rchant marine: none

Airports: 4

Airports - with paved runways:
total : 4
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Military

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________

GUATEMALA

@Guatemala:Geography

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

Geographic coordinates: 15 30 N, 90 15 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 108,890 sq km
land: 108,430 sq km
water: 460 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Tennessee

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 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands

Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and 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 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,250 sq km (1993 est.)

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

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water
pollution

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified : Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of
the Sea

Geography - note: no natural harbors on west coast

@Guatemala:People

Population: 11,685,695 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 2,571,885; female 2,465,902)
15-64 years: 53% (male 3,117,718; female 3,121,276)
65 years and over : 4% (male 192,334; female 216,580) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.73% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 36.45 births/1,000 population