Guatemala - Tourism and Travel

The Republic of Guatemala is located in Central America.

It has an area of 42,043 square miles (108,890 square kilometers.)

Guatemala has a long coast on the Pacific Ocean and a short coast on the Caribbean.

The Sierra Madre Mountains run from Mexico in the north through Guatemala.

Volcán Tajumulco, an active volcano in the Sierra Madres, is the highest mountain in Guatemala and the highest mountain in Central America.

Lake Atitlán, in the highlands of Guatemala, occupies a crater that is 990 feet (300 meters) deep. The crater was formed when a volcano erupted, causing its cone to collapse in on itself. Other volcanic cones lie on the shores of the lake.

The plateau that makes up Guatemala's Sierra de los Cuchumatanes is a horst - a block of land that has been thrust upwards. It is made up of limestone rock. There are deeply incised canyons along the edge of the plateau.

In the lowlands of Guatemala, there is a hot tropical climate. In the highlands, where most of the people live, the climate is cooler.

Guatemala's Petén region, in the north of the country, contains swampy depressions known as bajos. These were formed as heat and humidity caused limestone to weather.

Lake Petén Itzá is a typical example of a bajo.

The capital of Guatemala is Guatemala City.

14,027,000 people live in Guatemala.

There is a large indigenous Mayan population.

Spanish is the official language of Guatemala. Other languages spoken in Guatemala include Mam, Quiché, Kekchi and Cakchiquel.

65% of the people are Roman Catholic and 33% are Protestant.

Agriculture is the primary economic activity.

Major exports are coffee, bananas and sugar.

There are textile and clothing manufacture industries.

Guatemala has a presidential system of government.

The official currency is the quetzal, which is made up of 100 centavos.