The Maya 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 internal conflict, which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, about 1 million refugees.

Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize

15 30 N, 90 15 W

Central America and the Caribbean

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

400 km

tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands

mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau

highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m (highest point in Central America)

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

arable land 14.2%; permanent crops 8.8%; permanent pasture 18.2%

3,375 sq km (2012)

the vast majority of the populace resides in the southern half of the country, particularly in the mountainous regions; more than half of the population lives in rural areas

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

deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution

no natural harbors on west coast

15,189,958 (July 2016 est.)

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)

Spanish (official) 60%, Amerindian languages 40%

Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs

Guatemala is a predominantly poor country that struggles in several areas of health and development, including infant, child, and maternal mortality, malnutrition, literacy, and contraceptive awareness and use. The country's large indigenous population is disproportionately affected. Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America and has the highest fertility rate in Latin America. It also has the highest population growth rate in Latin America, which is likely to continue because of its large reproductive-age population and high birth rate. Almost half of Guatemala's population is under age 19, making it the youngest population in Latin America. Guatemala's total fertility rate has slowly declined during the last few decades due in part to limited government-funded health programs. However, the birth rate is still more than three children per woman and is markedly higher among its rural and indigenous populations.

Guatemalans have a history of emigrating legally and illegally to Mexico, the United States, and Canada because of a lack of economic opportunity, political instability, and natural disasters. Emigration, primarily to the United States, escalated during the 1960 to 1996 civil war and accelerated after a peace agreement was signed. Thousands of Guatemalans who fled to Mexico returned after the war, but labor migration to southern Mexico continues.

1.79% (2016 est.)

24.5 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

-1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

the vast majority of the populace resides in the southern half of the country, particularly in the mountainous regions; more than half of the population lives in rural areas

GUATEMALA CITY (capital) 2.918 million (2015)

20.3

88 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

2.83 children born/woman (2016 est.)

6.2% of GDP (2014)

0.93 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

0.6 beds/1,000 population (2011)

urban: 98.4% of population

rural: 86.8% of population

total: 92.8% of population

urban: 1.6% of population

rural: 13.2% of population

total: 7.2% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 77.5% of population

rural: 49.3% of population

total: 63.9% of population

urban: 22.5% of population

rural: 50.7% of population

total: 36.1% of population (2015 est.)

0.57% (2015 est.)

54,600 (2015 est.)

1,700 (2015 est.)

16.4% (2014)

12.6% (2015)

3% of GDP (2015)

presidential republic

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

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

several previous; latest adopted 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; suspended, reinstated, and amended in 1994 (2016)

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces and police by law cannot vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day

Commitment, Renewal, and Order or CREO [Roberto GONZALEZ Diaz-Duran]

Convergence

Democratic Union or UD [Edwin Armando MARTINEZ Herrera]

Encounter for Guatemala or EG [Nineth MONTENEGRO Cottom]

Everyone Together for Guatemala or TODOS [Felipe ALEJOS]

FUERZA [Maurico REDFORD]

Grand National Alliance or GANA [Jaime Antonio MARTINEZ Lohayza]

Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or Winaq-URNG [Angel SANCHEZ Viesca]

Institutional Republican Party (formerly the Guatemalan Republican Front) or PRI [Luis Fernando PEREZ]

National Advancement Party or PAN [Juan GUTIERREZ Strauss]

National Unity for Hope or UNE [Sandra TORRES]

Nationalist Change Union or UCN [Mario ESTRADA]

National Convergence Front or FCN [Edgar Justino OVALLE Maldonado]

New National Alternative or ANN [Pablo MONSANTO]

Patriot Party or PP [Ingrid Roxana BALDETTI Elias]

Renewed Democratic Liberty or LIDER [Manuel BALDIZON]

Unionista Party or PU [Alvaro ARZU Irigoyen]

Victoria (Victory) [Amilcar RIVERA]

Vision with Values or VIVA [Harold CABALLEROS] (part of a coalition with EG during the last legislative election)

Alliance Against Impunity or AI (includes among others Center for Legal Action on Human Rights (CALDH), Family and Friends of the Disappeared of Guatemala (FAMDEGUA))

Civic and Political Convergence of Women

Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC

Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations or CACIF

Foundation for the Development of Guatemala or FUNDESA

Guatemala Visible

Mutual Support Group or GAM

Movimiento PRO-Justicia

National Union of Agriculture Workers or UNAGRO

BCIE, CACM, CD, CELAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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) representing liberty 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 signifying Guatemala's willingness to defend itself and a pair of crossed swords representing honor and framed by a laurel wreath symbolizing victory; the blue bands represent the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea; the white band denotes peace and purity

quetzal (bird); national colors: blue, white

Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America with a GDP per capita roughly half the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. The agricultural sector accounts for 13.6% of GDP and 31% of the labor force; key agricultural exports include sugar, coffee, bananas, and vegetables. Guatemala is the top remittance recipient in Central America as a result of Guatemala's large expatriate community in the US. These inflows are a primary source of foreign income, equivalent to over one-half of the country's exports or one-tenth of its GDP.

The 1996 peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, and since then Guatemala has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. The Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) entered into force in July 2006, spurring increased investment and diversification of exports, with the largest increases in ethanol and non-traditional agricultural exports. While CAFTA-DR has helped improve the investment climate, concerns over security, the lack of skilled workers, and poor infrastructure continue to hamper foreign direct investment.

The distribution of income remains highly unequal with the richest 20% of the population accounting for more than 51% of Guatemala's overall consumption. More than half of the population is below the national poverty line, and 23% of the population lives in extreme poverty. Poverty among indigenous groups, which make up more than 40% of the population, averages 79%, with 39.8% of the indigenous population living in extreme poverty. Nearly one-half of Guatemala's children under age five are chronically malnourished, one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world.

Guatemala is facing growing fiscal pressures exacerbated by multiple corruption scandals in 2015 that led to the resignation of the president, vice president, and numerous high-level economic officials.

$132.3 billion (2016 est.)

$127.9 billion (2015 est.)

$122.8 billion (2014 est.)

$68.39 billion (2015 est.)

3.5% (2016 est.)

4.1% (2015 est.)

4.2% (2014 est.)

$7,900 (2016 est.)

$7,900 (2015 est.)

$7,700 (2014 est.)

12.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

13.1% of GDP (2015 est.)

11.6% of GDP (2014 est.)

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

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

3.2% (2016 est.)

4.623 million (2016 est.)

2.9% (2014 est.)

3% (2013 est.)

59.3% (2014 est.)

53 (2014 est.)

56 (2011)

10.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

-1.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

27.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

28.8% of GDP (2015 est.)

calendar year

4.3% (2016 est.)

2.4% (2015 est.)

6.5% (31 December 2010)

13.2% (31 December 2016 est.)

13.23% (31 December 2015 est.)

$10.95 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$10.05 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$25.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$23.25 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$32.41 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$28.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$NA

-$323 million (2016 est.)

-$202 million (2015 est.)

$11.43 billion (2016 est.)

$10.83 billion (2015 est.)

sugar, coffee, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom, manufacturing products, precious stones and metals, electricity

US 34.9%, El Salvador 8.4%, Honduras 7.3%, Nicaragua 5%, Canada 4.6%, Mexico 4.3%, Costa Rica 4.1% (2015)

$16.76 billion (2016 est.)

$16.38 billion (2015 est.)

fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity, mineral products, chemical products, plastic materials and products

US 38.3%, China 13.4%, Mexico 11.8%, El Salvador 4.9% (2015)

$8.803 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$7.746 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$19.09 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$18.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

quetzales (GTQ) per US dollar -

7.648 (2016 est.)

7.6548 (2015 est.)

7.6548 (2014 est.)

7.7322 (2013 est.)

7.83 (2012 est.)

10 billion kWh (2014 est.)

8.915 billion kWh (2014 est.)

1.025 billion kWh (2014 est.)

664 million kWh (2014 est.)

3.73 million kW (2015 est.)

61.9% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

29.1% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

8.9% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

10,040 bbl/day (2015 est.)

8,711 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

83.07 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)

1,228 bbl/day (2015 est.)

87,840 bbl/day (2015 est.)

12,960 bbl/day (2015 est.)

100,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

2.96 billion cu m (1 January 2006 es)

13 million Mt (2013 est.)

4 privately owned national terrestrial TV channels dominate TV broadcasting; multi-channel satellite and cable services are available; 1 government-owned radio station and hundreds of privately owned radio stations (2007)

.gt

TG (2016)

291 (2013)

1 (2013)

oil 480 km (2013)

990 km (260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season) (2012)

National Army of Guatemala (Ejercito Nacional de Guatemala, ENG; includes Guatemalan Navy (Fuerza de Mar, including Marines) and Guatemalan Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Guatemalteca, FAG)) (2013)

all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are eligible for military service; in practice, most of the force is volunteer, however, a selective draft system is employed, resulting in a small portion of 17-21 year-olds conscripted; conscript service obligation varies from 1 to 2 years; women can serve as officers (2013)

0.42% of GDP (2014)

0.46% of GDP (2013)

0.44% of GDP (2012)

0.41% of GDP (2011)

0.42% of GDP (2010)

annual ministerial meetings under the Organization of American States-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; Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize, but agrees to Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior; both countries agreed in April 2012 to hold simultaneous referenda, scheduled for 6 October 2013, to decide whether to refer the dispute to the ICJ for binding resolution, but this vote was suspended indefinitely; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the US

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