GUATEMALA



Republic of Guatemala
República de Guatemala

CAPITAL : Guatemala City

FLAG : The national flag consists of a white vertical stripe between two blue vertical stripes with the coat of arms centered in the white band.

ANTHEM : Himno Nacional, beginning "Guatemala feliz" ("Happy Guatemala").

MONETARY UNIT : The quetzal ( Q ) is a paper currency of 100 centavos. There are coins of 1, 5, 10, and 25 centavos, and notes of 50 centavos and 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 quetzales. Q 1 = $0.12658 (or $1 = Q 7.90) as of May 2003. US notes are widely accepted.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES : The metric system is the legal standard, but some imperial and old Spanish units also are used.

HOLIDAYS : New Year's Day, 1 January; Epiphany, 6 January; Labor Day, 1 May; Anniversary of the Revolution of 1871, 30 June; Independence Day, 15 September; Columbus Day, 12 October; Revolution Day, 20 October; All Saints' Day, 1 November; Christmas, 25 December. Movable religious holidays include Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

TIME : 6 AM = noon GMT.


LANGUAGES

Spanish, spoken by some 60% of the population, is the official and commercial language. Amerindians speak some 28 dialects in five main language groups: Quiché, Mam, Pocomam, and Chol—all of the Mayan language family—and Carib, Kekchi, Garifuna, Cakchiquel, and Xinca. Amerindian languages are spoken by about 40% of the populace.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Guatemala is divided into 22 departments, plus Guatemala City, each with a governor appointed by the president. Municipalities are governed by a mayor and independent municipal councils whose officials are popularly elected for two-year terms.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Guatemala is a charter member of the UN, having joined on 21 November 1945, and participates in BCIE, CACM, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO and WTrO.

FISHING

Guatemalan waters are rich in fish, including shrimp, snapper, and tuna. The total catch in 2000 was 40,078 tons (up from 6,513 tons in 1991), about 18% of which came from inland waters.

DEPENDENCIES

Guatemala has no territories or colonies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Benz, Stephen Connely. Guatemalan Journey . Austin: University of Texas Press, 1996.

Dosal, Paul J. Power in Transition: The Rise of Guatemala's Industrial Oligarchy, 1871-1994 . Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1995.

Giannakos, S.A. (ed.). Ethnic Conflict: Religion, Identity, and Politics. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2002.

Health in the Americas, 2002 edition. Washington, D.C.: Pan American Health Organization, Pan American Sanitary Bureau, Regional Office of the World Health Organization, 2002.

Hendrickson, Carol Elaine. Weaving Identities: Construction of Dress and Self in a Highland Guatemala Town . Austin: University of Texas Press, 1995.

Jonas, Susanne. The Battle for Guatemala: Rebels, Death Squads, and U.S. Power. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1991.

Jones, Oakah L. Guatemala in the Spanish Colonial Period. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1994.

Maya Cultural Activism in Guatemala . Austin: University of Texas Press, 1996.

Perera, Victor. Unfinished Conquest: The Guatemalan Tragedy. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.

Stoll, David. Between Two Armies in the Ixil Towns of Guatemala. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.

VanKirk, Jacques. Remarkable Remains of the Ancient Peoples of Guatemala . Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1996.

Woodward, Ralph Lee. Guatemala. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Clio, 1992.

Also read article about Guatemala from Wikipedia

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