There are several reasons why Guatemala is characterized as a unique and incomparable country. One of them is that  its history has several interesting facts that probably not everyone knows.

That is why, we investigateed data on different topics that you may not know about Guatemala and that juan jose gutierrez mayorga thinks as important to know his country.

Meaning of guatemala

The name Guatemala has its meaning coming from the Náhualtl language, which translates to Quuahtlemallan meaning “place of many trees” or “land of trees”, a name that fits perfectly, since it has large forests and several mountain ranges that cover the country with their branches.

It is also known as the “country of eternal spring”, since most of the year its climate is temperate in certain sectors of the country.

Division of the country

Guatemala is divided into three regions according to its relief unit, the first are the plains of the Petén region, then the highlands of the central region and the coastal plains of the south.

Guatemala is also divided into eight other regions according to its territorial location, the metropolitan, northern, northeastern, southeastern, central, southwestern, northwestern and Petén regions, each comprised of several departments.

division-politica-guatemala

independence

Guatemala gained independence from the Kingdom of Spain on September 15, 1821 with the signing of the Act of Independence drafted by José Cecilio del Valle.

In the Act of Independence, the bases of a new regime were established, such as the election of representatives by the provinces to form the Congress of the nation, as well as the creation of a Constitution.

Language

The official language in Guatemala is Spanish, but there is a diversity of languages spoken all over the country, which number around 25 languages.

Among them, for example, Garifuna and Xinca received official recognition after the Peace Accords, thus being recognized as a multilingual country and it is stated in the Constitution that the languages should be respected and spread.

ciudad-de-guatemala

Guatemala City

The capital city is Guatemala City, which is the most populated city in the country. Its official name is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, and it is the seat of the country’s three branches of government as well as the Central American Parliament.

Humanity’s heritage

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -UNESCO- has a list of World Heritage Sites, which are irreplaceable assets of each nation that are protected by this organization.

It has the largest collection of sites considered as World Heritage Sites, among them are La Antigua Guatemala, the Tikal National Park and the Quiriguá Ruins.

You may also be interested in : Story of Isabel Gutiérrez de Bosch