2009 Edition

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.

Area

total: 108,889 sq km country comparison to the world: 106 land: 107,159 sq km water: 1,730 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Tennessee

Climate

tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands

Coastline

400 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

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

Geographic coordinates

15 30 N, 90 15 W

Geography - note

no natural harbors on west coast

Irrigated land

1,300 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 1,687 km border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km

Land use

arable land: 13.22% permanent crops: 5.6% other: 81.18% (2005)

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural hazards

numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms

Natural resources

petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower

Terrain

mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau

Total renewable water resources

111.3 cu km (2000)

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.)

Birth rate

27.98 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 55

Death rate

5.11 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 185

Education expenditures

2.6% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 154

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)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.8% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 61

HIV/AIDS - deaths

3,900 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 51

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

59,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 61

Infant mortality rate

total: 27.84 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 79 male: 30.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.29 years country comparison to the world: 142 male: 68.49 years female: 72.19 years (2009 est.)

Literacy

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

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)

Median age

total: 19.4 years male: 18.9 years female: 20 years (2009 est.)

Nationality

noun: Guatemalan(s) adjective: Guatemalan

Net migration rate

-2.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 140

Population

13,276,517 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 68

Population growth rate

2.066% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 55

Religions

Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 10 years (2006)

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.)

Total fertility rate

3.47 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 58

Urbanization

urban population: 49% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 3.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

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

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

Constitution

31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; suspended 25 May 1993; reinstated 5 June 1993; amended November 1993

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala conventional short form: Guatemala local long form: Republica de Guatemala local short form: Guatemala

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

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

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

FAX

[1] (202) 745-1908 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, Providence, San Francisco

[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) 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 and a pair of crossed swords and framed by a wreath

Government type

constitutional democratic republic

Independence

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

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, RG, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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)

Legal system

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

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 [Alfredo VILLA]; 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

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

Agriculture - products

sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens

Budget

revenues: $4.693 billion expenditures: $5.338 billion (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate

NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate

13.39% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 63 12.84% (31 December 2007)

Current account balance

-$1.932 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 137 -$1.754 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$6.5 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 98 $5.908 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

55.1 (2007) country comparison to the world: 13 55.8 (1998)

Economy - overview

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, two-fifths of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products, with sugar exports benefiting from increased global demand for ethanol. 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 and has since spurred increased investment in the export sector, but concerns over security, the lack of skilled workers and poor infrastructure continued to hamper foreign participation. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with more than half of the population below the national poverty line. Other ongoing challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, curtailing drug trafficking and rampant crime, and narrowing the trade deficit. 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 will slow in 2009 as export demand from US and other Central American markets drop and foreign investment slows amid the global slowdown.

Electricity - consumption

7.115 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 96

Electricity - exports

131.9 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports

8.11 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

8.425 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 97

Exchange rates

quetzales (GTQ) per US dollar - 7.5895 (2008 est.), 7.6833 (2007), 7.6026 (2006), 7.6339 (2005), 7.9465 (2004)

Exports

$7.848 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 95 $7.012 billion (2007 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)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 13.1% industry: 25% services: 61.9% (2008 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$5,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 136 $5,200 (2007 est.) $5,000 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 103 6.3% (2007 est.) 5.4% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$38.98 billion (2008 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$68.75 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 81 $66.1 billion (2007 est.) $62.18 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 42.4% (2006)

Imports

$13.42 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 87 $12.48 billion (2007 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)

Industrial production growth rate

1.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 118

Industries

sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

11.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 163 6.8% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

18.6% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 126

Labor force

4.056 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 87

Labor force - by occupation

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

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 177

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 72

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 173

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 102

Natural gas - proved reserves

2.96 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 93

Oil - consumption

76,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 85

Oil - exports

21,850 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 89

Oil - imports

72,440 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 77

Oil - production

15,550 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 78

Oil - proved reserves

83.07 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 71

Population below poverty line

56.2% (2004 est.)

Public debt

25.7% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 80 32% of GDP (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$4.471 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 $4.139 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$14.82 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 67 $13.96 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$6.106 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 51 $6.227 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$9.7 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 51 $8.928 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

3.2% (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 36

Internet country code

.gt

Internet hosts

132,049 (2009) country comparison to the world: 69

Internet users

1.96 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 70

Radio broadcast stations

AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000)

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)

Telephones - main lines in use

1.449 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 65

Telephones - mobile cellular

14.949 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 42

Television broadcast stations

26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997)

Airports

371 (2009) 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 (2009)

Airports - with 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)

Ports and terminals

Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla

Railways

total: 332 km country comparison to the world: 120 narrow gauge: 332 km 0.914-m gauge (2008)

Roadways

total: 14,095 km country comparison to the world: 124 paved: 4,863 km (includes 75 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,232 km (2000)

Waterways

990 km country comparison to the world: 66 note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2007)

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.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 165,910 female: 163,760 (2009 est.)

Military branches

Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force

Military expenditures

0.4% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 165

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 (2008)

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; the Line of Adjacency created under the 2002 Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous international boundary to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; 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

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 page last updated on November 11, 2009

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Guatemala is a source, transit, and destination country for Guatemalans and Central Americans trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; human trafficking is a significant and growing problem in the country; Guatemalan women and children are trafficked within the country for commercial sexual exploitation, primarily to Mexico and the United States; Guatemalan men, women, and children are also trafficked within the country, and to Mexico and the United States, for forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, Guatemala is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons, particularly with respect to ensuring that trafficking offenders are appropriately prosecuted for their crimes; while prosecutors initiated trafficking prosecutions, they continued to face problems in court with application of Guatemala's comprehensive anti-trafficking law; the government made modest improvements to its protection efforts, but assistance remained inadequate overall in 2007 (2008)