1987 Edition

Boundary disputes

none; claims Belize

Climate

tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to February)

tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands

temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast

Coastline

400 km

50 km

Comparative area

about the size of Tennessee

slightly larger than Washington, D.C.

Continental shelf

not specific

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

frequent devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal flooding (especially in south); deforestation

numerous volcanoes in mountains with frequent violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

large, deepwater harbor at St. Peter Port

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Land boundaries

1,625 km total

Land use

2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 2% meadows and pastures; 44% forest and woodland; 52% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

12% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 12% meadows and pastures; 40% forest and woodland; 32% other; includes 1% irrigated

NA% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and pastures; NA% forest and woodland; NA% other; about 50% cultivated

Special notes

national capital moved 80 km inland from Belize City to Belmopan because of hurricanes; only country in Central America without a coastline on the

no natural harbors on west coast

52km west of France

Terrain

flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south

mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau (Petén)

mostly level with low hills in southwest

Territorial sea

12 nm

3 nm

Total area

100 km Behia de Amatique hago de . frabal, Santo Tomas de Castille (GUATEMALA Cobén * “Hushuatenango Quezattenango

108,890 km?; land area: 108,430 km?

194 km?; land area: 194 km?

Ethnic divisions

56% Ladino (mestizo and westernized Indian), 44% Indian

UK and Norman-French descent

Infant mortality rate

66/1,000 (1982)

Language

Spanish, but over 40% of the population speaks an Indian language as a primary tongue (18 Indian dialects, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi)

English, French; NormanFrench dialect spoken in country districts

Life expectancy

60

Literacy

50% Labor force (1985): 2.5 million; 57.0% agriculture, 14.0% manufacturing, 13.0% services, 7.0% commerce, 4.0% construction, 3.0% transport, 0.8% utilities, 0.4% mining; unemployment and underemployment 40%

universal education

Nationality

noun—Guatemalan(s); adjective—Guatemalan

noun—Channel Islander(s); adjective—Channel Islander

Organized labor

10% of labor force (1986)

Population

8,622,387 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.45%

52,947 (July 1987), average annual growth rate -0.12%

Religion

predominantly Roman Catholic; also Protestant, traditional Mayan

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist

Administrative divisions

22 departments

10 douzaines or parishes

Branches

traditionally dominant executive; new 100-member congress installed 14 January 1986; power vested in Office of President; seven-member (minimum) Supreme Court

the Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief is the personal representative of the Crown and is entitled to sit and speak in the States of Deliberation (parliament); parliament is composed of the Bailiff (President ex officio), 12 Conseillers, 2 nonvoting Law Officers of the Crown, 33 popularly elected People’s Deputies, 10 Douzaine Representatives, 2 representatives of the States of Alderney; States of Election (electoral college) elects Jurats and Conseillers—it is composed of the Bailiff, 12 Jurats, 12 Conseillers, 2 Law Officers, 38 People’s Deputies, 34 Douzaine Representatives, and 4 Alderney representatives (for election of Conseillers only); Alderney has its own popularly elected President and States (12 members) and its own Court; Sark has mixture of feudal and popular government

Capital

St. Peter Port

Communists

Guatemalan Labor Party (PGT); main radical left guerrilla groups— Guerrilla Army of the Poor (EGP), Revolutionary Organization of the People in Arms (ORPA), Rebel Armed Forces (FAR), and PGT Dissidents

none

Elections

last congressional election held 3 November 1985; presidential runoff election held 8 December 1985 Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Party (DCG), Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo; National Centrist Union (UCN), Jorge Carpio Nicolle; National Liberation Movement (MLN), Mario Sandoval Alarcén; Institutional Democratic Party (PID) in coalition with MLN; People’s Democratic Force (FDP) in coalition with MLN; Democratic Party of National Cooperation (PDCN), Jorge Serrano Elias; Revolutionary Party (PR) in coalition with PDCN; Social Democratic Party (PSD), Mario Solarzano Martinez; National Renewal Party (PNR), Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre; National Authentic Center (CAN), Mario David Garcia; AntiCommunist Democratic Front (DUA) in coalition with PUA; emerging Movement for Harmony (MEC) in coalition with PUA; 14 political groups participated in national election for a civilian president, congress, and mayoralties; in runoff elections between Vinicio Cerezo (DCG) and Jorge Carpio (UCN), Cerezo won by a 2 to I margin

Government leader

Marco Vinicio CEREZO Arévalo, President (since January 1986)

Government leaders

Lt. Gen. Sir Alexander BOSWELL, Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief (since 1985); Sir Charles FROSSARD, Bailiff and President of the States (since 1982)

Legal system

civil law system; constitution came into effect 1966 but suspended following March 1982 coup; Constituent Assembly elected in July 1984 completed drafting new constitution and other electoral laws in June 1985; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court

Member of

CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank IFAD, 1FC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, 180, ITU, 1WC—International Wheat Council, OAS, ODECA, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPEB, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO ’

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September

Official name

Republic of Guatemala

Bailiwick of Guernsey

Other political or pressure groups

Federated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACIF), Mutual Support Group (GAM)

Suffrage

universal over age 18, compulsory for literates, optional for illiterates Guatemala (continued)

universal adult over 18

Type

republic Capital; Guatemala

independent British crown dependency

Voting strength

(November 1985) DCG, 38.65%; UCN, 20.23%; PDCN/PR, 13.78%; MLN/PID, 12.56%; CAN, 6.28%; PSD, 3.41%; PNR, 3.15%; PUA/FUN/MEC, 1.91%; (December 1985) DCB SI seats, UCN 22 seats, MLN 12 seats, PDCN/PR 11 seats, PSD 2 seats, PNR 1 seat, CAN I seat

Agriculture

coffee, cotton, corn, beans, sugarcane, bananas, livestock; an illegal producer of opium poppy and cannabis

principal crops—tomatoes and flowers (mostly grown under glass); sweet peppers, eggplant, plants, other vegetables and fruit; Guernsey cattle

Aid

US, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $432 million; from other Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-84), $6.7 billion

Budget

expenditures, $1.710 billion; revenues, $975 million (1986 est.)

total revenues for Guernsey and Alderney, 63,836 million pounds; total expenditures for Guernsey and Alderney, 65,708 million pounds (1983)

Electric power

878,000 kW capacity; 2.250 million kWh produced, 260 kWh per capita (1986)

160,000 kW capacity; 510 million kWh produced, 9,620 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$1.2 billion (f.0.b., 1985); coffee, cotton, sugar, bananas, meat

tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables, plants

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fiseal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 4,300 metric tons (1982)

GDP

$9.2 billion (1985), $1,120 per capita; 26% commerce, 25% agriculture, 9% financial services, 7% transportation and communication, 6% government, 27% other; average annual real growth rate 5.7% (1975-80); real growth rate 0.0% (1986)

Imports

$1.3 billion (c.i.f., 1985); manufactured products, machinery, transportation equipment, chemicals, fuels

coal, gasoline and oil

Major industries

food processing, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, nonmetallic minerals, metals

tourism, banking

Major trade partners

exports (1985)— 85% US, 17% El Salvador, 6% Honduras, 5% Costa Rica; imports (1983)—33% US, 10% El Salvador, 8% Netherland Antilles, 7% Mexico, 7% Venezuela

UK (regarded as internal trade)

Military transfers

US (FY70-85), $22 million

Monetary conversion rate

1 quetzal=US$1 (official, November 1986); 3.30 quetzals=US$1 (unofficial, December 1985)

0.70 pound sterling=US$1 (November 1986)

Natural resources

oil, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle

Airfields

501 total, 455 usable; 11 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 23 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Highways

26,429 km total; 2,868 km paved, 11,421 km gravel, and 12,140 unimproved

Inland waterways

260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season

Pipelines

crude oil, 275 km

Ports

2 major (El Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla), 3 minor Civil] air: 10 major transport aircraft

St. Peter Port, St. Sampson Airfield; 1 total, 1 usable with permanentsurface runway, 1,463 m (La Villiaze)

Railroads

870 km 0.914-meter gauge, single track; 780 km government owned, 90 km privately owned

none

Telecommunications

fairly modern network centered on Guatemala; 97,670 telephones (1.6 per 100 popl.); 91 AM, 13 shortwave, 24 TV stations; connection into Central American microwave net; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station

1 AM radio station, which broadcasts 24 hours a week; 1 TV station with 4 channels; 41,900 telephones (74.8 per 100 popl.)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Military budget

proposed for fiscal year ending 31 December 1987, $269.3 million; 10.5% of central government budget Guernsey Burhow OF Alderney English Channel St. Sampson Herm | Yethou Brecqhou? Little Serk™. Sark

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,989,000; 1,295,000 fit for military service; 94,000 reach military age (18) annually