General Information about Guatemala

• 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.    
• 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   
• Area:    total: 108,890 sq km land: 108,430 sq km water: 460 sq km  Area - comparative:   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   
• Climate:   tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands  - known as “Land of Eternal Spring” 
• 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)   
• Environment - current issues:   deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution   
• Environment - 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 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements   
• Population:    12,728,111 (July 2007 est.)   
• Population growth rate:   2.152% (2007 est.)   
• Nationality:   noun: Guatemalan(s) adjective: Guatemalan slang: Chapin(es)   
• 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)   
• Government type:   constitutional democratic republic   
• 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; 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; 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 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 2007)  
• Election results: Oscar BERGER Perdomo elected president; percent of vote - Oscar BERGER Perdomo 54.1%, Alvarado COLOM 45.9%  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 November 2003 (next to be held in September 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GANA 49, FRG 41, UNE 33, PAN 17, other 18  note: in the 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); 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)  
• Diplomatic representation in the US:   chief of mission: Ambassador Guillermo CASTILLO chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952 FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908  
• Consulate(s) general: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Providence, San Francisco   
• Diplomatic representation from the US:   chief of mission: Ambassador James M. DERHAM embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City mailing address: APO AA 34024 telephone: [502] 2326-4000 FAX: [502] 2326-4654   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-fifths 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, and Guatemala since then has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. On 1 July 2006, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) entered in to force between the US and Guatemala. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with about 56% 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. Remittances from a large expatriate community that moved to the United States during the war have become the primary source of foreign income, exceeding the total value of exports and tourism combined.   GDP (purchasing power parity):    $61.38 billion (2006 est.)  GDP (official exchange rate):   $35.25 billion (2006 est.)  GDP - real growth rate:    4.6% (2006 est.)  GDP - per capita (PPP):    $5,000 (2006 est.)  GDP - composition by sector:   agriculture: 22.1% industry: 19.1% services: 58.7% (2006 est.)   
• Labor force:    5.02 million (2005 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.)   
• Inflation rate (consumer prices):    5.8% (2006)   
• Agriculture - products:   sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens  Industries:   sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism   
• Exports - commodities:   coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom   
• Exports - partners:   US 45.2%, El Salvador 12.1%, Honduras 7.3% (2006)   
• Imports - commodities:   fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity   
• Imports - partners:   US 31.3%, Mexico 7.9%, China 6.1%, El Salvador 5%, South Korea 5%, Panama 4.6% (2006)   
• Exchange rates:   quetzales per US dollar - 7.6026 (2006), 7.6339 (2005), 7.9465 (2004), 7.9409 (2003), 7.8217 (2002)   
• Internet hosts:    49,026 (2006)   
• Internet users:  756,000 (2005)