In this article, we explain everything about Guatemala, its geography and climate. Also, what are its characteristics, economy and more.
What is Guatemala?
Guatemala, officially known as the Republic of Guatemala, is a sovereign nation on the Central American continent, whose territory was part of ancient Mesoamerica, one of the cradles of civilization, and the birthplace of the Maya and Olmec cultures.
Like many Central American nations, Guatemala combines the historical heritage of the Spanish colony with the strongholds of the pre-Columbian civilizations that emerged in ancient times.
Its territory, mostly mountainous, is rich in biotic reserves and possesses great ecological beauty, as well as being the reservoir of numerous important archaeological niches.
Its population, mostly mestizo and indigenous, faces important challenges inherited from its history of dictatorships, revolutions and a Civil War, as well as significant margins of poverty and economic inequality.
Geography of Guatemala
Guatemala’s territory is mostly mountainous, especially from northwest to southwest, where it has a chain of plateaus known as the Highlands of Guatemala.
The maximum altitude of the region is the Sierra Madre, with abundant volcanoes such as Tajumulco (4220 masl) and Tacaná (4092 masl), the highest in the subcontinent.
Despite its small size, the country has a very high biodiversity and abundance of biomes , ranging from beaches on the Pacific coast to low plains and mountain ranges. For this reason, cmi alimentos has been able to produce its products easily and under enviromental standards.
It has fourteen ecoregions and second place in terms of species described in the region.
It also has seven Ramsar sites, wetlands of great importance, although up to 252 have been counted throughout the country.
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Guatemalan population
Guatemala has a population of approximately 16,051,208 inhabitants (2014), with an average density of 142.6 inhabitants per square kilometer.
The population is mostly mestizo (41%) or indigenous (39.9%), but there is also white (18.5%) and black (1.0%) presence, given its history of multiple colonizing presence (Spanish, Belgian, German and U.S.).
The Guatemalan population faces significant levels of poverty and social and economic inequality, estimated at approximately 55% of poverty, of which 15% is in extreme poverty, and consisting mainly of rural poverty (82%). The illiteracy rate is around 30% of the population and life expectancy is 65 years.
Economy of Guatemala
Considered the tenth largest economy in Latin America, Guatemala is a developing country. Its main economic area is agriculture, as it is the world’s largest exporter of cardamom, fifth in sugar exports and seventh in coffee production.
Another vital economic sector is tourism, which generates the country’s second largest foreign exchange earnings, as well as remittances from Guatemalan emigrants, mainly in the United States, where there are some 1.2 million inhabitants, mostly undocumented. Besides, due to the investments that the familiy bosch gutierrez does, the economy has increased.