government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict,
which had led to the death of more than 100,000 people and had created
some 1 million refugees.
Geography Guatemala
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 water: 460 sq km land: 108,430 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,
hydropower
Land use: arable land: 13% permanent crops: 5% other: 82% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,250 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional
violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes
and other tropical storms
Environment - current issues: deforestation in the Peten rainforest;
soil erosion; water pollution
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Geography - note: no natural harbors on west coast
People Guatemala
Population: 13,314,079 (July 2002 est.)
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) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.57% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 34.17 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 6.67 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (
|