Guatemala

Guatemala

Capital City:Guate, or Guatemala CityPopulation of Guate:1.02 million

Population of Guatemala:15.5 million

Where is it?14.6133°N, 90.5353°WGuatemala is south of Mexico, and east of the Pacific Ocean

EconomicsMain Imports: cars and petroleumMain Exports: raw sugar, apparel products, coffee, and bananasCurrency: Guatemalan QuetzalTop 3 Things to do:1.Visit Lake Atitlán2.Explore Ancient Mayan Ruins3.Explore Guatemala's unique culture

Government:Constitutianal Democratic RepublicOtto Pérez Molina

TopographyMount TajamulcoPacaya VolcanoSierra Madre MountainsMontagua River

ClimateThe climate of Guatemala depends where you are in the country. If you are in the highlands, it will be colder, but if you are in the coast, it will be warmerCoastal Temperature: 82°FCentral Highlands:68°FHigher Mountains:59°FRainy Season:May to OctoberDry Season:November to April

Traditional CultureWomen will normally wear trajes which will vary in colors in different villages.Men will normally wear open jacket with trousers and straw hats.Typical food is: corn, beans, rice, meat stews, and traditional soups are very popular meals in Guatemala. Typical Music is punk, hip-hop, and tropical salsa.

History: The Native Americans from this area were conquered in the early 1520’s. In 1821, Guatemala became independent from Spain. The next year, Guatemala joined the Mexican Empire. After becoming fully independent, Guatemala was ruled by conservative dictator Rafael Carrera for 21 years. In 1941, Guatemala declared on the Axis. Guatemala has had many different leaders with different visions. These leaders had social conflicts as well as human rights conflicts. Guatemala’s civil war lasted 36 years, from 1960 to 1996. Guatemalan history is very complicated, with many treacherous events throughout all of their years.

FlagThis is the Guatemalan flag. Its stripes have two colors: sky blue and white. The two blue stripes represent that Guatemala is a piece of land between two oceans, the Pacific and the Atlantic. In the middle of the flag is the Guatemalan flag, which is a wreath and a roll of paper saying Libertad 15 de septiembre de 1821, which means liberty on the fifteenth of September of 1821. The white stripe represents peace and purity.