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This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


Map of Guatemala
Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Guatemala Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
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 Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
15 30 N, 90 15 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 108,890 sq km
land: 108,430 sq km
water: 460 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1,687 km
border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
400 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 13.22%
permanent crops: 5.6%
other: 81.18% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
1,300 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
111.3 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
Total: 2.01 cu km/yr (6%/13%/80%)
Per capita: 160 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
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
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
no natural harbors on west coast
   People    Guatemala Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
12,728,111 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 40.8% (male 2,641,179/female 2,556,397)
15-64 years: 55.5% (male 3,426,376/female 3,642,157)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 213,801/female 248,201) (2007 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 18.9 years
male: 18.3 years
female: 19.5 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
2.152% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
29.09 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.27 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
-2.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.033 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.941 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.861 male(s)/female
total population: 0.974 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 29.77 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 32.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 27.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 69.69 years
male: 67.94 years
female: 71.52 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.7 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
78,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5,800 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Guatemalan(s)
adjective: Guatemalan
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.1%
male: 75.4%
female: 63.3% (2002 census)
   Government    Guatemala Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala
conventional short form: Guatemala
local long form: Republica de Guatemala
local short form: Guatemala
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
constitutional democratic republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitutcionalidad 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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Guillermo CASTILLO
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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 Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Guatemala is the largest and 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$67.45 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$31.35 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$5,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 13.8%
industry: 27.9%
services: 58.3% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.958 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 50%
industry: 15%
services: 35% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.2% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
56.2% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
55.1 (2007)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.6% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
15.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $4.301 billion
expenditures: $5.219 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
23.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.9% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.281 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.361 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
339 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
23 million kWh (2005)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
20,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
73,510 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
15,560 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
72,960 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
526 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.96 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-$1.772 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$7.468 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 44.6%, El Salvador 11.9%, Honduras 7.2%, Mexico 5.2% (2006)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$12.67 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 33.3%, Mexico 8.8%, China 6.5%, El Salvador 5.3%, South Korea 4.9% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$253.6 million (2005 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$4.559 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$5.561 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$NA
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
quetzales per US dollar - 7.6833 (2007), 7.6026 (2006), 7.6339 (2005), 7.9465 (2004), 7.9409 (2003)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Guatemala Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.355 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.179 million (2006)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.gt
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
40,927 (2007)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.32 million (2006)
   Transportation    Guatemala Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
402 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
oil 480 km (2006)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 886 km
narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 14,095 km
paved: 4,863 km (includes 75 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,232 km (1999)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
990 km
note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla
   Military    Guatemala Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 2,429,033
females age 18-49: 2,503,482 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 1,911,412
females age 18-49: 2,070,806 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 134,032
females age 18-49: 130,641 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.4% (2006)
   Transnational Issues    Guatemala Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
IDPs: undetermined (estimates vary from none to 1 million displaced from government's scorched-earth offensive in 1980s against indigenous people) (2006)
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
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

This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


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