It travels to Guatemala

IT TRAVELS TO GUATEMALA

Guatemala, of the Nahuatl: Coactimaltlan: “Territory very hoisted”, “Country of many forests”, or “old Tree”.

Official name: Republic of Guatemala.

Geographic location: Guatemala, located just in center of the American continent, limits the west and north with Mexico, the east with Belize and the gulf of Honduras, to the south-east with Honduras and El Salvador, and to the south with the Pacific Ocean. km ².

Geographical coordinateses: 14º 38 ' North, 90º 31 ' the West

Surface: 108,889 km ². Guatemala owns about 400 km of coasts bathed by the oceans Pací¬fico and Atlantic (the Caribbean Sea).

Climate: The climate of Guatemala varies according to the region and to the altitude. The coastal regions and the northeast are warm throughout the year, with an average temperature of 20°C, increasing sometimes until 37°C. The center of the country is tempered and also there are cold zones of forests of pines. The season of rains is of May to November, and it is characterized by his clear skies after abundant showers. In some zones like Verapaces and the Petén, the season of rains can last all the year. The nights are generally clear. The temperatures descend abruptly at night.

Population: it counts with more than 11.500.000 inhabitants and includes 22 Mayan ethnic groups, along with the judeo-spanish or racially mixed population (mixes of amerindian and descending of Spaniards: 56%) and one community garifuna or of Caribbean black. The heterogeneity in the conformation of the population gives rise to a great cultural wealth.

Densidad of population: 104.6 inhabitants by km ². But the territorial distribution of the population in Guatemala is variable. The department of Guatemala (metropolitan and capital area of the country), counts on the greater population densidad, 1,195 hab/km2, and contrary the department of Petén, that occupies near a third of the total surface of the country, has a 10 densidad of hab/km2 since in him the greater amount of Protected areas of the country is concentrated, like the denominated “Mayan Biosphere”.

Capital: City of Guatemala (New Guatemala of Asuncio'n). With near 2 million inhabitants, it is the city more populated with Central America and second in densidad of population (1,195 people by square kilometer) after San Salvador.

Geographic characteristics: The country is mountainous with the exception of the area of the South coast and territories of the north in the department of Petén. Two mountainous chains, of the west to this, divide to Guatemala in three regions: the high earth, where are the mountains of greater height; the pacific coast and the region of Petén, to the north. The South end of high territories of the west is marked by the Mountain range Mother. The mountainous chain gives rise to volcanos such as the Tajumulco (4,220 ms), the point of peak altitude of the country and all Central America. Guatemala has 37 volcanos, 4 assets: Pacaya, Santiaguito, Fuego and Tacaná. The rivers usually are short and of little depth in the slope of the Pacific. Most of the main cities are located in the south of the country.

Language: Spanish. Nonofficials: the amerindian languages Quiche', cakchiquel, kekchi, mam, garifuna and xinca.

Religion: Catholic. The constitution guarantees the freedom of cult: there is a protestant minority of 20% and some indigenous communities combine the catholicism with the pre-Columbian rites.

Political-administrative division: Guatemala is constituted by 22 departments, being divided in municipalities that make a total of 331, organizing these as well in villages and small villages.

Currency: The quetzal (q) = 100 pennies. The tickets are of 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 quetzals. The currencies are of 1 quetzal, 50, 25, 10, 5 and of 1 pennies. The American dollar (USD) also is official currency from 2001.

Type of change:
1 Euro = 9.74 queztales (October 2006)
1 dollar = 7.67 queztales (October 2006)

Form of government: Democratic republic. The Executive authority exerts the president of the Republic (for 4 years without possibility of being reelected), advised by the Cabinet Guatemala secured the independence of Spain in 1821.

Communications:
Direct code the International: 011.
The telephone code for Guatemala is 502;
the one of city of Guatemala is 2 and the one of the other cities of the country, 9.

Services of emergencia:
Municipal firemen:        Telephone:        123
Voluntary firemen:          Telephone:        122
Guatemalan institute
of Social Security:              Telephone:       22326001
Civil National police:             Telephone:       120/110
Police of Tourism:                 Telephone:       23616052