Nearby Users
conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala
conventional short form: Guatemala
local long form: Republica de Guatemala
local short form: Guatemala
108,890 km²
Guatemala
quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed
502
.gt
Spanish, Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, Xinca)
Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs
12,728,111
constitutional democratic republic
three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side), white, and light blue with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the national bird) and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain) all superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed swords and framed by a wreath
The Mayan civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict, which had left more than 100,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, some 1 million refugees.
tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands
