Country Facts - Guatemala

The People

Ethnic Composition

Mestizo	55%
Amerindian	44%
Other	2%

Religious Composition

Roman Catholic	90%
Protestant	5%
Mayan and other	5%

Languages Spoken

Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (more than 20 Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)

Education and Literacy

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.

Labor Force

Total: 4.2 million (1999)

By occupation:

Agriculture	50%
Industry	15%
Services	35%

Geography

Land Mass Total

42,042 sq mi (108,890 sq km)

Land

41,865 sq mi (108,430 sq km)

Water

177 sq mi (460 sq km)

Land Boundaries

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)

Coastline

248 mi (400 km)

Maritime claim

Continental shelf: 656 ft (200 m) depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

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

Terrain

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

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Pacific Ocean 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Volcan Tajumulco 13,815 ft (4,211 m)

Natural Resources

Petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower.

Land use

Arable land	13%
Permanent crops	5%
Other	82%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms.

Environment - current issues

Deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution

Geography Note

No natural harbors on west coast.

Demographics

Population

13,314,079 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	41.8%	male 2,841,486	female 2,725,343
15-64 years:	54.5%	male 3,629,363	female 3,630,273
65 years and over:	3.7%	male 227,369	female 260,245

Growth Rate

2.57% (2002)

Life Expectancy

66.85 years (2002)
female: 69.66 years
male: 64.16 years

GDP Per Capita

purchasing power parity -
US$3,700 (2001)

Infant Mortality

44.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	1 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.87 male(s)/female
Total population:	1.01 male(s)/female

(2002)

Net migration rate

-1.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

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.

Unemployment

7.5% (1999)

Inflation Rate

7.6% (2001)

Industries

Sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism.

Exports

US$2.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$4.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$48.3 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

US 57%, El Salvador 8.7%, Costa Rica 3.7%, Nicaragua 2.8%, Germany 2.6% (2000)

Top Import Partners

US 35.2%, Mexico 12.6%, South Korea 7.9%, El Salvador 6.4%, Venezuela 3.9% (2000)

Top Exports

Coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom, meat, apparel, petroleum, electricity

Top Imports

Fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity.

Debt - external

$4.5 billion (2001)

Economic aid

US$212 million (1995)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	8a.m. to 6p.m.	Saturday 8a.m. to noon.
Retail	9:30a.m. to 7:30p.m.	Saturday 9:30a.m. to 7:30p.m. Large retailers may also stay open on Sundays.
Banks	9a.m. to 3p.m. (with many variations by individual banks, some staying open as late as 7p.m.)	Saturday 9a.m. to 12:30p.m.
Government	8 a.m. to 4:30p.m. or 9a.m. to 3:30p.m.	Closed

Note: In rural areas a midday break that may last up to two hours is taken according to weather conditions and local custom...

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Easter¹	April 20	April 11	March 27
Labor Day	May 1	May1	May 1
Army Day	June 30	June 30	June 30
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary	August 15	August 15	August 15
All Saints' Day	November 1	November 1	November 1
Armistice Day	November 11	November 11	November 11
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

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.

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.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press