Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
:Guatemala Geography
Total area:
108,890 km2
Land area:
108,430 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
1,687 km; Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km
Coastline:
400 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
not specific
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
claims Belize, but boundary negotiations to resolve the dispute have begun
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands
Terrain:
mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau
(Peten)
Natural resources:
crude oil, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle
Land use:
arable land 12%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 12%; forest and
woodland 40%; other 32%; includes irrigated 1%
Environment:
numerous volcanoes in mountains, with frequent violent earthquakes;
Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms;
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
Note:
no natural harbors on west coast
:Guatemala People
Population:
9,784,275 (July 1992), growth rate 2.4% (1992)
Birth rate:
34 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
56 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
61 years male, 66 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.6 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Guatemalan(s); adjective - Guatemalan
Ethnic divisions:
Ladino (mestizo - mixed Indian and European ancestry) 56%, Indian 44%
Religions:
predominantly Roman Catholic; also Protestant, traditional Mayan
Languages:
Spanish, but over 40% of the population speaks an Indian language as a
primary tongue (18 Indian dialects, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi)
Literacy:
55% (male 63%, female 47%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
2,500,000; agriculture 60%, services 13%, manufacturing 12%, commerce 7%,
construction 4%, transport 3%, utilities 0.8%, mining 0.4% (1985)
Organized labor:
8% of labor force (1988 est.)
:Guatemala Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Guatemala
Type:
republic
Capital:
Guatemala
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)
Constitution:
31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986
Legal system:
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Executive branch:
president, vice president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Jorge SERRANO Elias (since 14 January 1991); Vice President
Gustavo ESPINA Salguero (since 14 January 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
National Centrist Union (UCN), Jorge CARPIO Nicolle; Solidarity Action
Movement (MAS), Jorge SERRANO Elias; Christian Democratic Party (DCG),
Alfonso CABRERA Hidalgo; National Advancement Party (PAN), Alvaro ARZU
Irigoyen; National Liberation Movement (MLN), Mario SANDOVAL Alarcon; Social
Democratic Party (PSD), Mario SOLARZANO Martinez; Popular Alliance 5 (AP-5),
Max ORLANDO Molina; Revolutionary Party (PR), Carlos CHAVARRIA; National
Authentic Center (CAN), Hector MAYORA Dawe; Democratic Institutional Party
(PID), Oscar RIVAS; Nationalist United Front (FUN), Gabriel GIRON;
Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG), Efrain RIOS Montt
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
Congress:
last held on 11 November 1990 (next to be held 11 November 1995); results -
UCN 25.6%, MAS 24.3%, DCG 17. 5%, PAN 17.3%, MLN 4.8%, PSD/AP-5 3.6%, PR
2.1%; seats - (116 total) UCN 38, DCG 27, MAS 18, PAN 12, Pro - Rios Montt
10, MLN 4, PR 1, PSD/AP-5 1, independent 5
President:
runoff held on 11 January 1991 (next to be held 11 November 1995); results -
Jorge SERRANO Elias (MAS) 68.1%, Jorge CARPIO Nicolle (UCN) 31.9%
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
:Guatemala Government
Other political or pressure groups:
Federated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACIF), Mutual Support Group
(GAM), Unity for Popular and Labor Action (UASP), Agrarian Owners Group
(UNAGRO), Committee for Campesino Unity (CUC)
Member of:
BCIE, CACM, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU,
LAES, LAIA, LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Juan Jose CASO-FANJUL; Chancery at 2220 R Street NW, Washington,
DC 20008; telephone (202) 745-4952 through 4954; there are Guatemalan
Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New
York, and San Francisco
US:
Ambassador Thomas F. STROOCK; Embassy at 7-01 Avenida de la Reforma, Zone
10, Guatemala City (mailing address is APO AA 34024); telephone [502] (2)
31-15-41
Flag:
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
:Guatemala Economy