Map of Guatemala | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: The Maya 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
Land: 107,159 km²
Water: 1730 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Tennessee

Land boundaries
Border countries: (4) Belize 266 km; El Salvador 203 km; Honduras 256 km; Mexico 962 km

Coastline: 400 km

Maritime claims
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 highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m

Natural resources: petroleum nickel rare woods fish chicle hydropower

Land use
Permanent crops: 8.68%
Other: 77.55% (2011)

Irrigated land: 3,121 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 111.3 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: numerous volcanoes in mountains with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms
Volcanism: 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 with frequent eruptions 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: 14,373,472 (July 2013 est.)
Rank: 70
Growth rate: 1.91% (2013 est.)
Growth rate rank: 60
Below poverty line: 54% (2011 est.)

Nationality
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%

Religions: Roman Catholic Protestant indigenous Mayan beliefs

Demographic profile:

Age structure
15-24 years: 22.2% (male 1,599,368/female 1,592,830)
25-54 years: 31.8% (male 2,170,071/female 2,402,330)
55-64 years: 5.1% (male 354,266/female 380,414)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 274,254/female 316,494) (2013 est.)

Dependency ratios
Youth dependency ratio: 73.5 %
Elderly dependency ratio: 8.3 %
Potential support ratio: 12.1 (2013)

Median age
Male: 20 years
Female: 21.3 years (2013 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.91% (2013 est.)
Rank: 60

Birth rate: 25.99 births/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 53

Death rate: 4.87 deaths/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 191

Net migration rate: -2.04 migrant(s)/1000 population (2013 est.)
Rank: 163

Population distribution

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

Major urban areas
Population: GUATEMALA CITY (capital) 1.075 million (2009)

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 20.3

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 78
Male: 26.44 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 22.09 deaths/1000 live births (2013 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 144
Male: 69.56 years
Female: 73.45 years (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.08 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Rank: 54

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 43.3% (2002)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.93 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 0.7 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.8% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 55
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
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria (2013)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 19.2% (2008)
Rank: 100

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 13% (2009)
Rank: 57

Education expenditures: 2.8% of GDP (2010)
Rank: 149

Literacy
Total population: 75.9%
Male: 81.2%
Female: 71.1% (2011 est.)

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

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Guatemala
Local long form: Republica de Guatemala
Local short form: Guatemala

Government type: constitutional democratic republic

Capital
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: several previous; latest adopted 31 May 1985 effective 14 January 1986; suspended reinstated and amended in 1993 (2013)

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
Head of government: President Otto Fernando PEREZ MOLINA (since 14 January 2012); Vice President Ingrid Roxana BALDETTI Elias (since 14 January 2012)
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 11 September 2011; runoff held on 6 November 2011 (next to be held in September 2015)
Election results: Otto Fernando PEREZ MOLINA elected president in a runoff election; percent of vote - Otto Fernando PEREZ MOLINA 53.7% Manuel BALDIZON 46.3%

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 11 September 2011 (next to be held in September 2015)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PP 26.62% UNE-GANA 22.67% UNC 9.50% LIDER 8.87% CREO 8.67% VIVA-EG 7.87% Winaq-URNG-ANN 3.23% PAN 3.12% FRG 2.74% PU 2.70% other 3.59%; seats by party - PP 57 UNE-GANA 48 LIDER 14 UCN 14 CREO 12 VIVA-EG 6 PAN 2 Winaq-URNG-ANN 2 FRG 1 PU 1 Victoria 1; note - changes in party affiliation now reflect the following seat distribution: as of 15 April 2013 - PP 59 LIDER 36 TODOS 16 CREO 9 GANA 8 independents 7 UNE 7 EG 3 PU 3 UCN 3 FRG 2 PAN 1 URNG 1 Victoria 1 VIVA 1 Winaq 1

Judicial branch
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court magistrates elected by the Congress of the Republic from candidates proposed by the Postulation Committee an independent body of deans of the country's university law schools representatives of the country's law associations and representatives of the Court of Appeal and other tribunals; magistrates elected for renewable 5-year terms; Constitutional Court judges - 1 elected by the Congress of the Republic 1 by the Supreme Court president 1 by the president of the republic 1 by the University of San Carlos and one by the BAR association; judges elected for concurrent 5-year terms; the presidency of the court rotates among the magistrates for a single 1-year term
Subordinate courts: numerous first instance and appellate courts

Political parties and leaders:

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
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 McAllen (TX) Miami New York Phoenix San Francisco
From the us embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma Zone 10 Guatemala City
From the us mailing address: DPO 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
Lyrics and music: Jose Joaquin PALMA/Rafael Alvarez OVALLE

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 accounting for 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: 80

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 109

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 155

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Government consumption: 10.7%
Investment in fixed capital: 14.7%
Investment in inventories: -0.3%
Exports of goods and services: 24.9%
Imports of goods and services: -35.9%: (2012 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 23.7%
Services: 63% (2012 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: 2.5% (2012 est.)
Rank: 95

Labor force: 4.356 million (2012 est.)
Rank: 86
By occupation industry: 14%
By occupation services: 48% (2011 est.)

Unemployment rate: 3.5% (2010 est.)
Rank: 34

Youth unemployment

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

Gini index

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

Distribution of family income gini index: 55.8 (1998)
Rank: 10

Budget
Expenditures: $7.062 billion (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -2.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 98

Taxes and other revenues: 11.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 203

Public debt: 28.9% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 117

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 6.2% (2011 est.)
Rank: 118

Central bank discount rate: 6.5% (31 December 2010 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 13.43% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 60

Stock of narrow money: $7.506 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 84

Stock of broad money: $20.64 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 83

Stock of domestic credit: $18.31 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 79

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance: $-1.672 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 128

Exports: $10.52 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 94
Commodities: coffee sugar petroleum apparel bananas fruits and vegetables cardamom
Partners: US 40.2% El Salvador 11.1% Honduras 8% Mexico 5.5% Nicaragua 4.7% Costa Rica 4.3% (2012)

Imports: $15.48 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 84
Commodities: fuels machinery and transport equipment construction materials grain fertilizers electricity mineral products chemical products plastic materials and products
Partners: US 38% Mexico 11.3% China 7.4% El Salvador 4.6% (2012)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $6.184 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 84

Debt external: $16.29 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 82

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: 93
Exports: 193.3 million kWh (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 69
Imports: 525.6 million kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 77
Installed generating capacity: 2.745 million kW (2010 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 92
Generation sources fossil fuels: 56.5% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 140
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 99
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 31.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 74
Generation sources other renewable sources: 12.4% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 20

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 14,020 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 86
Crude oil exports: 10,960 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 57
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 195
Crude oil proven reserves: 83.07 million bbl (1 January 2013 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 73

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1253 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 110
Products consumption: 80,810 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 85
Products exports: 4,911 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 91
Products imports: 71,390 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 59

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 139
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 151
Exports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Exports rank: 112
Imports: 0 m³ (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 201
Proven reserves: 2.96 billion m³ (1 January 2006 es)
Proven reserves rank: 97

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 11.71 million Mt (2011 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 99

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 1.744 million (2012)
Main lines in use rank: 63
Mobile cellular: 20.787 million (2012)
Mobile cellular rank: 46

Telephone system
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 approaching 150 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) (2011)

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; in practice a selective draft system is employed with only a small portion of 17-21 year-olds conscripted; conscript service obligation varies from 1 to 2 years; women can serve as officers (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 291 (2013)
Rank: 23
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6
With paved runways under 914 m: 4 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 77
With unpaved runways: 195 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: oil 480 km (2013)

Railways
Rank: 118
Narrow gauge: 332 km 0.914-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Rank: 130
Paved: 6,797 km (includes 127 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 4,704 km (2010)

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

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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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