Guatemala — map and facts

About Guatemala

Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America, with approximately 18 million inhabitants. It borders Mexico to the north and west, Belize to the northeast, Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast, and has coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean to the southwest and the Caribbean Sea to the northeast via the Gulf of Honduras. The capital and largest city is Guatemala City (officially Ciudad de Guatemala). Guatemala is a presidential republic. The country has a rich indigenous cultural heritage; roughly 40 percent of the population is Maya, speaking one of twenty-two recognised Maya languages alongside Spanish. Historically dependent on agricultural exports — particularly coffee, bananas, and sugar — the economy also relies on remittances, manufacturing, and tourism. Guatemala City and Antigua Guatemala are the main urban centres. Antigua, the former colonial capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its well-preserved Spanish Baroque architecture and surrounding volcanoes.

Geography and Landscape

Guatemala's geography is exceptionally varied. The western highlands are dominated by the Sierra Madre range and a chain of volcanoes, including Tajumulco at 4,220 metres — the highest peak in all of Central America — and Santiaguito and Fuego, both highly active. Lake Atitlán in the highlands, formed in a volcanic caldera and surrounded by three volcanoes (San Pedro, Tolimán, and Atitlán), is one of the most scenic lakes in the world. The Cuchumatanes massif in the northwest reaches over 3,800 metres. To the north lies the Petén basin, a vast lowland covered in tropical rainforest that contains the heart of the ancient Maya civilisation, including the ruins of Tikal. The Motagua River runs east to the Caribbean coast, passing through a dry valley known for the discovery of rare jade deposits. The Pacific coastal plain is a narrow, fertile strip used for sugar and banana cultivation. The country lies within the Ring of Fire and experiences frequent volcanic activity and earthquakes.

History

Guatemala was the heartland of the Classic Maya civilisation, which flourished between approximately 250 and 900 CE with major centres at Tikal, Uaxactún, Quiriguá, and Copán (now in Honduras). After a period of decline, the Postclassic Maya states persisted until Spanish conquest. Pedro de Alvarado conquered the region in 1524, defeating the K'iche' Maya at the Battle of El Pinar and establishing Spanish colonial dominion. Guatemala became the seat of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, governing most of Central America. Independence was declared on 15 September 1821. After a brief union with Mexico and the Federal Republic of Central America, Guatemala became fully independent in 1839. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were dominated by banana company influence and authoritarian leaders. In 1954 a CIA-backed coup overthrew the democratically elected president Jacobo Árbenz, derailing land reform. A 36-year civil war (1960–1996) killed an estimated 200,000 people, with the Maya civilian population bearing the worst of the violence. The 1996 Peace Accords ended the conflict. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú brought global attention to indigenous rights.