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Guatemala Country Guide
Explore Guatemala in North America
Guatemala with the capital city New Guatemala is located in North America (Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean). It covers some 108,890 square kilometres (slightly smaller than Tennessee) with 13,002,000 citizens.
The terrain features mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau. The average density of population is approximately 119 per km². The notable climate conditions in Guatemala can be described as tropical with hot, humid in lowlands and cooler in highlands. Potential natural disasters are numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes or Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms.
To reach someone in Guatemala dial +502 prior to a number. There are 1,413,000 installed telephones. And there are 17,308,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 850/1900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".gt". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 120V - 60Hz.
About the flag and history of Guatemala
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.
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.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: North America Neighbours: Mexico, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador Capital: New Guatemala |
| Size | 108,890 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 42,042 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than Tennessee |
| Population | 13,002,000 |
| Currency | Name Quetzal, Currency Code:GTQ |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .gt |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +502 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 17,308,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 1,413,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 108,889 (sq km) | 107 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,373,472 | 69 |
| Population growth rate | 1.91 (%) | 59 |
| Birth rate | 25.99 (births/1,000 population) | 52 |
| Death rate | 4.87 (deaths/1,000 population) | 189 |
| Net migration rate | -2.04 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 162 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 120.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 64 |
| Infant mortality rate | 24.32 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 78 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 71.46 (years) | 144 |
| Total fertility rate | 3.08 (children born/woman) | 54 |
| Health expenditures | 6.90 (% of GDP) | 86 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.80 (%) | 54 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 62,000 | 53 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 2,600 | 49 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 19.20 (%) | 100 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 13.00 (%) | 57 |
| Education expenditures | 2.80 (% of GDP) | 149 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 7.10 (%) | 125 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 79,970,000,000 | 81 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 3.00 (%) | 110 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 5,300 | 156 |
| Labor force | 5,571,000 | 70 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.10 (%) | 32 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 55.10 | 10 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 14.60 (% of GDP) | 137 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 11.60 (% of GDP) | 204 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -2.60 (% of GDP) | 101 |
| Public debt | 29.90 (% of GDP) | 116 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.00 (%) | 111 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 13.43 (%) | 60 |
| Stock of narrow money | 7,854,000,000 | 82 |
| Stock of broad money | 21,760,000,000 | 84 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 18,680,000,000 | 87 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 4.10 (%) | 70 |
| Current account balance | -2,039,000,000 | 137 |
| Exports | 9,864,000,000 | 95 |
| Imports | 15,570,000,000 | 86 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 6,311,000,000 | 83 |
| Debt - external | 16,170,000,000 | 85 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 8,146,000,000 (kWh) | 99 |
| Electricity - consumption | 8,161,000,000 (kWh) | 94 |
| Electricity - exports | 193,300,000 (kWh) | 67 |
| Electricity - imports | 525,600,000 (kWh) | 77 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 2,673,000 (kW) | 91 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 58.20 (% of total installed capacity) | 141 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 29.10 (% of total installed capacity) | 79 |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 12.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 19 |
| Crude oil - production | 10,000 (bbl/day) | 81 |
| Crude oil - exports | 12,620 (bbl/day) | 57 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 83,070,000 (bbl) | 77 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 1,132 (bbl/day) | 114 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 80,810 (bbl/day) | 86 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 4,162 (bbl/day) | 98 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 68,910 (bbl/day) | 57 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 2,960,000,000 (cu m) | 95 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 12,970,000 (Mt) | 94 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 1,626,000 | 65 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 20,716,000 | 47 |
| Internet hosts | 357,552 | 60 |
| Internet users | 2,279,000 | 72 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 291 | 24 |
| Railways | 332 (km) | 118 |
| Roadways | 14,095 (km) | 124 |
| Waterways | 990 (km) | 66 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 0.40 (% of GDP) | 166 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Antigua Guatemala Antigua, the capital of the Captaincy-General of Guatemala, was founded in the early 16th century. Built 1,500 m above sea-level, in an earthquake-prone region, it was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1773 but its principal monuments are still p ... | 1979 |
| Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua Inhabited since the 2nd century A.D., Quirigua had become during the reign of Cauac Sky (723–84) the capital of an autonomous and prosperous state. The ruins of Quirigua contain some outstanding 8th-century monuments and an impressive series of carve ... | 1981 |
| Tikal National Park In the heart of the jungle, surrounded by lush vegetation, lies one of the major sites of Mayan civilization, inhabited from the 6th century B.C. to the 10th century A.D. The ceremonial centre contains superb temples and palaces, and public squares a ... | 1979 |