Guatemala
Republic of GuatemalaRepublica de Guatemala
constitutional democratic republicIndependence 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Guatemala as the 2008 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 136 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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
Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize
20 fieldsLand useshare of 108,890 sq km
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
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 2.01 cu km/yr (6%/13%/80%)
- per capita:
- 160 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards
numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms
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
People
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2008 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2008 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2001 census)
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 (2008 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- intermediate
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- vectorborne disease:
- dengue fever and malaria (2008)
Languages
Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)
Government
Constitutional democratic republic; President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008); President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica, 158 seats, elected 9 September 2007one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Guatemala
- conventional short form:
- Guatemala
- local long form:
- Republica de Guatemala
- local short form:
- Guatemala
Capital
- name:
- Guatemala
- 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
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 Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008);
- Vice President 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 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 [Alfredo VILLA]; Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Hector NUILA];
Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Ruben Dario MORALES]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Alvaro COLOM Caballeros]; Patriot Party or PP [Ret. Gen. Otto PEREZ Molina]; Unionista Party or PU [Fritz GARCIA]; Unity of National Change or UCN [Sidney SHAW]
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, RG, UN, 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:
- Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, 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) 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
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.
49 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2007 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
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. On 1 July 2006, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) entered into force between the US and Guatemala and has since spurred increased investment in the export sector.
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 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.
Agriculture - products
sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens
Imports - commodities
fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity
Exchange rates
quetzales (GTQ) per US dollar - 7.6833 (2007), 7.6026 (2006), 7.6339 (2005), 7.9465 (2004), 7.9409 (2003)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone 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;
- mobile-cellular teledensity 80 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)
Transportation
8 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Waterways
990 km note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2007)
Military
Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force
6 fieldsMilitary 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 (2007)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49:
- 2,861,696
- females age 16-49:
- 3,062,967 (2008 est.)
Transnational Issues
4 fieldsDisputes - 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
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)
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)
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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Guatemala.” The World Factbook 2008. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/guatemala/2008.