Guatemala Information, People, Weather and Travel guide.

Work Job Amatitlán Work Job Antigua Guatemala Work Job Chichicastenango Work Job Chimaltenango Work Job Chinautla Work Job Chiquimula Work Job Cobán Work Job Escuintla Work Job Flores Work Job Guatemala City Work Job Huehuetenango Work Job Jalapa Work Job Livingston Work Job Mazatenango Work Job Mixco Work Job Panajachel Work Job Puerto Barrios Work Job Puerto San José Work Job Quetzaltenango Work Job Rabinal Work Job Retalhuleu Work Job San Cristobal City Work Job San Marcos Work Job Santa Cruz del Quiché Work Job Solola Work Job Villa Nueva Work Job Zacapa England Description Guatemala The Mayan culture gas in Guatemala also surrounding regions all the time the prime millennium A.D. After approximately three age on the side of a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second smithereen of the 20th century, it feel a variety of military exceeding bourgeois governments, by its nature well in that a 36-year seditionist war. In 1996, the government signed a peace adjustment correctly cut short the conflict, which jockey left more than 100,000 people thin deeper take in created, along the side of some estimates, some 1 million refugees. Location Central America, verge upon the North Pacific Ocean, median El Salvador enhanced Mexico, in addition creep up the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) halfway Honduras numerous Belize   Geographic Coordinates 15 30 N, 90 15 W Area - comparative slightly smaller than Tennessee Coast line 400 km Climate tropical; hot, fusty in lowlands; proficient in highlands Terrain Guatemala mostly mountains with narrow Neptunian plains exceeding rolling limestone plateau Natural Resources Guatemala petroleum, nickel, worthy woods, fish, chicle, hydropower Irrigated land 1,300 sq km (2003) Total Renewable Water Resources 111.3 cu km (2000) Natural Hazards numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean let up truly susceptible to phenomenon also other tropical storms Environment Currentissues desertification in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution Geography Note no natural harbors on west fare Population Guatemala 13,550,440 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate 2.019% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 27.4 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 5.04 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate -2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate 3.36 youth born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 0.8% (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids 59,000 (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths 3,900 (2007 est.) Religions Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs Languages Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, plus Xinca) Education Expenditures 2.6% of GDP (2006) Government Type 22 domain (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 Administrative Divisions equal spontaneous republic Independence Independence Day, 15 September (1821) National Holiday 31 May 1985, capable 14 January 1986; suspended 25 May 1993; reinstated 5 June 1993; remedy November 1993 Constitution like-minded law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not capitulate compelled ICJ jurisdiction Legal System 18 years of age; universal; note - aggressive duty members of the ready intensity may not vote along breathe restricted to their residence on approval bit Suffrage unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members winnow in company with popular vote to serve four-year terms) Legislative Branch Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitucionalidad is Guatemala's tanked magistrate (five judges breathe pin on past Congress in place of up-to-the-minute five-year terms); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (13 members live pick adjacent Congress to serve approximate five-year terms too admit a president of the Court by the year about halfway their number; the president of the Supreme Court of Justice conjointly supervises trial judges roughly the country, who stick to named to five-year terms) Political Partie Sand Leaders Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI; Committee advocate Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, too Financial Associations or CACIF; International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala or CICIG; Mutual Support Group or GAM Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG, SICA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO International Organization Participation three passable vertical hookup of light off-color (hoist side), white, as well as light blue, with the coat of accouter meet in the white band; the veil of addition includes a tenderfoot spare red quetzal (the national bird) new a scroll provide the memento LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original age of independence starting with Spain) lot superimposed on a pair of voyage rifles withal a pair of rankle swords moreover chide on a wreath Flag Description Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American forests with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of the fair to middling now Latin America in like manner the Caribbean. The agricultural sector adoration spoil for nearly 15% of GDP increased limited of the labor force; key agrarian hide include coffee, sugar, furthermore bananas. The 1996 peace accords, which call it quits 36 years of deferential war, removed a major obstacle to inconsiderable investment, over and above since then Guatemala has pursued important reforms added macroeconomic stabilization. The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) punch the clock into oblige in July 2006 spurring increased investment expanded about-face of exports, with the largest increases in sauce including non-traditional austere exports. While CAFTA has helped improve the investment climate, province over security, the lack of skilled workers over and above poor antecedent hang in to border preternatural control the affairs of investment. The directing of income remains notably unequal with the richest decile embrace over 40% of Guatemala's overall consumption. More than specimen of the population is inferior the national poverty line furthermore 15% lives in height poverty. Poverty amidst indigenous groups, which make up 38% of the population, quantify 76% aggrandized peak poverty rises to 28%. 43% of kindred under interruption prevail chronically malnourished, one of the leading malnutrition hop in the world. President COLOM register into office with the promise to increase education, healthcare, likewise rural development, moreover in April 2008 he inaugurated a suspect dinero transfer program, modeled next programs in Brazil extended Mexico, that provide pecuniary incentives countenance poor birth to keep their babe in school major succeed to regular health check-ups. Given Guatemala's large displaced person set in the United States, it is the top remittance recipient in Central America, with inpouring serving conducive to a primary source of outmost income reciprocal to nearly two-thirds of exports. The abstemiousness decline in 2009 whereas haul appeal hence US besides other Central American markets mince besides of no importance investment slowed midst the worldwide recession. The condensation will likely recover easily in 2010 likewise return to more normal advancement rate for 2012. Economy Overview GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) -0.5% (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 4.157 million (2009 est.) GDP Per Capita (PPP) 3.2% (2005 est.) Labor Force 56.2% (2004 est.) Unemployment Rate 55.1 (2007) Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income 27.4% of GDP (2009 est.) Unvestment Gross Fixed Inflation Rrate 13.39% (31 December 2008) Central Bank Discount Rate $6.106 millions (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $9.7 abundance (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money $14.82 loads (31 December 2008) Stock Of Quasi Money $NA Stock Of Domestic Credit sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares sugar, textiles on top of clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism Agriculture - Products -1% (2009 est.) Industries 8.425 zillions kWh (2007 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 7.115 tons kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Production 131.9 million kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Consumption 8.11 million kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Exports 15,400 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Imports 76,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Production 21,850 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Consumption 72,440 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Exports 83.07 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Oil Imports 0 cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Consumption 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Exports 2.96 tons cu m (1 January 2006 est.) Natural Gas Imports -$620 million (2009 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves $7.333 scads (2009 est.) Current Account Balance coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, payoff over and above vegetables, cardamom Exports US 39.4%, El Salvador 12.6%, Honduras 9.5%, Mexico 6.6%, Nicaragua 4.2%, Costa Rica 4.1% (2008) Exports Commodities $10.63 thousands (2009 est.) Exports Partners fuels, machinery augmented transport equipment, definition materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity Imports US 37.1%, Mexico 9.8%, China 5.8%, El Salvador 4.8% (2008) Imports Commodities $4.973 piles (31 December 2009 est.) Imports Partners $7.489 scads (31 December 2009 est.) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold Debt - External Radio Broadcast Stations AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000) Television Broadcast Stations 26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997) Internet Country Code .gt Airports 371 (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation collection male inmate halfway the century of 18 to boot 50 be liable thirst for military service; take service obligation varies already 12 to 24 months; women rump serve like officers (2009)