Guatemala Population: 13,276,517
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| 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. |
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| Geography | |
| No natural harbors on west coast | |
| 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 |
| Area: |
total: 108,889 sq km
land:
107,159 sq km
water:
1,730 sq km
Size comparison: slightly smaller than Tennessee |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 1,687 km border countries: 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 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: | 1,300 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms |
| Current Environment Issues: | deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution |
| International Environment 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 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| People | |
| Population: | 13,276,517 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 69 |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 39.4% (male 2,664,058/female 2,573,006) 15-64 years: 56.8% (male 3,655,184/female 3,884,331) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 231,652/female 268,286) (2009 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 19.4 years male: 18.9 years female: 20 years (2009 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.066% (2009 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 27.98 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
| Death rate: | 5.11 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -2.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2009 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 27.84 deaths/1,000 live births male: 30.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 70.29 years male: 68.49 years female: 72.19 years (2009 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 3.47 children born/woman (2009 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.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Guatemalan(s) 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) |
| 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) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 69.1% male: 75.4% female: 63.3% (2002 census) |
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| Government | |
| 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 City 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 2007-2009 |
| 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; suspended 25 May 1993; reinstated 5 June 1993; 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; note - 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 Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008); Vice President Jose Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008); Vice President Jose Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008) 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 September 2007; runoff held 4 November 2007 (next to be held September 2011) election results: Alvaro COLOM Caballeros elected president; percent of vote - Alvaro COLOM Caballeros 52.8%, Otto PEREZ Molina 47.2% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 September 2007 (next to be held in September 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - UNE 30.4%, GANA 23.4%, PP 18.9%, FRG 9.5%, PU 5.1%, other 12.7%; seats by party - UNE 48, GANA 37, PP 30, FRG 15, PU 8, CASA 5, EG 4, PAN 4, UCN 4, URNG 2, UD 1 |
| Judicial branch: | Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitucionalidad is Guatemala's highest court (five judges are elected for concurrent five-year terms); 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: | Center of Social Action or CASA [Eduardo SUGER]; Democracy Front or FRENTE [Alfonso CABRERA]; Democratic Union or UD [Manuel CONDE Orellana]; Encounter for Guatemala or EG [Nineth MONTENGRO]; Grand National Alliance or GANA [Jaime Antonio MARTINEZ Lohayza]; Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Hector NUILA]; Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Juan Guillermo GUTIERREZ]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Juan Jose ALFARO Lemus]; Nationalist Change Union or UCN [Mario ESTRADA]; Patriot Party or PP [Ret. Gen. Otto PEREZ Molina]; Unionista Party or PU [Fritz GARCIA-GALLONT] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI; Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations or CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM |
| International organization participation: | 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, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Francisco VILLAGRAN de Leon chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952 FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, Providence, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen G. MCFARLAND embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City mailing address: APO AA 34024 telephone: [502] 2326-4000 FAX: [502] 2326-4654 |
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| Economy | |
| Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about one-tenth of GDP and half of the labor force; key agricultural exports include coffee, sugar, and bananas. The 1996 signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, and Guatemala since then has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) entered into force in July 2006 spurring increased investment and diversification of exports, with the largest increases in ethanol and non-traditional agricultural exports. While CAFTA has helped improve the investment climate, concerns over security, the lack of skilled workers and poor infrastructure continue to hamper foreign participation. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with more than half of the population below the national poverty line and 15% in extreme poverty. Guatemala has one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world. Other ongoing challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, curtailing drug trafficking and rampant crime, and narrowing the trade deficit. President COLOM entered into office with the promise to increase education, healthcare, and rural development, and in April 2008 he inaugurated a conditional financial transfer program modeled after programs in Brazil and Mexico that provide financial incentives for poor families to keep their children in school. Given Guatemala's large expatriate community in the United States, it is the top remittance recipient in Central America, with inflows serving as a primary source of foreign income equivalent to nearly two-thirds of exports. Economic growth turned negative in 2009 as export demand from US and other Central American markets contracted and foreign investment slowed amid the global recession and economic recovery will probably be negligible in 2010. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $69.22 billion (2009 est.) $69.57 billion (2008 est.) $66.89 billion (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $36.47 billion (2009 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | -0.5% (2009 est.) 4% (2008 est.) 6.3% (2007 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,200 (2009 est.) $5,400 (2008 est.) $5,300 (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 13.5% industry: 25.1% services: 61.4% (2009 est.) |
| Labor force: | 4.157 million (2009 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 50% industry: 15% services: 35% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 3.2% (2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 56.2% (2004 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 42.4% (2006) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 55.1 (2007) 55.8 (1998) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (2009 est.) 11.4% (2008 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 16.9% of GDP (2009 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $4.07 billion expenditures: $5.563 billion (2009 est.) |
| Public debt: | 32.7% of GDP (2009 est.) 25.7% of GDP (2008 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: | -1.4% (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 8.425 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 7.115 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 131.9 million kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 8.11 million kWh (2007 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 15,550 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 76,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 21,850 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 72,440 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 83.07 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 2.96 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $-1.105 billion (2009 est.) $-1.932 billion (2008 est.) |
| Exports: | $6.768 billion (2009 est.) $7.848 billion (2008 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom |
| Exports - partners: | US 39.4%, El Salvador 12.6%, Honduras 9.5%, Mexico 6.6%, Nicaragua 4.2%, Costa Rica 4.1% (2008) |
| Imports: | $10.91 billion (2009 est.) $13.42 billion (2008 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity |
| Imports - partners: | US 36.7%, Mexico 9.7%, China 5.8%, El Salvador 4.8% (2008) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $4.709 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $4.471 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $7.489 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $6.5 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA |
| Exchange rates: | quetzales (GTQ) per US dollar - 8.1613 (2009), 7.5895 (2008), 7.6833 (2007), 7.6026 (2006), 7.6339 (2005) |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 1.449 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 65 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 14.949 million (2008) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala domestic: state-owned telecommunications company privatized in the late 1990s opening the way for competition; fixed-line teledensity 11 per 100 persons; fixed-line investments are being concentrated on improving rural connectivity; mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 100 per 100 persons international: country code - 502; landing point for both the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) 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) (2008) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .gt |
| Internet hosts: | 132,049 (2009) |
| Internet users: | 1.96 million (2008) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 371 (2009) country comparison to the world: 21 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2009) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 358 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 84 under 914 m: 270 (2009) |
| Pipelines: | oil 480 km (2008) |
| Railways: | total: 332 km narrow gauge: 332 km 0.914-m gauge (2008) |
| Roadways: | total: 14,095 km paved: 4,863 km (includes 75 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,232 km (2000) |
| Waterways: | 990 km note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2007) |
| Ports and terminals: | Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | National Army of Guatemala (Ejercito Nacional de Guatemala, ENG), Guatemalan Navy (Marina Nacional, includes Marines), Guatemalan Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Guatemalteca, FAG) (2009) |
| 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; women can serve as officers (2009) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 2,861,696 females age 16-49: 3,062,967 (2008 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 2,401,297 females age 16-49: 2,725,572 (2009 est.) |
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