Guatemala

Guatemala

Introduction

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.

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

Geographic coordinates

15 30 N, 90 15 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total: 108,889 sq km
country comparison to the world: 107 land:107,159 sq km
water:1,730 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

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
note:highest point in Central America

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

2,000 sq km (2008)

Total renewable water resources

111.3 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 2.01cu km/yr (6%/13%/80%)
per capita:160cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes

Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms
volcanism:Guatemala experiences significant volcanic activity in the Sierra Madre range

Santa Maria (elev. 3,772 m) has been deemed a “Decade Volcano” by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations

Pacaya (elev. 2,552 m), which erupted in May 2010 causing an ashfall on Guatemala City and prompting evacuations, is one of the country’s most active volcanoes

the volcano has frequently been in eruption since 1965

other historically active volcanoes include Acatenango, Almolonga, Atitlan, Fuego, and Tacana

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

Geography – note

no natural harbors on west coast

People and Society

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)

Languages

Spanish (official) 60%, Amerindian languages 40%
note:there are 23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca

Religions

Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs

Population

13,824,463 (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69

Age structure

0-14 years: 38.1% (male 2,678,340/female 2,582,472)
15-64 years:58% (male 3,889,573/female 4,130,698)
65 years and over:3.9% (male 252,108/female 291,272) (2011 est.)

Median age

total: 20 years
male:19.4 years
female:20.7 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate

1.986% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53

Birth rate

26.96 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48

Death rate

4.98 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186

Net migration rate

-2.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165

Urbanization

urban population: 49% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization:3.4% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major cities – population

GUATEMALA CITY (capital) 1.075 million (2009)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:1.04 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 (2011 est.)

Maternal mortality rate

110 deaths/100,000 live births (2008)
country comparison to the world: 65

Infant mortality rate

total: 26.02 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 78 male:28.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female:23.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.88 years
country comparison to the world: 142 male:69.03 years
female:72.83 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.27 children born/woman (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50

Health expenditures

5.7% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 120

Physicians density

0.9 physicians/1,000 population (1999)
country comparison to the world: 107

Hospital bed density

0.6 beds/1,000 population (2009)
country comparison to the world: 163

Drinking water source

improved:
urban: 98% of population
rural: 90% of population
total: 94% of population
unimproved:
urban: 2% of population
rural: 10% of population
total: 6% of population (2008)

Sanitation facility access

improved:
urban: 89% of population
rural: 73% of population
total: 81% of population
unimproved:
urban: 11% of population
rural: 27% of population
total: 19% of population (2008)

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate

0.8% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS

62,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53

HIV/AIDS – deaths

2,600 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases:bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease:dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease:leptospirosis (2009)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

17.7% (2002)
country comparison to the world: 42

Education expenditures

3.2% of GDP (2008)
country comparison to the world: 125

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:69.1%
male:75.4%
female:63.3% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 11 years
male:11 years
female:10 years (2007)

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)

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

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration

non-party state to the ICCt

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
(For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections:president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms)

election last held on 9 September 2007

runoff held on 4 November 2007 (next to be held in 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 elected through a party list proportional representation system)
elections:last held on 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 by Congress for concurrent five-year terms)

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (13 members are elected by Congress to 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 [Feliz Adolfo RUANO de Leon]

Democracy Front or FRENTE [Alfonso CABRERA]

Democratic Union or UD [Edwin Armando MARTINEZ Herrera]

Encounter for Guatemala or EG [Nineth MONTENGRO]

Grand National Alliance or GANA [Jaime Antonio MARTINEZ Lohayza]

Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Hector Alfredo NUILA Ericastilla]

Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Luis Fernando PEREZ]

Independent Bloc Guatemala or BG [Macario Efrain OLIVA Muralles]

Independent Democratic Freedom Renewed or LIDER [Manuel BALDIZON]

National Advancement Party or PAN [Juan GUTIERREZ]

National Unity for Hope or UNE [Roberto KESTLER Velasquez]

Nationalist Change Union or UCN [Mario ESTRADA]

Patriot Party or PP [Ingrid Roxana BALDETTI Elias]

Unionista Party or PU [Alvaro ARZU Irigoyen]

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

International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala or CICIG

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, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG, SICA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Julio Armando MARTINI Herrera
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

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) 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

National symbol(s)

quetzal (bird)

National anthem

name: “Himno Nacional de Guatemala” (National Anthem of Guatemala)
lyrics/music:Jose Joaquin PALMA/Rafael Alvarez OVALLE
note:adopted 1897, modified lyrics adopted 1934

Cuban poet Jose Joaquin PALMA anonymously submitted lyrics to a public contest calling for a national anthem

his authorship was not discovered until 1911

Economy

Economy – overview

Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. The agricultural sector accounts for nearly 15% of GDP and half of the labor force

key agricultural exports include coffee, sugar, and bananas. The 1996 peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, and since then Guatemala has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. The Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) 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-DR has helped improve the investment climate, concerns over security, the lack of skilled workers and poor infrastructure continue to hamper foreign direct investment. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with the richest 10% of the population accounting for more than 40% of Guatemala’s overall consumption. More than half of the population is below the national poverty line and 15% lives in extreme poverty. Poverty among indigenous groups, which make up 38% of the population, averages 76% and extreme poverty rises to 28%. 43% of children under five are chronically malnourished, one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world. President COLOM entered into office with the promise to increase education, healthcare, and rural development, and in April 2008 he inaugurated a conditional cash transfer program, modeled after programs in Brazil and Mexico, that provide financial incentives for poor families to keep their children in school and get regular health check-ups. 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 or one-tenth of GDP. Economic growth fell in 2009 as export demand from US and other Central American markets fell and foreign investment slowed amid the global recession, but the economy recovered gradually in 2010 and will likely return to more normal growth rates by 2012. President COLOM, in his last year in office, will likely face opposition to economic reform, particularly over a long-delayed tax reform and an IMF-recommended reform to strengthen the banking sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$70.15 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82 $68.36 billion (2009 est.)
$68 billion (2008 est.)
note:data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate)

$41.47 billion (2010 est.)

GDP – real growth rate

2.6% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136 0.5% (2009 est.)
3.3% (2008 est.)

GDP – per capita (PPP)

$5,200 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145 $5,100 (2009 est.)
$5,200 (2008 est.)
note:data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP – composition by sector

agriculture: 13.2%
industry:23.8%
services:63% (2010 est.)

Labor force

4.146 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87

Labor force – by occupation

agriculture: 50%
industry:15%
services:35% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate

3.2% (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25

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)
country comparison to the world: 12 55.8 (1998)

Investment (gross fixed)

15.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164

Budget

revenues: $4.644 billion
expenditures:$6.005 billion (2010 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

11.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-3.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103

Public debt

29.7% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92 28.2% of GDP (2009 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.9% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127 1.9% (2009 est.)

Central bank discount rate

6.5% (31 December 2010 est.)
NA% (31 December 2009 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

13.34% (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73 13.85% (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$6.806 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81 $5.994 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$25.54 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79 $22.39 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$15.94 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88 $14.47 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

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

3.2% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110

Electricity – production

8.395 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95

Electricity – consumption

7.108 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98

Electricity – exports

76 million kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity – imports

71 million kWh (2008 est.)

Oil – production

13,070 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80

Oil – consumption

71,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89

Oil – exports

15,300 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91

Oil – imports

78,550 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76

Oil – proved reserves

83.07 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74

Natural gas – production

0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191

Natural gas – consumption

0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184

Natural gas – exports

0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108

Natural gas – imports

0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129

Natural gas – proved reserves

2.96 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94

Current account balance

-$878.3 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128 -$51.8 million (2009 est.)

Exports

$8.566 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94 $7.295 billion (2009 est.)

Exports – commodities

coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom

Exports – partners

US 36.8%, El Salvador 10.3%, Honduras 8.8%, Mexico 7.5% (2010)

Imports

$12.86 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83 $10.64 billion (2009 est.)

Imports – commodities

fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity

Imports – partners

US 34.6%, Mexico 11.8%, China 7.9%, El Salvador 5.3% (2010)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$5.646 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84 $4.973 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Debt – external

$15.75 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80 $13.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Exchange rates

quetzales (GTQ) per US dollar -
8.0798 (2010)
8.1616 (2009)
7.5895 (2008)
7.6833 (2007)
7.6026 (2006)

Transportation

Airports

372 (2010)
country comparison to the world:21

Airports – with 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 (2010)

Airports – with unpaved runways

total: 359
2,438 to 3,047 m:1
1,524 to 2,437 m:3
914 to 1,523 m:84
under 914 m:271 (2010)

Pipelines

oil 480 km (2010)

Railways

total: 332 km
country comparison to the world: 118 narrow gauge:332 km 0.914-m gauge (2009)

Roadways

total: 14,095 km
country comparison to the world: 123 paved:4,863 km (includes 75 km of expressways)
unpaved:9,232 km (2001)

Waterways

990 km (260 km navigable year round

additional 730 km navigable during high-water season) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 66

Ports and terminals

Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla

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: 3,165,870
females age 16-49:3,371,217 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 2,590,843
females age 16-49:2,926,544 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 171,092
female:168,151 (2010 est.)

Military expenditures

0.4% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 164

Transnational Issues

Disputes – international

annual ministerial meetings under the OAS-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea

Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize, but agrees to Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize’s forested interior

Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs: undetermined (the UN does not estimate there are any IDPs, although some NGOs estimate over 200,000 IDPs as a result of over three decades of internal conflict that ended in 1996) (2007)

Illicit drugs

major transit country for cocaine and heroin

in 2005, cultivated 100 hectares of opium poppy after reemerging as a potential source of opium in 2004

potential production of less than 1 metric ton of pure heroin

marijuana cultivation for mostly domestic consumption

proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs (particularly for cocaine)

money laundering is a serious problem

corruption is a major problem