|
The
People
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|
 Ethnic
Composition
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Mestizo
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55%
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Amerindian
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44%
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Other
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2%
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Religious Composition
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Roman Catholic
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90%
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Protestant
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5%
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Mayan and other
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5%
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Languages Spoken
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Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (more than 20 Amerindian
languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and
Xinca)
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Education and Literacy
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Education is compulsory for only six years. The literacy rate is
at 63.6 percent nationwide. Among males literacy is around 68.7
percent, and in the female population it is around 58.5 percent.
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Labor Force
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Total: 4.2 million (1999)
By occupation:
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Agriculture
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50%
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Industry
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15%
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|
Services
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35%
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Geography
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Land Mass Total
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42,042 sq mi (108,890 sq km)
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Land
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41,865 sq mi (108,430 sq km)
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Water
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177 sq mi (460 sq km)
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Land Boundaries
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Total: 1,048 mi (1,687 km)
Border countries: Belize 165 mi (266 km), El Salvador 126 mi
(203 km), Honduras 159 mi (256 km), Mexico 597 mi (962 km)
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Coastline
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248 mi (400 km)
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Maritime claim
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Continental shelf: 656 ft (200 m) depth or to the depth of
exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate/Weather
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Tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands.
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Terrain
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Mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone
plateau (Peten).
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Elevation extremes
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Lowest: Pacific Ocean 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Volcan Tajumulco 13,815 ft (4,211 m)
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Natural Resources
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Petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle,
hydropower.
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Land use
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|
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Arable land
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13%
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Permanent crops
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5%
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Other
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82%
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(1998))
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Natural hazards
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Numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent
earthquakes; Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other tropical
storms.
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Environment - current issues
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Deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution
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Geography Note
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No natural harbors on west coast.
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Demographics
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Population
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13,314,079 (July 2002)
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Age structure
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0-14 years:
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41.8%
|
male 2,841,486
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female 2,725,343
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15-64 years:
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54.5%
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male 3,629,363
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female 3,630,273
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65 years and over:
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3.7%
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male 227,369
|
female 260,245
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Growth Rate
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2.57% (2002)
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Life Expectancy
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66.85 years (2002)
female: 69.66 years
male: 64.16 years
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GDP Per Capita
|
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purchasing power parity -
US$3,700 (2001)
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Infant Mortality
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44.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)
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Sex ratio
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At birth:
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1.05 male(s)/female
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Under 15 years:
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1.04 male(s)/female
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15-64 years:
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1 male(s)/female
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65 years and over:
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0.87 male(s)/female
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Total population:
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1.01 male(s)/female
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(2002))
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Net migration rate
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-1.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)
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Economy
& Trade
|
|
 The
agricultural sector accounts for about one-fourth of GDP, two-thirds of
exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are
the main products. Former President Arzu (1996-2000) worked to
implement a program of economic liberalization and political
modernization. The 1996 signing of the peace accords, 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. Ongoing challenges include increasing
government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international
donors, and increasing the efficiency and openness of both government
and private financial operations. Despite low international prices for
Guatemala's main commodities, the economy grew by 3 percent in
2000 and 2.3 percent in 2001. Guatemala, along with Honduras and
El Salvador, recently concluded a free trade agreement with Mexico and
has moved to protect international property rights. However, the
Portillo government elected in 2000 undertook a review of
privatizations under the previous administration, thereby creating some
uncertainty among investors. Guatemala still ranks as the biggest
economy in Central America, although a series of weather-related
catastrophes have upset the very important agricultural sector. Foreign
investment for infrastructure development remains "at a
trickle" due to the country's rising crime rate and questions over
government corruption.
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Unemployment
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7.5% (1999)
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Inflation Rate
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7.6% (2001)
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Industries
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Sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum,
metals, rubber, tourism.
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Exports
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US$2.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
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Imports
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US$4.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
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Total Trade
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Purchasing power parity
GDP US$48.3 billion (2001)
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Top Export Partners
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US 57%, El Salvador 8.7%, Costa Rica 3.7%, Nicaragua 2.8%, Germany
2.6% (2000)
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Top Import Partners
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US 35.2%, Mexico 12.6%, South Korea 7.9%, El Salvador 6.4%,
Venezuela 3.9% (2000)
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Top Exports
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Coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom, meat,
apparel, petroleum, electricity
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Top Imports
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Fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials,
grain, fertilizers, electricity.
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Debt - external
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$4.5 billion (2001)
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Economic aid
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US$212 million (1995)
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Fiscal Year:
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Calendar year
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Business
Workweek
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Monday - Friday
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Saturday - Sunday
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Offices
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8a.m. to 6p.m.
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Saturday 8a.m. to noon.
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Retail
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9:30a.m. to 7:30p.m.
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Saturday 9:30a.m. to 7:30p.m.
Large retailers may also stay open on Sundays.
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Banks
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9a.m. to 3p.m. (with many variations by individual banks, some
staying open as late as 7p.m.)
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Saturday 9a.m. to 12:30p.m.
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Government
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8 a.m. to 4:30p.m. or 9a.m. to 3:30p.m.
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Closed
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Note: In rural areas a midday break that may last up
to two hours is taken according to weather conditions and local
custom...
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Holidays
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Official Holidays
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Holidays
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2003
|
2004
|
2005
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|
New Year's Day
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January 1
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January 1
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January 1
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Easter¹
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April 20
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April 11
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March 27
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Labor Day
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May 1
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May1
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May 1
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Army Day
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June 30
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June 30
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June 30
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Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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August 15
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August 15
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August 15
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All Saints' Day
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November 1
|
November 1
|
November 1
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|
Armistice Day
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November 11
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November 11
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November 11
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Christmas Day²
|
December 25
|
December 25
|
December 25
|
|
Second Day of Christmas
|
December 26
|
December 26
|
December 26
|
|
New Year's Eve
|
December 31
|
December 31
|
December 31
|
|
¹
|
Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon
and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21),
and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the
West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern
Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate
13 days later.
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²
|
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In
A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the
Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using
the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.
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