2. General Profile of Guatemala

Republic of Guatemala.

Geographic co-ordinates: 15° 30´ N, 90° 15´ W.

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean.

Area: Total: 108 890 km² (42 042 square miles).

Land: 108 430 km².

Water: 460 km².

Location: Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea between Honduras and Belize and bordering the North Pacific Ocean between El Salvador and Mexico.

Land boundaries:

Total: 1,687 km.
Border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km.

Coastline: 400 km.

Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation.
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles.
Territorial sea: 12 nautical miles.

Climate: Tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands.

Terrain: Mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and a rolling limestone plateau (Peten).

Elevation extremes:

Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m.
Highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4 211 m.

Natural resources: Petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle.

Land use:

Arable land: 12%
Permanent crops: 5%
Permanent pastures: 24%
Forests and woodland: 54%
Other: 5% (1993 estimate)

Irrigated land: 1 250 km² (1993 est.).

Natural hazards: Numerous volcanoes in the mountains with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms.

Environment—current issues: Deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; hurricane Mitch damage.

Environment—international agreements:

Party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution and Wetlands.
Signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol and Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography—note: No natural harbours on the west coast.

Population: 12 335 580 (July 1999 estimate).

Age structure:

0-14 years: 43% (male 2 688 402; female 2 578 934).
15-64 years: 54% (male 3 312 360; female 3 314 102).
65 years and over: 3% (male 207 014; female 234 768) (1999 estimate).
Population growth rate: 2.68% per annum (1999 estimate).
Birth rate: 35.57 births/1 000 population (1999 estimate).
Death rate: 6.8 deaths/1 000 population (1999 estimate).
Net migration rate: -1.93 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1999 estimate).

Sex ratio:

At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female.
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female.
15-64 years: 1.00 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female.
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1999 estimate).

Infant mortality rate: 46.15 deaths/1 000 live births (1999 estimate).

Life expectancy at birth:

Total population: 66.45 years.
Male: 63.78 years.
Female: 69.24 years (1999 estimate).

Total fertility rate: 4.74 children born/woman (1999 estimate).

Nationality:

Noun: Guatemalan(s).
Adjective: Guatemalan.

Ethnic groups:

Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish – in local Spanish called Ladino), 56%.
Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian, 44%.

Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, traditional Mayan.

Languages: Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel and, Kekchi).

Literacy (definition: age 15 and over can read and write):

Total population: 55.6%.

Male: 62.5%.
Female: 48.6% (1995 estimate).

Country name:

Conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala.
Conventional short form: Guatemala.
Local long form: Republica de Guatemala.
Local short form: Guatemala.

Data code: GT.

Government type: Republic.

Capital: Guatemala.

Administrative divisions: 22 Departments (Departamentos, singular – Departamento); Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso, Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten, Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu, Sacatepequez, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Solola, Suchitepequez, Totonicapan and Zacapa.

Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain).

Constitution: 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986.
Note: Suspended 25 May 1993 by President Serrano; reinstated 5 June 1993 following his ouster.

Legal system: Civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal.

Economy:

Industries: food processing, textiles, petroleum products, chemicals.
Export crops: coffee, cotton, sugar, bananas, and meat.
Food crops: corn, beans, and rice.

The Instituto Nacional de Bosque (National Institute of Forestry, INAB) reports that Guatemala’s forest cover is about 37 500 km², equivalent to 34.4% of the national territory. Of the total national territory, 51.1% has potential forestry use. During the 1980’s, estimated forest depletion reached 60 000 ha per year. In the 1990’s, the estimate is 90, 000 ha per year. (INAB, 1990).

Key forest export products include timber, balsam, chicle, and oils.

The Tropical Forest Action Plan (1992) estimated the following forest quantities:

Forest Type	Hectares	%	Year of estimation
Natural forest	3,390,200	31.1	1992
Coniferous	228,200	2.1	1992
Mixed	127,000	1.2	1992
Broadleaved	3,017,600	27.7	1992
Mangroves	17,400	0.2	1992
Potential productive natural forest	2, 825,680	26.0	1991
Productive forest	67,600	0.4	1992
Non productive forest	385,320	3.5	1991
Secondary forest	360,000	1.8	1991
Deforestation (area and annual rate)	120,000	0.6	1989
Total, 1974-89	61,900	0.6	1989
Annual	4,000	0.04	1989
Plantations	61,900	--	1974-1989