Advanced search
image
Travel & living abroad

North & Central America and Caribbean

Guatemala

 Flag of Guatemala

Last reviewed: 2 July 2008

Country information

Map of Guatemala

GUATEMALA TODAY

Country Facts

Area: 42,042 sq miles (108,890 sq km)
Population: (2007 est.): 12,728,111 (growth rate: 2.2%); birth rate: 29.1/1000; infant mortality rate: 29.8/1000; life expectancy: 69.7; density per sq mile: 304)
Capital and largest City (2003 est): Guatemala City, 2,655,900 (metro. area), 1,128,800 (city proper)
Other large cities: Mixco, 287,600; Villa Nueva, 138,900
Ethnicity/race: Mestizo (Ladino) - mixed Amerindian-Spanish ancestry - and European 59.4%, K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1% (200
Language(s): Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca). Many in the business community speak English.
Religion(s): Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs. There are a small number of Jewish, Muslim and other faith communities.
Currency: Quetzal made up of 100 centavos. Approximately Q15.00 = £1.00
Major political parties: As at July 2007, there were more than 20 registered political parties, the largest of which are:
FRG - Frente Republicano Guatemalteco
PAN – Partido de Avanzada Nacional GANA – Gran Alianza para una Nueva Nación
GANA – Gran Alianza para una Nueva Nacion
PP – Partido Patriota
UNE – Unidad Nacional de Esperanza
EG – Encuentro por Guatemala
URNG – Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca
CASA - Centro de Acción Social
UCN – Unión del Cambio Nacional
UD – Unión Democrática
PU – Partido Unionista
Álvaro Colom of the centre-left, social democratic ‘Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza’ (UNE) won the second round of  presidential elections on 4 November 2007 in a run-off against former General Otto Perez Molina of the PP. Colom assumed office on 14 January 2008.
Government: Guatemala has a unicameral Congress, comprising 158 seats. Members are elected every 4 years and are eligible for re-election. The President is elected by universal suffrage for a single term of 4 years.
Head of State/President: Álvaro Colom Caballeros
Vice President: Rafael Espada
Prime Minister/Premier: None.
Foreign Minister: Roger Haroldo Rodas Melgar
Membership of international groupings/organisations: Guatemala is a member of the Organisation of American States (OAS), United Nations (UN), Central American Integration System (SICA), San Jose Group, Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

ECONOMY

Basic Economic Facts

GDP: US$33.69 billion (2007 est)
GDP per head: US$54,700 (2007 est)
Annual Growth: 5.7% (2007 est)
Inflation: 5.9% (2007 est)

Major industries: The agricultural sector accounts for 43% of all exports. Major commodities include coffee, sugar, bananas and cardamom. Textiles account for 14% and non-traditional products such as flowers, fruits and ceramics account for 33%. A major growth sector identified by the government is tourism. Remittances from Guatemalans living in the Unites States are a major source of foreign income. 
Major trading partners: USA, El Salvador, Honduras and EU.
Aid & development: Mainly from USA, EU and Japan. Provides 25% of state expenditure, which is 13% of GDP.
Unemployment: 3.2% (2005 est)
Agriculture: sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens
Industries: sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism
Natural resources: petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower
Transparency International corruption ranking (1=least corrupt, 179=most corrupt): 111 (joint) 2007

HISTORY

1524 - Once the site of the impressive ancient Mayan civilization, Guatemala was conquered by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado
1839 - Became a republic after the United Provinces of Central America collapsed.
1898 to 1920 - Dictator Manuel Estrada Cabrera ran the country. The United Fruit Company (UFCO), which is exempt from taxes, begins to exert significant influence within the country.
1931 to 1944 - General Jorge Ubico Castaneda served as strongman.
1944 to 1954 - Ubico is overthrown in 1944 by the “October Revolutionaries” and Guatemala subsequently enjoys what is known as the “ten years of spring” with 2 popularly elected and reformist presidents. The first being Juan José Arévalo (1945–1951). The second president during this era, President Jacobo Arbenz (1951-1954), permits free expression, legalizes unions, allows diverse political parties, and initiates basic socio-economic reforms.
1953 - Land distribution reforms collide with interests of UFCO.
1954 - With covert US backing, Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas successfully led a coup and Arbenz took refuge in Mexico. A series of repressive regimes followed.
1960-96 - The country was plunged into a civil war between military governments, right-wing vigilante groups, and leftist rebels that would last 36 years, the longest civil war in Latin American history.
1963 - President Miguel Ydigoras Fuentes overthrown in a coup & succeeded by his Minister of Defence.
1970s - Death squads murdered an estimated 50,000 leftists and political opponents during the 1970s.
1977 - The US cuts off military aid to the country because of its egregious human rights abuses. The right-wing death squads singled out the indigenous Mayan Indians for special brutality. By the end of the war, 200,000 citizens were dead.
1982 - Three leading guerrilla groups combine to form the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG).
1982-83 - General Efran Rios Montt accepted the invitation of young officers to lead a 3-member military junta. They annulled the 1965 constitution, dissolved Congress, suspended political parties and annulled the electoral law. Montt later dismissed his junta colleagues and assumed the de facto title of President.
1986 - A succession of military juntas dominated during the civil war, until a new constitution was passed and civilian Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo was elected and took office.
1988-89 - Arevalo survives 2 coup attempts by dissatisfied military personnel ans serves his elected term.
1991 - Jorge Serrano Elías followed Arevalo. Serrano took the step of recognising neighbouring Belize's sovereignty. The long-standing territorial dispute remains unresolved. A peace agreement was finally signed in December 1996 by the President.
1993 - Serrano moved to illegally dissolve Congress and the supreme court and suspend constitutional rights, but the military deposed Serrano, forcing him to leave the country. Congress elected Ramiro de Leon Carpio, the former attorney general for human rights, to serve the remainder of Serrano's term.
1994 - De Leon calls a referendum to replace Congress, shorten Presidential terms from 5 to 4 years and amended the Constitution to bar the Central Bank from lending to the government.
1994-95 - Several Human Rights agreements were signed between the government and URNG.
1996 - President Álvaro Arzú Irigoyen (PAN) takes office following Presidential & Congressional elections. The government and URNG sign Peace Accords ending the 36-year civil war.
1999 - The United Nations sponsored Truth Commission found that the Guatemalan army had committed 93% of the atrocities during the civil war. The URNG were blamed for 3% of the total war crimes and subsequently apologised. President Clinton apologised for US support of the right-wing military governments during the civil war.
2000 - Alfonso Portillo Cabrera, closely associated with the former dictatorship of Efrain Rios Montt (1982–1983) won elections and became President. In August 2000, Portillo apologised for the former government's human rights abuses and pledged to prosecute those responsible and compensate victims.
2003 - The country's highest court ruled that former coup leader and military dictator Rios Montt, responsible for the massacre of tens of thousands of civilians during the civil war, was eligible to run for President in November. Two candidates, conservative Oscar Berger (GANA) and centre-leftist Alvaro Colom (UNE) soundly defeated Montt. In December, Berger won the free and fair runoff election by an 8% margin & was elected President.
2004 - Berger takes office, but despite his convincing personal victory, his GANA coalition failed to secure a majority in Congress, resulting in major political challenges to agree budgetary & legislature proposals.
2007 - Fourteen candidates, including 2002 Nobel Peace Prizewinner Rigoberta Menchú, competed in the first round of presidential elections in September. Otto Pérez Molina (PP), a former general, and businessman Álvaro Colom (UNE) contested the second round on 4 November. Following a vitriolic campaign, Colom defeated Molina 52% to 47%.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Relations with Neighbours

When Guatemala became independent in 1821, it claimed it had inherited the previous Spanish claim to the southern part of Belize. In September 1981, Belize gained its independence from the UK, but this was not recognised by Guatemala. Independence was preceded by Guatemala ending consular relations with Britain earlier in September 1981. Guatemala also closed its Consulate-General in Belize City and Consulate in Benque Viejo del Carmen, Belize. Subsequently, HM's Consul left Guatemala. From 1975 successive UN resolutions endorsed Belize's right to self-determination, independence and territorial integrity. As relations improved Guatemala recognised Belize as a sovereign and independent state in September 1991, though maintaining a territorial claim on Belize. Guatemalan/UK diplomatic relations were resumed in December 1986, while consular relations were renewed in August of the same year.

Belize and Guatemala have had a series of meetings under the auspices of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in an attempt to resolve the dispute through peaceful negotiation. Two Facilitators, one each appointed by Belize and Guatemala, presented comprehensive recommendations to both countries on 16 September 2002 on settling the dispute. The recommendations were made public on 17 September. They recommended some adjustment to the land border and new maritime limits giving Guatemala an Economic Exclusion Zone of some 2,000 square nautical miles. The Governments of Belize and Honduras each agreed to contribute 1,000 square nautical miles to this zone. The Facilitators also recommended the establishment of a tri-national ecological park covering coastal, insular and maritime areas of Belize, Guatemala and Honduras and a substantial internationally financed Development Trust Fund.

Although the Belize Government publicly supported the recommendations, the Guatemalan Government, citing constitutional difficulties, officially informed the OAS in August 2003 that it could not. Both governments, however, continued to work with the OAS to secure an agreement. In September 2003, the UK joined the ‘Group of Friends’ established under the OAS to help resolve the dispute.

Following negotiations in New York in September 2005, Guatemala and Belize signed a Framework for Negotiation and Confidence Building Measures. In November 2007, when regular meetings of both countries  under the auspices of the OAS t failed to reach agreement on a definitive solution, the  OAS Secretary General  recommended the dispute should go to an international  tribunal, specifically the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Both countries accepted this recommendation in June 2008. They will now need to comply with constitutional and political commitments and carry out national referenda for a decision on whether to follow the ICJ option.

Relations with the UK

The UK continues to support Guatemala's plans to advance development by implementing the agreements under the Peace Accords, particularly those relating to human rights, indigenous peoples and the internal security situation. In addition, the UK supports the OAS-sponsored negotiation process between Belize and Guatemala to resolve their territorial dispute.

The FCO/Department for International Development/Ministry of Defence are jointly funding a number of projects aimed at reducing the potential for conflict along the Belize/Guatemala border. The UK has disbursed approximately £2 million for projects since 2004/05 as well as providing financial and other support for the work of the OAS Office in the Adjacency Zone between Guatemala and Belize. The UK Government will continue to work with the OAS to ensure that what we do complements the OAS process aimed at facilitating a peaceful and definitive border settlement between Belize and Guatemala.

Further details of one of the main GCPP Belize/Guatemala Strategy projects can be found at www.belizeguatemala.com or www.guatemalabelize.com (Language Exchange).

Cultural Relations with the UK

The British Embassy in Guatemala supports the British-Guatemalan Cultural Foundation in strengthening links between the 2 countries.

The Embassy also helps to sponsor the Guatemalan UK Alumni Association to enable Guatemalans who have studied in the UK at schools, colleges and universities to keep in touch through regular meetings and events. The Association includes ex-students who have received British Government scholarships. The FCO continues to send Guatemalan nationals to study in the UK through its Chevening Programme.

Recent Visits to Guatemala

HRH the Duke of York made the first official visit to Guatemala by a member of the Royal Family in March 2002 and FCO Minister Bill Rammell visited Guatemala in January 2004 as the representative of HMG at the inauguration of President Berger. A group of British MPs from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) made a successful visit to Guatemala in June 2006. The Princess Royal participated in the International Olympic Committee meeting in Guatemala on 3-7 August 2007, during which she also carried out a brief bilateral programme.  Foreign Office Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean, Meg Munn,  visited in April 2008.

Recent Visits by Guatemalan Officials to the UK 

Jul 2002 - Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) delegation of Guatemalan Parliamentarians
Feb 2003 - Eduardo Gonzalez, Presidential Executive Secretary
Oct 2005 - Nineth Montenegro, Founding member of 'Encuentro por Guatemala'
Jun 2006 - Sergio Morales, Human Rights Ombudsman
Oct 2007 - Eduardo Stein, Vice President
Oct 2007 - Gert Rosenthal, Foreign Minister

GEOGRAPHY

The northernmost of the Central American nations, Guatemala is about the size of Scotland and Wales combined. Its neighbours are Mexico to the north and west, and Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador to the east. The country consists of 3 main regions — the cool highlands with the heaviest population, the tropical area along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and the tropical jungle in the northern lowlands (known as the Petén). The high plateau in the centre is volcanic, and temperate in climate compared to the hot tropical lowlands. Guatemala has 37 volcanoes - 3 of which are active. Violent earthquakes have, in the past, destroyed what were small cities on average twice every century. Modern construction is supposed to follow California building codes. There are black basalt volcanic sand beaches on the Pacific Ocean and white coral sand on the Caribbean Sea beaches.

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Trade and Investment with the UK

British exports to Guatemala in 2006 were £28.6m, an increase of 12.6% from 2005. The UK's main export sectors are cars, chemicals, alcoholic drinks and machinery. British companies with local investments include: Biwater (water), Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy & Mather (advertising), Taylor Nelson & Sophes (market research), Cadbury (food), CDC (capital), Regus (business centre). Imports from Guatemala to the UK were £18.9m in 2006, an increase of 34% from 2005.

UK Trade & Investment Country Profile: Guatemala

UK Development Assistance

The FCO and the Department for International Development (DfID) contribute to a range of projects in Guatemala including a Plan International project to increase understanding of and participation in the democratic process amongst indigenous communities, and development of regional disaster management training.

Department for International Development (DFID)

POLITICS

Government

Constitutional democratic republic. Guatemala has a unicameral Congress, comprising 158 seats. Members are elected every 4 years and are eligible for re-election. The President is elected by universal suffrage for a single term of 4 years.

Head of State: Álvaro Colom
Prime Minister/Premier: None
Foreign Minister: Haroldo Rodas

Engineer and businessman Alvaro Colom narrowly won the presidential election in November 2007 at his third attempt as centre left candidate of the National Unity for Hope (UNE). He assumed office on 14 January 2008.

Colom inherited a country with some of the world’s highest rates of violent crime, poverty and child malnutrition.  His campaign centred around promises to improve healthcare, education, security and rural development. This went down well in the countryside and amongst the indigena groups that make up 40% of the population. It proved decisive in the election, making Colom the first democratically-elected President to come to power without taking the capital, Guatemala City. But his lack of a working legislative majority coupled with internal divisions in his own Party, have hampered his ability to pass legislation.  Efforts to increase the tax base - one of the world’s lowest - to implement his social development programme face stiff opposition from the business community and right-wing parties in Congress.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Guatemala is a signatory to the following international instruments:

  • International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
  • International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
  • International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination
  • Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women
  • Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
  • Convention and Protocol on the Status of Refugees and Protocol
  • Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Guatemala is also a Party to the American Convention on Human Rights and has accepted the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights based in San Jose.

UK Support for Human Rights

The UK has supported a number of high profile projects in recent years, including one advocating the abolition of the death penalty and another focused on truth and reconciliation relating to human rights abuses during the civil war. In 2005 the UK designated Guatemala a priority country for further human rights-focused projects. The Embassy, in collaboration with Consortium for Street Children, has funded projects focusing on the police and child rights.

Human Rights Concerns

Guatemala's 36 years of civil war officially ended with the signing of Peace Accords in 1996. Human rights violations committed during the war by the military and paramilitary bands were severe and psychological, social and physical wounds remain deep. The Truth Commission's final report in 1999 recorded 42,000 human rights violations, 626 massacres and an estimated 200,000 killings during the civil war.

The most immediate threat to human rights and democracy in Guatemala today is violent crime, fuelled by extreme poverty, inequality, and the lack of effective law enforcement. Guatemala has the most unequal distribution of income in Latin America, with over half the population living in poverty and nearly a fifth in extreme poverty; a sharp contrast to the extensive wealth among the business elite in the capital. Many perpetrators of human rights violations continue to escape justice due to a weak judicial system.
International recognition of Guatemala’s human rights problems resulted in the establishment of an office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in August 2005. Its purpose is to monitor the human rights situation in Guatemala, advise the government, and build the capacity of national stakeholders to participate in human rights advocacy.

Death Penalty

The death penalty is still retained on the statute books but there has been a de facto moratorium on its application since 2000. In March 2008, Congress  passed a law that would allow the President to pardon prisoners on death row or commute their sentences to life in prison - a decision that drew heavy criticism from human rights groups  who claimed it would  expedite executions.  Although President Colom vetoed the law, the majority of Guatemalans, faced with the inexorable rise of violent crime, favour the restoration of the death penalty.  

Media

Press freedom is enshrined in Guatemala's constitution, and newspapers freely criticise the government. Nonetheless, many journalists face intimidation because of their reporting, often in the form of anonymous threats. Reporters who expose corruption are particularly exposed.

Private operators dominate the media scene. Four national TV channels share the same owner and have a virtual monopoly in TV broadcasting. They have been criticised for being pro-government. Two state TV channels are licensed but are not broadcasting.

The press

Prensa Libre - daily
La Hora - private daily
el Periodo- private daily
Siglo Veintiuno - daily

Television

Canal 3 Radio-TV Guatemala - commercial
Canal 5 TV Cultural y Educativa - cultural and educational channel
Teleonce - commercial
Televisiete - commercial
Trecevision - commercial

Radio

La Voz de Guatemala - government-owned
Radio Cultural TGN - private, religious/cultural, broadcasts in Spanish, English and indigenous languages
Radio Sonora - news and talk station
Emisoras Unidas de Guatemala - commercial
Radio Continental - commercial
Radio Nuevo Mundo - commercial
Radio Panamericana - commercial

News agency

Inforpress Centroamericana - private

Country information

Pick Another Country :

Share this with:

Travel Advice

Travel advice: Guatemala 

Our work in Guatemala

Starting at birth in Guatemala

Useful Links


Contacts

Guatemala, Guatemala City, British Embassy

Address:

British Embassy
Edificio Torre Internacional, Nivel 11
16 Calle 0-55, Zona 10
Guatemala City

Telephone:

(502) 2380 7300

Fax:

(502) 2380-7339

Email:  embassy@intelnett.com (General enquiries)
Email:  consular.guatemala@fco.gov.uk (Consular enquiries)

Office hours:

Embassy

GMT:
Mon-Thurs: 1400-1830 / 1930-2300
Fri: 1400-1800

Local Time:
Mon-Thurs: 0800-1230 / 1330-1700
Fri: 0800-1200

Consular Section

GMT:
Mon-Tues: 1400-1800 and 1930-2230
Wed-Thurs: 1400-1800
Fri: 1400-1700

Local Time:
Mon-Tues: 0800-1200 and 1330-1630
Wed-Thurs: 0800-1200
Fri: 0800-1100

 

Guatemala, Guatemala City, British Embassy


Guatemala, Guatemala City, British Embassy