Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala

Guatemala Basics
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Guatemala at a Glance

Source: CIA World Fact-book, January 2006; State Department, August 2004

Geography
Area: 108,780 sq. km. (42,000 sq. mi.); about the size of Tennessee.
Cities: Capital--Guatemala City (metro area pop. 2.5 million).
Other major cities--Quetzaltenango, Escuintla, Huehuetenango, Coban
Terrain: Mountainous, with fertile coastal plain.
Climate: Temperate in highlands; tropical on coasts.

People
Population: 14,280,596 (July 2004 est.) Annual population growth rate: 2.6%.
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Spanish-Indian), Indigenous.
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, traditional Mayan.
Languages: Spanish, 24 Indigenous languages (principally K’iche, Kaqchikel, Q'eqchi, Mam).
Education: Years compulsory--6. Attendance--41%. Literacy--55.6%.
Work force (50% of the population engages in some form of agriculture, often at the subsistence level outside the monetized economy)
Infant mortality rate: total – 36.91 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population – 65.19 years

Government
Type: Constitutional Democratic Republic.
Constitution: May 1985; amended November1994.
Independence: September 15, 1821.
Branches: Executive--president (4-year term). Legislative--unicameral 158 member Congress (4-year term). Judicial--13-member Supreme Court of Justice (5-year term).
Subdivisions: 22 departments (appointed governors); 331 municipalities with elected mayors and city councils.
Major political parties: Great National Alliance (GANA--a coalition of three parties), Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG), National Advancement Party (PAN), National Unity for Hope (UNE), New Nation Alliance (ANN), Unionists (PU).
Suffrage: Universal for adults 18 and over. A variety of procedural obstacles have historically reduced participation by poor, rural, and indigenous people.

Economy
GDP (2005 est.): $62.78 billion PPP
Annual growth rate (2005 est.): 3.1%.
Per capita GDP (2005 est.): $4,300 PPP.
External Debt (2005 est.): $5.503 billion
Natural resources: Oil, timber, nickel, rare woods, chicle.
Agriculture (22% of GDP): -Exports: coffee, sugar, bananas, cardamom, vegetables, flowers and plants, timber, rice, rubber.
Manufacturing (13% of GDP): - clothing and textiles, construction materials, pharmaceuticals.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gt.html

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print \| close window Guatemala Basics ............................................................................................ Guatemala at a Glance Source: CIA World Fact-book, January 2006; State Department, August 2004 Geography Area: 108,780 sq. km. (42,000 sq. mi.); about the size of Tennessee. Cities: Capital--Guatemala City (metro area pop. 2.5 million). Other major cities--Quetzaltenango, Escuintla, Huehuetenango, Coban Terrain: Mountainous, with fertile coastal plain. Climate: Temperate in highlands; tropical on coasts. People Population: 14,280,596 (July 2004 est.) Annual population growth rate: 2.6%. Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Spanish-Indian), Indigenous. Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, traditional Mayan. Languages: Spanish, 24 Indigenous languages (principally K’iche, Kaqchikel, Q'eqchi, Mam). Education: Years compulsory--6. Attendance--41%. Literacy--55.6%. Work force (50% of the population engages in some form of agriculture, often at the subsistence level outside the monetized economy) Infant mortality rate: total – 36.91 deaths/1,000 live births Life expectancy at birth: total population – 65.19 years Government Type: Constitutional Democratic Republic. Constitution: May 1985; amended November1994. Independence: September 15, 1821. Branches: Executive--president (4-year term). Legislative--unicameral 158 member Congress (4-year term). Judicial--13-member Supreme Court of Justice (5-year term). Subdivisions: 22 departments (appointed governors); 331 municipalities with elected mayors and city councils. Major political parties: Great National Alliance (GANA--a coalition of three parties), Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG), National Advancement Party (PAN), National Unity for Hope (UNE), New Nation Alliance (ANN), Unionists (PU). Suffrage: Universal for adults 18 and over. A variety of procedural obstacles have historically reduced participation by poor, rural, and indigenous people. Economy GDP (2005 est.): $62.78 billion PPP Annual growth rate (2005 est.): 3.1%. Per capita GDP (2005 est.): $4,300 PPP. External Debt (2005 est.): $5.503 billion Natural resources: Oil, timber, nickel, rare woods, chicle. Agriculture (22% of GDP): -Exports: coffee, sugar, bananas, cardamom, vegetables, flowers and plants, timber, rice, rubber. Manufacturing (13% of GDP): - clothing and textiles, construction materials, pharmaceuticals. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gt.html print \| close window