Guatemala
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala
conventional short form: Guatemala local long form: Republica de Guatemala local short form: Guatemala |
| Gevernment type | constitutional democratic republic |
| Capital |
name: Guatemala
geographic coordinates: 14 38 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 2007-2009 |
| 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 |
| Currency | quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed |
| Internet country code | .gt |
| Ports and terminals | Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla |
| Agriculture products | sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens |
| Industries | sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism |
| Geography |
| 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 |
| Coordinates | 15 30 N, 90 15 W |
| Continent | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area |
total: 108,890 sq km
land: 108,430 sq km water: 460 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 1,687 km
border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km |
| Coastline | 400 km |
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands |
| Terrain | mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau |
| Natural resources | petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower |
| Natural hazards | numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms |
| People |
| Population | 12,293,545 (July 2006 est.) |
| 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) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs |
| Languages | Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca) |
