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

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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 internal conflict which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created by some estimates about 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
Land: 107,159 km²
Water: 1730 km²
Rank: 108
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries
Total: 1667 km
Border countries: (4) Belize 266 km; El Salvador 199 km; Honduras 244 km; Mexico 958 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: two east-west trending mountain chains divide the country into three regions: the mountainous highlands the Pacific coast south of mountains and the vast northern Peten lowlands

Elevation
Mean elevation: 759 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m: highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,220 m (highest point in Central America)

Natural resources: petroleum nickel rare woods fish chicle hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 41.2%
Forest: 33.6%
Other: 25.2%

Irrigated land: 3,375 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

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 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 (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: there are no natural harbors on the west coast


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Population
Distribution: the vast majority of the populace resides in the southern half of the country particularly in the mountainous regions; more than half of the population lives in rural areas: 15,460,732 (July 2017 est.)
Rank: 70
Growth rate: 1.75% (2017 est.)
Growth rate rank: 57
Below poverty line: 59.3% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Guatemalan
Adjective: Guatemalan

Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European 60.1% Maya 39.3% (K'iche 11.3% Q'eqchi 7.6% Kaqchikel 7.4% Mam 5.5% other 7.5%) non-Maya non-mestizo 0.15% (Xinca (indigenous non-Maya) Garifuna (mixed West and Central African Island Carib and Arawak)) other 0.5% (2001 est.)

Languages: Spanish (official) 68.9% Maya languages 30.9% (K'iche 8.7% Q'eqchi 7% Mam 4.6% Kaqchikel 4.3% other 6.3%) other 0.3% (includes Xinca and Garifuna)
Note: the 2003 Law of National Languages officially recognized 23 indigenous languages including 21 Maya languages Xinka and Garifuna

Religions: Roman Catholic Protestant indigenous Mayan beliefs

Demographic profile:

Age structure
0-14 years: 34.5%
15-24 years: 21.58%
25-54 years: 34.12%
55-64 years: 5.26%
65 years and over: 4.54% (2017 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 68.7
Youth dependency ratio: 61.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.6
Potential support ratio: 13.1

Median age
Total: 22.1 years
Male: 21.4 years
Female: 22.8 years
Rank: 180

Population growth rate: 1.75% (2017 est.)
Rank: 57

Birth rate: 24.1 births/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 52

Death rate: 4.7 deaths/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 200

Net migration rate: -1.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 160

Population distribution: the vast majority of the populace resides in the southern half of the country particularly in the mountainous regions; more than half of the population lives in rural areas

Urbanization
Urban population: 52.5% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3.23% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: GUATEMALA CITY (capital) 2.918 million (2015)

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
0-14 years: 1.04 male/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male/female
25-54 years: 0.91 male/female
55-64 years: 0.91 male/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 21.2 years
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 21.3 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 23.2 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 19.3 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 78

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.6 years
Male: 70.6 years
Female: 74.7 years
Rank: 147

Total fertility rate: 2.77 children born/woman (2017 est.)
Rank: 63

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 60.6% (2014/15)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.9 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 0.6 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2016 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 64
People living with hivaids: 46,000
People living with hivaids rank: 59
Deaths: 1600 (2016 est.)
Deaths rank: 57

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria
Note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country ; it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex via blood transfusion or during pregnancy in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21.2% (2016)
Rank: 93

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 12.6% (2015)
Rank: 57

Education expenditures: 3% of GDP (2015)
Rank: 139

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 81.5%
Male: 87.4%
Female: 76.3%

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

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
Etymology: name derives from the Maya word meaning 'Land of Trees'

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Guatemala City
Geographic coordinates: 14 37 N 90 31 W
Time difference: UTC-6

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 1994 (2016)

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

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years with no absences of six consecutive months or longer or absences totaling more than a year

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

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera ; Vice President Jafeth CABRERA Franco (since 14 January 2016); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera ; Vice President Jafeth CABRERA Franco (since 14 January 2016)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term ; election last held in 2 rounds on 6 September and 25 October 2015 (next to be held in September 2019)
Election results: Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera 23.9% Sandra TORRES (UNE) 19.8% Manuel BALDIZON (LIDER) 19.6% other 36.7%; percent of vote in second round - Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera 67.4% Sandra TORRES 32.6%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica
Elections: last held on 6 September 2015
Election results: percent of vote by party - LIDER 19.1% UNE 14.8% TODOS 9.7% PP 9.4% FCN 8.8% EG 6.2% CREO-PU 5.7% UCN 5.4% Winaq-URNG-MAIZ 4.3% Convergence 3.8% VIVA 3.7% PAN 3.4% FUERZA 2.1% other 3.5%; seats by party - LIDER 44 UNE 36 TODOS 18 PP 17 FCN 11 EG 7 UCN 6 CREO-PU 5 Winaq-URNG-MAIZ 3 Convergence 3 VIVA 3 PAN 3 FUERZA 2; note - seats by party as of 6 January 2016 - FCN 37 UNE 32 MR 20 TODOS 17 AC 12 EG 7 UCN 6 CREO 5 LIDER 5 VIVA 4 Convergence 3 PAN 3 PP 2 FUERZA 1 PU 1 URNG 1 Winaq 1 independent 1

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia ; note - the court president also supervises trial judges countrywide; Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitucionalidad (consists of 5 judges and 5 alternates)
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 Courts of Appeal; magistrates elected for concurrent renewable 5-year terms; Constitutional Court judges - 1 elected by the Congress of the Republic 1 by the Supreme Court 1 by the president of the republic 1 by the University of San Carlos and 1 by the lawyers bar association; judges elected for concurrent renewable 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: Vision with Values or VIVA [Cromwell CUESTAS Paz]

International organization participation: BCIE CACM CD CELAC EITI (compliant country) FAO G-24 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt (signatory) 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 Pacific Alliance (observer) PCA Petrocaribe SICA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNIFIL Union Latina UNISFA UNITAR UNMISS UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Manuel Alfredo ESPINA Pinto
In the us chancery: 2,220 R Street NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 745-4,952
In the us FAX: [1] 745-1908
In the us consulate: Del Rio San Bernardino (CA) Silver Spring (MD) Tucson (AZ)
In the us consulate general: Atlanta Chicago Denver Houston Lake Worth Los Angeles McAllen (TX) Miami New York Phoenix Providence (RI) San Francisco Silver Spring (MD) Tucson (AZ)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Luis ARREAGA
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 represent the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea; the white band denotes peace and purity
Note: one of only two national flags featuring a firearm the other is Mozambique

National symbols: quetzal (bird); national colors: blue white

National anthem
Name: 'Himno Nacional de Guatemala'
Lyrics and music: 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:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 79

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 95

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2016 dollars
Rank: 152

Gross national saving:
Rank: 133

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 85.1%
Government consumption: 9.8%
Investment in fixed capital: 12.5%
Investment in inventories: 0.4%
Exports of goods and services: 19.5%
Imports of goods and services: -27.3%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 13.2%
Industry: 23.6%
Services: 62.8%

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% (2016 est.)
Rank: 81

Labor force: 6.53 million (2016 est.)
Rank: 71
By occupation agriculture: 30.5%
By occupation industry: 13.7%
By occupation services: 55.8%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 18

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 59.3% (2014 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.6%
Highest 10: 38.4%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 11

Budget
Revenues: $7.567 billion
Expenditures: $8.3 billion
Surplus or deficit: -1.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 70

Taxes and other revenues: 11.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
Rank: 209

Public debt:
Rank: 165

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 167

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 42

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 58

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 81

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 81

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 76

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance:
Rank: 42

Exports:
Rank: 86
Commodities: sugar coffee petroleum apparel bananas fruits and vegetables cardamom manufacturing products precious stones and metals electricity
Partners: US 34% El Salvador 11.5% Honduras 7.1% Nicaragua 6% Costa Rica 4.5% Mexico 4.3% (2016)

Imports:
Rank: 80
Commodities: fuels machinery and transport equipment construction materials grain fertilizers electricity mineral products chemical products plastic materials and products
Partners: US 38.1% Mexico 11% China 9.9% El Salvador 5% Panama 4.2% (2016)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 76

Debt external:
Rank: 90

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 92

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 1,600,000
Access electrification total population: 78%
Access electrification urban areas: 85%
Access electrification rural areas: 72%
Production: 10.88 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 97
Consumption: 9.833 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 95
Exports: 1.335 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 52
Imports: 746.9 million kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 73
Installed generating capacity: 4.139 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 86
Generation sources fossil fuels: 42.9% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 166
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 103
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 28.3% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 75
Generation sources other renewable sources: 34.4% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 8

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 8,977 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 80
Crude oil exports: 7,407 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 60
Crude oil imports: 17,220 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 67
Crude oil proven reserves: 83.07 million bbl (1 January 2017 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 75

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1069 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products production rank: 105
Products consumption: 91,900 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 84
Products exports: 11,780 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products exports rank: 81
Products imports: 104,200 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products imports rank: 56

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 144
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 189
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 116
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 134
Proven reserves: 2.96 billion m³ (1 January 2006 es)
Proven reserves rank: 98

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 13.6 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 95

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1.675 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11
Fixed lines rank: 65
Mobile cellular total: 19,208,673
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 126
Mobile cellular rank: 63

Telephone system
General assessment: fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala
Domestic: state-owned telecommunications company privatized in the late 1990s opened 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 about 125 per 100 persons
International: country code - 502; landing point for both the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System 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) (2017)

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
Users total: 5,241,952
Users percent of population: 34.5%
Users rank: 90

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 129

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are eligible for military service; in practice most of the force is volunteer however a selective draft system is employed resulting in 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
Number of registered air carriers: 3
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 8
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 93,129
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 455,520 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: TG (2016)

Airports: 291 (2013)
Rank: 23
With paved runways total: 16
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
With unpaved runways total: 275
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 under 914 m: 195

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: oil 480 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 800 km
Narrow gauge: 800 km 0.914-m gauge
Rank: 96

Roadways
Total: 17,621 km
Paved: 7,489 km
Unpaved: 10,132 km (2016)
Rank: 118

Waterways: 990 km (260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season) (2012)
Rank: 65

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: 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 but this vote was suspended indefinitely; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the US

Refugees and internally displaced persons
IDPs: 257,000 (2016)

Illicit drugs
Rank: li>a href='../rankorder/rankorderguide.html'>Guide to Country Comparisons: major transit country for cocaine and heroin; it is estimated that 1000 mt of cocaine are smuggled through the country each year primarily destined for the US market; in 2016 the Guatamalan government estimated that an average of 4,500 hectares of opium poppy were being cultivated; 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