Map of Guatemala | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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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 200,000 people dead and had created by some estimates some 1 million refugees. In January 2012 Guatemala assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2012-13 term.


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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

Area
Rank: 107
Comparative: slightly smaller than Tennessee

Land boundaries

Coastline: 400 km

Maritime claims

Climate: tropical; hot humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands

Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau

Elevation

Natural resources: petroleum nickel rare woods fish chicle hydropower

Land use

Irrigated land: 2000 km² (2003)

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

Geography
Note: no natural harbors on west coast


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Population: 14,099,032 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 69
Growth rate: 1.948% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 59
Below poverty line: 54% (2011 est.)

Nationality

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%

Religions: Roman Catholic Protestant indigenous Mayan beliefs

Demographic profile:

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.948% (2012 est.)
Rank: 59

Birth rate: 26.48 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 52

Death rate: 4.92 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 186

Net migration rate: -2.08 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 166

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 78

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 142

Total fertility rate: 3.18 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 53

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.9 physicians/1000 population (1999)

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

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

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

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: constitutional democratic republic

Capital

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; the Congress ratified Statute of Rome on 18 January 2012 and ICCt jurisdiction entered into force on 23 February 2012

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces and police may not vote by law and are restricted to their barracks on election day

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members elected through a party list proportional representation system)

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitucionalidad is Guatemala's highest court (five judges and five alternate 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: Commitment Renewal and Order or CREO [Rodolfo NEUTZE]; Democratic Union or UD [Edwin Armando MARTINEZ Herrera]; Encounter for Guatemala or EG [Nineth MONTENEGRO]; 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]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Juan GUTIERREZ]; National Unity for Hope or UNE; National Welfare or Bien [Fidel REYES Lee]; Nationalist Change Union or UCN [Mario ESTRADA]; New National Alternative or ANN [Pablo MONSANTO]; Patriot Party or PP [Ingrid Roxana BALDETTI Elias]; Renewed Democratic Liberty or LIDER [Manuel BALDIZON]; Unionista Party or PU [Alvaro ARZU Irigoyen]; Victoria (Victory) [Abraham RIVERA]; Winaq [Rigoberta MENCHU]

International organization participation: BCIE CACM CD CELAC EITI (candidate country) FAO G-24 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAES LAIA (observer) MIGA MINUSTAH MONUSCO NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW PCA Petrocaribe SICA UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNIFIL Union Latina UNISFA UNITAR UNMISS UNOCI UNSC (temporary) UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation

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

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 13% of GDP and 38% of the labor force; key agricultural exports include coffee sugar bananas and vegetables. 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 20% of the population accountingfor more than 51% of Guatemala's overall consumption. More than half of the population is below the national poverty line and 13% of the population lives in extreme poverty. Poverty among indigenous groups which make up 38% of the population averages 73% and extreme poverty rises to 28%. Nearly one-half of Guatemala's children under age five are chronically malnourished one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world. 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-fifths of exports or one-tenth of GDP. Economic growth fell in 2009 as export demand from US and other Central American markets dropped and foreign investment slowed amid the global recession. The economy gradually recovered in 2010-12.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 83

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 105

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 152

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 4.1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 79

Labor force: 5.571 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 69

Unemployment rate: 3.5% (2010 est.)
Rank: 36

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 54% (2011 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index: 55.8 (1998)
Rank: 11

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -2.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 92

Taxes and other revenues: 11.5% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 204

Public debt: 29.8% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 115

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 6.2% (2011 est.)
Rank: 115

Central bank discount rate:

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 13.43% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 61

Stock of narrow money: $7.506 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 82

Stock of broad money: $20.64 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 84

Stock of domestic credit: $18.31 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 87

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: -$1.523 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 138

Exports: $10.55 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 95
Commodities: coffee sugar petroleum apparel bananas fruits and vegetables cardamom
Partners: US 37.9% El Salvador 10.5% Honduras 6.8% Mexico 5.1% (2011)

Imports: $15.37 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 86
Commodities: fuels machinery and transport equipment construction materials grain fertilizers electricity mineral products chemical products plastic materials and products
Partners: US 40.4% Mexico 11.6% China 8.2% El Salvador 4.5% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $6.184 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 82

Debt external: $15.64 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 83

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 8.146 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 98
Consumption: 8.161 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 94
Exports: 193.3 million kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 69
Imports: 525.6 million kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 72
Installed generating capacity: 2.673 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 90
Generation sources fossil fuels: 58.2% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 142
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 101
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 29.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 80
Generation sources other renewable sources: 12.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 19

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 10,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 80
Crude oil exports: 12,620 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 55
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 194
Crude oil proven reserves: 83.07 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 76

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1132 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 113
Products consumption: 80,810 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 87
Products exports: 4,162 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 98
Products imports: 68,910 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 58

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 139
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 152
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 209
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 204
Proven reserves: 2.96 billion m³ (1 January 2006 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 95

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 12.97 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 94

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.626 million (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 65
Mobile cellular: 20.716 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 47

Telephone system

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: 357,552 (2012)
Hosts rank: 60
Users: 2.279 million (2009)
Users rank: 72

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.4% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 165

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: 291 (2012)
Rank: 24

Heliports: 1 (2012)

Pipelines: oil 480 km (2010)

Railways
Rank: 118

Roadways
Rank: 124

Waterways: 990 km (260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season) (2012)
Rank: 66

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Puerto Quetzal Santo Tomas de Castilla


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Disputes international: annual ministerial meetings under the Organization of American States-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; both countries agreed in April 2012 to hold simultaneous referenda scheduled for 6 October 2013 to decide whether to refer the dispute to the ICJ for binding resolution; 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

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 pro