Guatemala
About
Guatemala is located in Latin America and the Caribbean part of North America. It's total area is 107K km² and 32.8% of it is forest area. As of 2023 it has a total population of 18M. 53.1% lives in cities whereas 46.9% lives in rural areas.
Guatemala ( (listen) GWAH-tə-MAH-lə; Spanish: [ɡwateˈmala] (listen)), officially the Republic of Guatemala (Spanish: República de Guatemala), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean, to the east by Honduras, to the southeast by El Salvador and to the south by the Pacific Ocean. With an estimated population of around 17.6 million, Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America and the 11th most populous country in the Americas. It is a representative democracy with its capital and largest city being Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City, the most populous city in Central America.
The territory of modern Guatemala hosted the core of the Maya civilization, which extended across Mesoamerica. In the 16th century, most of this area was conquered by the Spanish and claimed as part of the viceroyalty of New Spain. Guatemala attained independence in 1821 from Spain and Mexico. In 1823, it became part of the Federal Republic of Central America, which dissolved by 1841.
From the mid- to late 19th century, Guatemala suffered chronic instability and civil strife. Beginning in the early 20th century, it was ruled by a series of dictators backed by the United Fruit Company and the United States government. In 1944, authoritarian leader Jorge Ubico was overthrown by a pro-democratic military coup, initiating a decade-long revolution that led to sweeping social and economic reforms. A U.S.-backed military coup in 1954 ended the revolution and installed a dictatorship.From 1960 to 1996, Guatemala endured a bloody civil war fought between the U.S.-backed government and leftist rebels, including genocidal massacres of the Maya population perpetrated by the military. A peace accord negotiated by the United Nations has resulted in continued economic growth and successful democratic elections, although poverty, crime, drug trafficking, and civil instability remain major issues.
As of 2021, Guatemala ranks 31st of 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries in the Human Development Index. Although rich in export goods, around a quarter of the population (4.6 million) face food insecurity, which has been worsened by the ongoing food crisis resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Guatemala's abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems includes many endemic species and contributes to Mesoamerica's designation as a biodiversity hotspot.
The territory of modern Guatemala hosted the core of the Maya civilization, which extended across Mesoamerica. In the 16th century, most of this area was conquered by the Spanish and claimed as part of the viceroyalty of New Spain. Guatemala attained independence in 1821 from Spain and Mexico. In 1823, it became part of the Federal Republic of Central America, which dissolved by 1841.
From the mid- to late 19th century, Guatemala suffered chronic instability and civil strife. Beginning in the early 20th century, it was ruled by a series of dictators backed by the United Fruit Company and the United States government. In 1944, authoritarian leader Jorge Ubico was overthrown by a pro-democratic military coup, initiating a decade-long revolution that led to sweeping social and economic reforms. A U.S.-backed military coup in 1954 ended the revolution and installed a dictatorship.From 1960 to 1996, Guatemala endured a bloody civil war fought between the U.S.-backed government and leftist rebels, including genocidal massacres of the Maya population perpetrated by the military. A peace accord negotiated by the United Nations has resulted in continued economic growth and successful democratic elections, although poverty, crime, drug trafficking, and civil instability remain major issues.
As of 2021, Guatemala ranks 31st of 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries in the Human Development Index. Although rich in export goods, around a quarter of the population (4.6 million) face food insecurity, which has been worsened by the ongoing food crisis resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Guatemala's abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems includes many endemic species and contributes to Mesoamerica's designation as a biodiversity hotspot.
🏷️ Tags
We have tagged Guatemala with these tags:
💬 Languages
Spanish is the official language.
💵 Currencies
The official currency is Guatemalan quetzal [1 USD = 7.799 GTQ].
🏧 Cash / Credit card usage
As credit cards are not widely used in Guatemala, we suggest you to carry cash during your travels [2017: %6.586933136]. Approximately there are a total of 🏧 6.1K ATM's in Guatemala.
🧑🤝🧑 Tourism
In 2019, 2.6M tourists arrived to Guatemala. In 2019, tourism has contributed to Guatemala economy with a total of 1.2B $ income (%9).
📱 Bandwidth
Mobile internet & wifi is 🐢average with 41.29 Mbps. Broadband is ⚡fast with 53.33 Mbps.
Mobile & Wifi (0.96 / 10)
Broadband (1.68 / 10)
☀️ Climate
Averag yearly temperature is ☀️ 24 °C and hot. Current 3 months (December, January and February) average is ☀️ 22 °C and hot. Current season (winter) is ☀️ 22 °C and hot.
Yearly average | 24 °C ☀️ |
3 month average | 22 °C ☀️ |
Spring average | 25 °C ☀️ |
Summer average | 25 °C ☀️ |
Fall average | 23 °C ☀️ |
Winter average | 22 °C ☀️ |
About seasons: Remember that seasons in Southern Hemisphere are opposite of the Northern one. This means that in Argentina and Australia, winter begins in June. Currently season averages are rendered according Northern Hemisphere.
📈 Economics
In 2023, gross national income (GNI) was 98B $ and with %2.4 increase GNI per capita was 5.6K $. In 2023, consumer inflation was calculated as %6.2.
🏠 Cities22
🗼 Iconic places3
🗺️ Map
Note
The data contained in this page is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. We gather our data from open resources and may contain outdated information. Make sure to verify these data from official resources of the respective country.