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GuatemalaGuatemala:''For the city, see Guatemala City.'' The '''Republic of Guatemala''' is a country in Central America, in the south of the continent of North America, bordering both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, Belize to the northeast, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast. {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+<big><big>'''República de Guatemala'''</big></big> |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan=2 | {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" | align="center" width="140px" | Image:Guatemala flag large.png|125px|Flag of Guatemala | align="center" width="140px" | Image:GUAcoat.jpg|Guatemala Coat of Arms |- | align="center" width="140px" | (Flag of Guatemala|In Detail) | align="center" width="140px" | (Media:GUAcoat.jpg|Full size) |} |- | align="center" colspan=2 | <small>''National motto: None''</small> |- | align=center colspan=2 | image:LocationGuatemala.png|Location of Guatemala |- | '''Official language''' | Spanish language|Spanish |- | '''Capital''' | Guatemala City |- | '''President of Guatemala|President''' | Óscar José Rafael Berger Perdomo |- | '''Area'''<br> - Total <br> - % water | List of countries by area|Ranked 103rd <br> 1 E11 m²|108,890 km² <br> 0.4% |- | '''Population''' <br> - Total (2004) <br> - Density | List of countries by population|Ranked 62nd <br> 14,655,189 <br> 119/km² |- | '''Independence''' | September 15, 1821 |- | '''Currency''' | Quetzal (currency)|Quetzal |- | '''Time zone''' | UTC-6 |- | '''National anthem''' | ''Guatemala Feliz'' |- | '''Top-level domain|Internet TLD''' | .gt |- | '''List_of_country_calling_codes|Calling Code''' | 502 |} == History == ''Main article: History of Guatemala'' From the 4th century|4th to the 11th century, the lowlands area of the Peten region of Guatemala was the heart of the flourishing Maya civilization. After the collapse of the lowland states, the Maya states of the central highlands continued until conquered by the Spain|Spanish, who first arrived in 1523 and colonised the area. Alta Verapaz is known for the fact that after failing to conquer it by the sword the Spanish entered by the cross, with missionaries. Almost all Pre-Columbian Maya books were lost due to the policy of Spaniards during the colonial period of burning them. The Popol Vuh, a Pre-Columbian Maya creation story, is one that survived. Guatemala became independent of Spain in 1821, first as a part of the United Provinces of Central America. This confederation fell apart in a war from 1838 to 1840, and Guatemala became an independent nation. Guatemalan history has since been marked by revolutions, coups, non-democratic governments, and various interventions by the United States. The Central Intelligence Agency with virtually no support of Guatemalan society, orchestrated the overthrow of the democratic Guatemalan government in 1954, known as Operation PBSUCCESS. This led to a period of unrest in the nation in which over 100,000 Guatemalans were killed. A 36-year war between the guerrilla and the Guatemalan Government ended in 1996 with the signing of a peace treaty. Guatemalan political violence ended in 1983, leading to successive successful democratic elections from 1985 to date. The most recent democratic election was in 2003. Guatemala still has to build an operative democracy based on the rule of law, equality before the law and respect of individual rights. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of Guatemala'' Guatemala's unicameral parliament, the ''Congress of Guatemala|Congreso de la República'' (Congress of the Republic) with 158 seats, is elected every four years, concurrently with the presidential elections. The President of Guatemala acts as the head of state and head of government. In his executive tasks, he is assisted by a cabinet of ministers, which he appoints. ''See also:'' Guatemala election, 2003 == Departments == Image:GuatemalaProvs.PNG|right|250px|thumb|''The departments of Guatemala'' Guatemala is divided into 22 departments (''departamentos''): #Alta Verapaz #Baja Verapaz #Chimaltenango Department|Chimaltenango #Chiquimula Department|Chiquimula #El Petén #El Progreso Department|El Progreso #El Quiché #Escuintla Department|Escuintla #Guatemala Department|Guatemala #Huehuetenango Department|Huehuetenango #Izabal #Jalapa Department|Jalapa #Jutiapa Department|Jutiapa #Quetzaltenango Department|Quetzaltenango #Retalhuleu Department|Retalhuleu #Sacatepéquez #San Marcos Department|San Marcos #Santa Rosa Department, Guatemala|Santa Rosa #Sololá Department|Sololá #Suchitepequez Department|Suchitepequez #Totonicapán Department|Totonicapán #Zacapa Department|Zacapa == Geography == Image:Gt-map.jpg|framed|Map of Guatemala ''Main article: Geography of Guatemala'' Except for the coastal areas, Guatemala is mostly mountainous, with a hot tropical climate - more temperate in the highlands. Most of the major cities are situated in the southern half of the country; the major cities are the capital Guatemala City, Quetzaltenango and Escuintla. The large lake Lago de Izabal is situated close to the Caribbean coast. == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Guatemala'' The agricultural sector accounts for one-fourth of Gross Domestic Product|GDP, two-thirds of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products. Manufacturing and construction account for one-fifth of GDP. The signing of the peace accords in December 1996, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused relatively little damage to Guatemala compared to its neighbors. Remaining challenges include beefing up government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, and increasing the efficiency and openness of both government and private financial operations. Growth should remain at the same level in 2000 provided world agricultural prices do not plunge. == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Guatemala'' Ladinos (Mestizos and westernized Amerindians) comprise approximately 55% of all Guatemalans. The unassimilated Amerindians descendants of indigenous Maya people constitute 43% of the population. Whites and others account for the remaining 2%. African descendants also exist, especially along the Caribbean coast, most notably the Garifuna. Though most of Guatemala's population is rural, urbanization is accelerating. The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism, into which many indigenous Guatemalans have incorporated traditional forms of worship. Protestantism and traditional Maya religions are practiced by an estimated 40% and 1% of the population, respectively. Though the official language is Spanish language|Spanish, it is not universally understood among the indigenous population; various Maya languages are still spoken, especially in rural areas. The Peace Accords signed in December 1996 provide for the translation of some official documents and voting materials into several indigenous languages (see summary of main substantive accords). == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Guatemala'' Main influences of the Maya and Spanish colonists can still be seen throughout Guatemala. Much of the clothing and food is still made in the traditional Maya way, and many Maya ruins can be found. Along the Caribbean coast, influences of the African culture can be seen, heard and tasted in the religious ceremonial songs, the dances and food. In Mormonism|Mormon culture, Guatemala is the most popular traditional location of the Book of Mormon land of Lehi-Nephi, though this is not official doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS Church. The popular LDS tourism service, ''Israel Revealed'', has package tours that include various spots in Guatemala. ''See also:'' Music of Guatemala == Miscellaneous topics == {{commons|Guatemala}} *List of places in Guatemala *List of Guatemalans|List of famous Guatemalans *Communications in Guatemala *Transportation in Guatemala *Military of Guatemala *Foreign relations of Guatemala *List of national parks of Guatemala *Plan de Sánchez massacre == External links == *[http://www.congreso.gob.gt/ Congreso de la República] - Congress of the Republic of Guatemala (In Spanish) *[http://www.inguat.gob.gt Guatemala Institute of Tourism] *[http://www.mayaspirit.com.gt/ Maya Spirit] - (In Spanish) *[http://www.guatemalatravel.com/ Guatemala Travel] *[http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gt.html World Factbook entry for Guatemala] *[http://www.photoglobe.info/spc_guatemala_yucatan.html Guatemala from Space] *[http://web.amnesty.org/report2004/gtm-summary-eng Amnesty International Annual Report 2004 - Guatemala] *[http://www.guatemalainns.com/ Guatemala hotel listing and reservations (In English)] {{North_America}} Category:Central American countries Category:Guatemala ا ar:غواتيمال ca:Guatemala da:Guatemala de:Guatemala et:Guatemala es:Guatemala eo:Gvatemalo fr:Guatemala gl:Guatemala ko:과테말라 hr:Gvatemala id:Guatemala it:Guatemala he:גואטמלה lv:Gvatemala lt:Gvatemala ms:Guatemala nah:Kwawtemallan nl:Guatemala nds:Guatemala ja:グアテマラ no:Guatemala oc:Guatemala pl:Gwatemala pt:Guatemala ru:Гватемала sk:Guatemala sl:Gvatemala fi:Guatemala sv:Guatemala zh:危地马拉 zh-min-nan:Guatemala First page | Prev | Next | Last page | This article on Guatemala is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. 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