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.

Geographic coordinates: 15 30 N 90 15 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 108,890 km²
Land: 108,430 km²
Water: 460 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Tennessee

Land boundaries
Total: 1,687 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

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: 1300 km² (2003)

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

Population: 12,728,111 (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 2.152% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: 75% (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 60% Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages including Quiche Cakchiquel Kekchi Mam Garifuna and Xinca)

Religions: Roman Catholic Protestant indigenous Mayan beliefs

Age structure
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) (2006 est.)

Median age
Total: 18.9 years
Male: 18.3 years
Female: 19.5 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.152% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 29.09 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 5.27 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.31 migrant(s)/1000 population (2006 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.033 male/female
15-64 years: 0.941 male/female
65 years and over: 0.861 male/female
Total population: 0.974 male/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 29.77 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 32.26 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 27.16 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 69.69 years
Male: 67.94 years
Female: 71.52 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.1% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 78,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 5,800 (2003 est.)

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

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
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 2006-2009

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

Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day 15 September (1821)

Constitution: 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: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (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 Oscar Jose Rafael BERGER Perdomo (since 14 January 2004); Vice President Eduardo STEIN Barillas (since 14 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Oscar Jose Rafael BERGER Perdomo (since 14 January 2004); Vice President Eduardo STEIN Barillas (since 14 January 2004)
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 November 2003; runoff held 28 December 2003 (next to be held September 2006)
Election results: Oscar BERGER Perdomo elected president; percent of vote - Oscar BERGER Perdomo (GANA) 54.1%, Alvarado COLOM (UNE) 45.9%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 9 November 2003 (next to be held September 2006)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GANA 49, FRG 41, UNE 33, PAN 17, other 18
Note: for the 9 November 2003 election, the number of congressional seats increased from 113 to 158

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitutcionalidad is Guatemala's highest court (five judges are elected for concurrent five-year terms by Congress each serving one year as president of the Constitutional Court; one is elected by Congress one elected by the Supreme Court of Justice one appointed by the president one elected by Superior Counsel of Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala and one by Colegio de Abogados); 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: Authentic Integral Development or DIA [Eduardo SUGER]; Grand National Alliance or GANA (an alliance of smaller parties) [Alfredo VILA Giron secretary general]; Green Party or LOV [Rodolfo ROSALES Garcis-Salaz]; Guatemalan Christian Democracy or DCG [Vinicio CEREZO Arevalo]; Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Alba ESTELA Maldonado secretary general]; Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; Movement for Guatemalan Unity or MGU [Jacobo ARBENZ Villanueva]; Movement for Principals and Values or MPV [Francisco BIANCHI]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Leonel LOPEZ Rodas secretary general]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Alvarado COLOM Caballeros]; New Nation Alliance or ANN (formed by an alliance of DIA URNG and several splinter groups most of whom subsequently defected) [led by three co-equal partners - Nineth Varenca MONTENEGRO Cottom Rodolfo BAUER Paiz and Jorge Antonio BALSELLS TUT]; Patriot Party or PP [Ret. Gen. Otto PEREZ Molina]; Progressive Liberator Party or PLP [Acisclo VALLADARES Molina]; Reform Movement or MR [Alfredo SKINNER-KLEE secretary general]; Unionista Party

International organization participation: BCIE CACM FAO G-24 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU LAES LAIA (observer) MIGA MINUSTAH MONUC NAM OAS ONUB OPANAL OPCW PCA RG UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMEE UNMIS UNOCI UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Guillermo CASTILLO
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 consulates general: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Providence, San Francisco
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador James M. DERHAM
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) 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 overview: Guatemala is the largest and most populous of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Brazil Argentina and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about one-fourth of GDP two-thirds of exports and half of the labor force. Coffee sugar and bananas are the main products. The 1996 signing of peace accords which ended 36 years of civil war removed a major obstacle to foreign investment but widespread political violence and corruption scandals continue to dampen investor confidence. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with perhaps 75% 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 narrowing the trade deficit.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $56.86 billion (2005 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 3.2% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $4,700 (2005 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 22.7%
Industry: 18.8%
Services: 58.5% (2005 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: 4.1% (1999)

Labor force: 3.76 million (2005 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 50%
By occupation industry: 15%
By occupation services: 35% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 7.5% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line: 75% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.6%
Highest 10: 46% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index: 48.3 (2000)

Budget
Revenues: $3.374 billion
Expenditures: $4.041 billion; including capital expenditures of $750 million (2005 est.)

Public debt: 25.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 9.1% (2005 est.)

Current account balance: $-1.341 billion (2005 est.)

Exports: $3.94 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: coffee sugar petroleum apparel bananas fruits and vegetables cardamom
Partners: US 50.1% El Salvador 12.1% Honduras 7.3% Mexico 4% (2005)

Imports: $7.744 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: fuels machinery and transport equipment construction materials grain fertilizers electricity
Partners: US 38.1% Mexico 7.6% El Salvador 4.8% South Korea 4.8% Panama 4.4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $3.673 billion (2005 est.)

Debt external: $5.503 billion (2005 est.)

Exchange rates: quetzales per US dollar - 7.6339 (2005) 7.9465 (2004) 7.9409 (2003) 7.8217 (2002) 7.8586 (2001)

Electricity
Production: 6.898 billion kWh (2003)
Consumption: 6.025 billion kWh (2003)
Exports: 425 million kWh (2003)
Imports: 35 million kWh (2003)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2003 est.)
Proven reserves: 3.087 billion m³ (1 January 2002)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 1,132,100 (2004)
Mobile cellular: 3,168,300 (2004)

Telephone system
General assessment: fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 502; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .gt
Hosts: 49,026 (2006)
Users: 756,000 (2005)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 0.5% (2005 est.)

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 (2005)

Airports: 450 (2006)
With paved runways total: 11
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 439
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 8
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 111
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 319 (2006)

Pipelines: oil 480 km (2006)

Railways
Total: 886 km
Narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m gauge (2005)

Roadways
Total: 14,095 km
Paved: 4,863 km (including 75 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 9,232 km (1999)

Waterways
Note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2004)

Ports and terminals: Puerto Quetzal Santo Tomas de Castilla

Disputes international: Guatemalan squatters continue to settle in the rain forests of Belize's border region; Organization of American States (OAS) is attempting to revive the 2002 failed Differendum that created a small adjustment to land boundary a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean a joint ecological park for the disputed Sapodilla Cays and a substantial US-UK financial package; Guatemalans enter Mexico illegally seeking work or transit to the US

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Idps: 250,000 (government's scorched-earth offensive in 1980s against indigenous people) 30,000 (Hurricane 'Stan' October 2005) (2005)

Illicit drugs: major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2004 reemerged as a potential source of opium growing 330 hectares of opium poppy with potential pure heroin production of 1.4 metric tons; 76% of opium poppy cultivation in western highlands along Mexican border; 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