become the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion.

1996 marked the end of a bloody 36-year war with the marxist-guerrilla Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unit (URNG). The signing of the peace treaty was orchestrated by Richard Aitkenhead, currently a top advisor to President Oscar Berger. Since then the country has enjoyed successive democractic elections, the most recent of which was in 2003. Corruption, however, continues to run rampant throughout all levels of government.

Politics

Politics of Guatemala

Guatemala's unicameral parliament, the Congreso de la RepÃºblica (Congress of the Republic) with 158 seats, is elected every four years, concurrently with the presidential elections. The President of Guatemala acts as the head of state and head of government. In his executive tasks, he is assisted by a cabinet of ministers, which he appoints.

Guatemala election, 2003

Departments

The departments of Guatemala

Guatemala is divided into 22 departments (departamentos):

Alta Verapaz

Baja Verapaz

Chimaltenango

Chiquimula

El PetÃ©n

El Progreso

El QuichÃ©

Escuintla

Guatemala

Huehuetenango

Izabal

Jalapa

Jutiapa

Quetzaltenango

Guatemala Adoption

Retalhuleu

SacatepÃ©quez

San Marcos

Santa Rosa

SololÃ¡

Suchitepequez

TotonicapÃ¡n

Zacapa

Geography

Map of Guatemala

Geography of Guatemala

Except for the south coastal area, and the vast lowlands of the Peten in the north, Guatemala is mountainous, with a hot tropical climate â€“ more temperate in the highlands, and drier in the easternmost departments. All of the major cities are situated in the southern half of the country; the major cities are the capital Guatemala City, Quetzaltenango and Escuintla. The large lake Lago de Izabal is situated close to the Caribbean coast.

Economy

Economy of Guatemala

The agricultural sector accounts for one-fourth of GDP, two-thirds of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products. Manufacturing and construction account for one-fifth of GDP.

The signing of the peace accords in December 1996, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused relatively little damage to Guatemala compared to its neighbors.

Remaining challenges include beefing up government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, and increasing the efficiency and openness of both government and private financial operations.

Guatemala Map

Demographics

Demographics of Guatemala

The population of Guatemala is 59.4 % Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European, 9.1% K'iche, 8.4% Kaqchikel, 7.9% Mam, 6.3% Q'eqchi, 8.6% other Mayan, 0.2% indigenous non-Mayan, 0.1% other (2001 census).

Though most of Guatemala's population is rural, urbanization is accelerating.

The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism, into which many indigenous Guatemalans have incorporated traditional forms of worship. Protestantism and traditional Maya religions are practiced by an estimated 40% and 1% of the population, respectively.

Though the official language is Spanish, it is not universally understood among the indigenous population; various Mayan languages are still spoken, especially in rural areas.

The Peace Accords signed in December 1996 provide for the translation of some official documents and voting materials into several indigenous languages (see summary of main substantive accords).

Culture

Culture of Guatemala

Main influences of the Maya and Spanish colonists can still be seen throughout Guatemala. Much of the clothing and food is still made in the traditional Maya way, and many Maya ruins can be found. Along the Caribbean coast, influences of the African culture can be seen, heard and tasted in the religious ceremonial songs, the dances and food.

Music of Guatemala Antigua Guatemala