Guatemala

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.

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

two east-west trending mountain chains divide the country into three regions: the mountainous highlands, the Pacific coast south of mountains, and the vast northern Peten lowlands

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

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 <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> significant volcanic activity in the Sierra Madre range; Santa Maria (3,772 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Pacaya (2,552 m) is one of the country's most active volcanoes, with frequent eruptions since 1965; other historically active volcanoes include Acatenango, Almolonga, Atitlan, Fuego, and Tacana; see note 2 under "Geography - note"

<strong>note 1:</strong> despite having both eastern and western coastlines (Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean), there are no natural harbors on the west coast <br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> Guatemala is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes

Mestizo (mixed Indigenous-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) 56%, Maya 41.7%, Xinca (Indigenous, non-Maya) 1.8%, African descent 0.2%, Garifuna (mixed West and Central African, Island Carib, and Arawak) 0.1%, foreign 0.2% (2018 est.)

Evangelical 45.7%, Roman Catholic 42.4%, none 11%, unspecified 0.9% (2023 est.)

0.99% (2025 est.)

17.12 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

4.99 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-2.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 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

3.095 million GUATEMALA CITY (capital) (2023)

20.6 years (2014/15 est.)

94 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.97 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.96 (2025 est.)

1.28 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

21.2% (2016)

14.4% (2021 est.)

56.2% (2018 est.)

deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution

tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands

21.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

127.91 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

presidential republic

22 departments (<em>departamentos</em>, singular - <em>departamento</em>); Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso, Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten, Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu, Sacatepéquez, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Sololá, Suchitepéquez, Totonicapán, Zacapa

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Bienestar Nacional or BIEN<br>Blue Party (Partido Azul) or Blue<br>CABAL<br>Cambio<br>Citizen Prosperity or PC<br>Commitment, Renewal, and Order or CREO<br>Elephant Community (Comunidad Elefante) or Elephant<br>Everyone Together for Guatemala or TODOS<br>Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG-MAIZ or URNG<br>Humanist Party of Guatemala or PHG<br>Movement for the Liberation of Peoples or MLP<br>Movimiento Semilla or SEMILLA<br>National Advancement Party or PAN<br>National Convergence Front or FCN-NACION<br>National Unity for Hope or UNE<br>Nationalist Change Union or UCN (dissolved 16 December 2021)<br>Nosotros or PPN<br>PODEMOS<br>Political Movement Winaq or Winaq<br>TODOS<br>Value or VALOR<br>Vamos por una Guatemala Diferente or VAMOS<br>Victory or VICTORIA<br>Vision with Values or VIVA<br>Will, Opportunity and Solidarity (Voluntad, Oportunidad y Solidaridad) or VOS

ACS, 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, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

<strong>description:</strong> three equal vertical bands of light blue (left 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), a scroll with the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain), a pair of crossed rifles, and a pair of crossed swords; a laurel wreath frames the objects<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the rifles stand for Guatemala's willingness to defend itself, the swords for honor, and the laurel wreath for victory; blue stands for the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, and white for peace and purity

quetzal (bird)

blue, white

developing Central American economy; steady economic growth fueled by remittances; high poverty and income inequality; limited government services, lack of employment opportunities, and frequent natural disasters impede human development efforts and drive emigration

$113.2 billion (2024 est.)

sugarcane, bananas, oil palm fruit, maize, cantaloupes/melons, potatoes, milk, tomatoes, chicken, pineapples (2023)

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

2% (2024 est.)

7.575 million (2024 est.)

56% (2023 est.)

11.6% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

USA 33%, El Salvador 11%, Honduras 9%, Nicaragua 6%, Mexico 4% (2023)

garments, bananas, coffee, palm oil, raw sugar (2023)

USA 30%, China 19%, Mexico 11%, El Salvador 4%, Costa Rica 3% (2023)

refined petroleum, video displays, cars, trucks, packaged medicine (2023)

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 (2019)

.gt

TG

58 (2025)

2 (2025)

Army of Guatemala (Ejercito de Guatemala; aka Armed Forces of Guatemala or Fuerzas Armadas de Guatemala): Land Forces (Fuerzas de Tierra), Naval Forces (Fuerzas de Mar), and Air Force (Fuerza de Aire) (2025)

approximately 20,000 active Armed Forces (2025)

the military is lightly armed with an inventory mostly comprised of ageing US equipment; in recent years, the US has provided additional secondhand equipment (2025)

18-28 for voluntary service for men and women (17-21 for military schools); all Guatemalan men 18-49 are subject to selective compulsory service; service obligation is 12-24 months (2025)

180 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (2025)

the military is responsible for maintaining the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the honor of Guatemala, but has long focused on internal security; since the 2000s, the Guatemalan Government has used the military to support the National Civil Police in internal security operations (as permitted by the constitution) to combat organized crime, gang violence, and narco-trafficking; other responsibilities include border security, cybersecurity, and providing humanitarian assistance; it also participates in UN missions on a small scale and has a peacekeeping operations training command that offers training to regional countries; the military has security ties with regional partners such as Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, and Honduras; cooperation with El Salvador and Honduras has included a combined police-military anti-gang task force to patrol border areas; it also has ties with the US, including joint training exercises and material assistance<br><br>the military held power during most of Guatemala’s 36-year civil war (1960-1996) and conducted a campaign of widespread violence and repression, particularly against the country’s majority indigenous population; more than 200,000 people were estimated to have been killed or disappeared during the conflict (2025)

La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13)