Formal Name :
Republic of Guatemala
Short Form: Guatemala
Term for Citizens
Guatemalans
Full name:
Republic of Guatemala
Population:
13.7 million (UN, 2008)
Capital: Guatemala City
Type of Government
Constitutional democratic republic
Independence
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Constitution 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended 25 May 1993 by former President Jorge SERRANO;
reinstated 5 June 1993 following ouster of
President; amended November 1993
Suffrage
Universal for adults 18 and over.
Major languages:
Spanish, more than 20 indigenous languages
Major religion:
Christianity, indigenous Mayan beliefs
Life expectancy:
67 years (men), 74 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 quetzal = 100 centavos
Currency name:
Quetzal
Symbol
Q
Rate exchange US$1.00 = Q8.05( as July 6, 2009 )
Main exports:
Coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits and vegetables, meat, petroleum,
cardamon
GNI per capita:
US $2,400 (World Bank, 2007)
Internet domain:
.
gt
Internat. dialing code:
+ 502
Geography Area
Total: 108,890 sq km
land:
108,430 sq km
water:
460 sq km
Slightly smaller than State of Tennessee in US
Fiscal
Year January to December
Military
Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force
Military service age and obligation:
all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are liable for
military service; conscript service obligation
varies
from 12 to 24 months; women can serve as officers (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age
16-49:
2,861,696
females age 16-49:
3,062,967 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,401,297
females age 16-49: 2,725,572 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
male: 165,910 female: 163,760 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.4% of GDP (2006)
Telecomm
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.355 million (2006)
Telephones
- mobile cellular:
10.15 million (2007)
Telephone
system:
general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the
city of Guatemala
domestic: state-owned telecommunications company
privatized in the late 1990s opening the way for competition;
fixed-line teledensity 11 per 100 persons; fixed-line
investments are being concentrated on improving rural
connectivity; mobile-cellular teledensity 80 per 100 persons
interCentral Gov: country code - 502; landing point for both
the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the
SAM-1 fiber optic submarine cable system that together provide
connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the
Caribbean, and the US; connected to Central American Microwave
System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio
broadcast stations:
AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000)
Television
- broadcast stations:
26 (plus 27
repeaters) (1997)
Internet
hosts:
124,095 (2008)
Internet
users:
1.32 million (2006)
Transportation
Airports:
374 (2008)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2008)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 362
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 86
under 914 m: 270 (2008)
Pipelines:
oil 480 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 886 km narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m
gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 14,095 km
paved: 4,863 km (includes 75 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,232 km (2000)
Waterways:
990 km note: 260 km navigable year round;
additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla
Major City Populations
Guatemala
2 million
Antigua
Guatemala
30 k
Chichicastenango
8k
Chiquimula
24k
Cobán
20 k
Flores y Santa Elena
19 k
Huehuetenango
20 k
Mazatenango
38 k
Puerto Barrios
35 k
Quetzaltenango
101 k
San Benito
20 k
Zacapa
18 k
