Map of Guatemala | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: 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.


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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 reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 108,889 km²
Rank: 107
Land: 107,159 km²
Water: 1730 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Tennessee

Land boundaries
Total: 1687 km
Border countries: (4) 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
Extremes highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m
Extremes note: highest point in Central America

Natural resources: petroleum nickel rare woods fish chicle hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 13.22%
Permanent crops: 5.6%
Other: 81.18% (2005)

Irrigated land: 2000 km² (2008)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 111.3 km³ (2000)

Natural hazards: numerous volcanoes in mountains with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms
Volcanism: Guatemala experiences significant volcanic activity in the Sierra Madre range; Santa Maria (elev. 3,772 m) has been deemed a 'Decade Volcano' by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Pacaya (elev. 2,552 m) which erupted in May 2010 causing an ashfall on Guatemala City and prompting evacuations is one of the country's most active volcanoes; the volcano has frequently been in eruption since 1965; other historically active volcanoes include Acatenango Almolonga Atitlan Fuego and Tacana

Geography
Note: no natural harbors on west coast


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Population: 13,824,463 (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 69
Growth rate: 1.986% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 53
Below poverty line: 56.2% (2004 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Guatemalan
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)

Languages: Spanish (official) 60% Amerindian languages 40%
Note: there are 23 officially recognized Amerindian languages including Quiche Cakchiquel Kekchi Mam Garifuna and Xinca

Religions: Roman Catholic Protestant indigenous Mayan beliefs

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.1%
15-64 years: 58% (male 3,889,573/female 4,130,698)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 252,108/female 291,272) (2011 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 20 years
Male: 19.4 years
Female: 20.7 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.986% (2011 est.)
Rank: 53

Birth rate: 26.96 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 48

Death rate: 4.98 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 186

Net migration rate: -2.12 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 165

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 49% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3.4% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 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 (2011 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 26.02 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 78
Male: 28.26 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 23.67 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70.88 years
Rank: 142
Male: 69.03 years
Female: 72.83 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.27 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 50

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.9 physicians/1000 population (1999)
Rank: 107

Hospital bed density: 0.6 beds/1000 population (2009)
Rank: 163

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.8% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 58
People living with hivaids: 62,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 53
Deaths: 2,600 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 49

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria
Water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 17.7% (2002)
Rank: 42

Education expenditures: 3.2% of GDP (2008)
Rank: 125

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 69.1%
Male: 75.4%
Female: 63.3% (2002 census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 10 years (2007)

Youth unemployment


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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 City
Geographic coordinates: 14 37 N 90 31 W
Time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington DC during Standard Time)

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day 15 September (1821)

Constitution: 31 May 1985 effective 14 January 1986; suspended 25 May 1993; reinstated 5 June 1993; amended November 1993

Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

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 ; Vice President Jose 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 Jose Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held on 9 September 2007; runoff held on 4 November 2007 (next to be held in September 2011)
Election results: Otto PEREZ Molina elected president in a runoff election; percent of vote - Otto PEREZ Molina 53.7% Manuel BALDIZON 47.2%; note - Otto PEREZ Molina will take office on 14 January 2012

Legislative branch: unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members elected through a party list proportional representation system)
Elections: last held on 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 by Congress for concurrent five-year terms); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (13 members are elected by Congress to 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 [Feliz Adolfo RUANO de Leon]; Democracy Front or FRENTE [Alfonso CABRERA]; Democratic Union or UD [Edwin Armando MARTINEZ Herrera]; Encounter for Guatemala or EG [Nineth MONTENGRO]; Grand National Alliance or GANA [Jaime Antonio MARTINEZ Lohayza]; Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Hector Alfredo NUILA Ericastilla]; Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Luis Fernando PEREZ]; Independent Bloc Guatemala or BG [Macario Efrain OLIVA Muralles]; Independent Democratic Freedom Renewed or LIDER [Manuel BALDIZON]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Juan GUTIERREZ]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Roberto KESTLER Velasquez]; Nationalist Change Union or UCN [Mario ESTRADA]; Patriot Party or PP [Ingrid Roxana BALDETTI Elias]; Unionista Party or PU [Alvaro ARZU Irigoyen]

International organization participation: 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 MONUSCO NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW PCA PetroCaribe RG SICA UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNIFIL Union Latina UNISFA UNITAR UNMISS UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Julio Armando MARTINI Herrera
In the us chancery: 2,220 R Street NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 745-4,952
In the us fax: [1] (202) 745-1908
In the us consulate general: Atlanta Chicago Denver Houston Los Angeles Miami New York Phoenix Providence San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen G. MCFARLAND
From the us embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma Zone 10 Guatemala City
From the us mailing address: APO AA 34,024
From the us telephone: [502] 2,326-4,000
From the us fax: [502] 2,326-4,654

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) representing liberty 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 signifying Guatemala's willingness to defend itself and a pair of crossed swords representing honor and framed by a laurel wreath symbolizing victory; the blue bands stand for the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and the sea and sky; the white band denotes peace and purity

National symbols: quetzal (bird)

National anthem
Name: 'Himno Nacional de Guatemala'
Lyricsmusic: Jose Joaquin PALMA/Rafael Alvarez OVALLE
Note: adopted 1897 modified lyrics adopted 1934; Cuban poet Jose Joaquin PALMA anonymously submitted lyrics to a public contest calling for a national anthem; his authorship was not discovered until 1911

National heritage


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Economy overview: Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. The agricultural sector accounts for nearly 15% of GDP and half of the labor force; key agricultural exports include coffee sugar and bananas. The 1996 peace accords which ended 36 years of civil war removed a major obstacle to foreign investment and since then Guatemala has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. The Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) entered into force in July 2006 spurring increased investment and diversification of exports with the largest increases in ethanol and non-traditional agricultural exports. While CAFTA-DR has helped improve the investment climate concerns over security the lack of skilled workers and poor infrastructure continue to hamper foreign direct investment. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with the richest 10% of the population accounting for more than 40% of Guatemala's overall consumption. More than half of the population is below the national poverty line and 15% lives in extreme poverty. Poverty among indigenous groups which make up 38% of the population averages 76% and extreme poverty rises to 28%. 43% of children under five are chronically malnourished one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world. President COLOM entered into office with the promise to increase education healthcare and rural development and in April 2008 he inaugurated a conditional cash transfer program modeled after programs in Brazil and Mexico that provide financial incentives for poor families to keep their children in school and get regular health check-ups. 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 or one-tenth of GDP. Economic growth fell in 2009 as export demand from US and other Central American markets fell and foreign investment slowed amid the global recession but the economy recovered gradually in 2010 and will likely return to more normal growth rates by 2012. President COLOM in his last year in office will likely face opposition to economic reform particularly over a long-delayed tax reform and an IMF-recommended reform to strengthen the banking sector.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 82
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 134

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 144
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 13.2%
Industry: 23.8%
Services: 63% (2010 est.)

Agriculture products: sugarcane corn bananas coffee beans cardamom; cattle sheep pigs chickens

Industries: sugar textiles and clothing furniture chemicals petroleum metals rubber tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (2010 est.)
Rank: 110

Labor force: 4.146 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 87
By occupation agriculture: 50%
By occupation industry: 15%
By occupation services: 35% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 3.2% (2005 est.)
Rank: 25

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 56.2% (2004 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.3%
Highest 10: 42.4% (2006)

Distribution of family income gini index: 55.8 (1998)
Rank: 12

Budget
Revenues: $4.644 billion
Expenditures: $6.005 billion (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -3.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 103

Taxes and other revenues: 11.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
Rank: 202

Public debt: 28.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Rank: 92

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.9% (2009 est.)
Rank: 127

Central bank discount rate:

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 13.85% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 73

Stock of narrow money: $5.994 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 81

Stock of broad money: $22.39 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 79

Stock of domestic credit: $14.47 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 88

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$51.8 million (2009 est.)
Rank: 128

Exports: $7.295 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 94
Commodities: coffee sugar petroleum apparel bananas fruits and vegetables cardamom
Partners: US 36.8% El Salvador 10.3% Honduras 8.8% Mexico 7.5% (2010)

Imports: $10.64 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 83
Commodities: fuels machinery and transport equipment construction materials grain fertilizers electricity
Partners: US 34.6% Mexico 11.8% China 7.9% El Salvador 5.3% (2010)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $4.973 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 84

Debt external: $13.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 80

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 8.395 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Production rank: 95
Consumption: 7.108 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 98
Exports: 76 million kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 71 million kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 191
Consumption: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 183
Exports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 108
Imports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 129
Proven reserves: 2.96 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 94

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.499 million (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 65
Mobile cellular: 18.068 million (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 46

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 roughly 10 per 100 persons; fixed-line investments are being concentrated on improving rural connectivity; mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 100 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) (2008)

Broadcast media: 4 privately-owned national terrestrial TV channels dominate TV broadcasting; multi-channel satellite and cable services are available; 1 government-owned radio station and hundreds of privately-owned radio stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .gt
Hosts: 196,870 (2010)
Hosts rank: 65
Users: 2.279 million (2009)
Users rank: 72

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.4% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 164

Military and security forces

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 (2009)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 372 (2010)
Rank: 21
With paved runways total: 13
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 359
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 84
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 271 (2010)

Heliports

Pipelines: oil 480 km (2010)

Railways
Total: 332 km
Rank: 118
Narrow gauge: 332 km 0.914-m gauge (2009)

Roadways
Total: 14,095 km
Rank: 123
Paved: 4,863 km (includes 75 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 9,232 km (2001)

Waterways: 990 km (260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season) (2010)
Rank: 66

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Puerto Quetzal Santo Tomas de Castilla


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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; Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize but agrees to Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior; 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 (2007)

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 s