Guatemala (2001) | Ecuador (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | 22 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso, Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten, Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu, Sacatepequez, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Solola, Suchitepequez, Totonicapan, Zacapa | 22 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
42.11% (male 2,789,189; female 2,674,747) 15-64 years: 54.25% (male 3,518,209; female 3,519,851) 65 years and over: 3.64% (male 220,640; female 251,725) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 35.4% (male 2,415,764; female 2,337,095)
15-64 years: 60.2% (male 4,007,495; female 4,090,957) 65 years and over: 4.4% (male 276,482; female 319,701) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens | bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp |
Airports | 477 (2000 est.) | 205 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 61
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 18 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
466 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 124 under 914 m: 332 (2000 est.) |
total: 144
914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 113 (2002) |
Area | total:
108,890 sq km land: 108,430 sq km water: 460 sq km |
total: 283,560 sq km
land: 276,840 sq km water: 6,720 sq km note: includes Galapagos Islands |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Tennessee | slightly smaller than Nevada |
Background | Guatemala was freed of Spanish colonial rule 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 led to the death of more than 100,000 people and had created some 1 million refugees. | The "Republic of the Equator" was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Venezuela). Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. |
Birth rate | 34.61 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 25.47 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$2.2 billion expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
revenues: $5.6 billion
expenditures: planned $5.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
Capital | Guatemala | Quito |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands | tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands |
Coastline | 400 km | 2,237 km |
Constitution | 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended 25 May 1993 by former President SERRANO; reinstated 5 June 1993 following ouster of president; amended November 1993 | 10 August 1998 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Guatemala conventional short form: Guatemala local long form: Republica de Guatemala local short form: Guatemala |
conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador
conventional short form: Ecuador local long form: Republica del Ecuador local short form: Ecuador |
Currency | quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | 6.79 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $4.7 billion (2000 est.) | $14 billion (2001) (2001) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Prudence BUSHNELL embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City mailing address: APO AA 34024 telephone: [502] 331-1541/55 FAX: [502] 334-8477 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Kristie Anne KENNEY
embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito mailing address: APO AA 34039 telephone: [593] (2) 256-2890 FAX: [593] (2) 250-2052 consulate(s) general: Guayaquil |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Ariel RIVERA Irias chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952 FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco |
chief of mission: Ambassador Ivonne A-BAKI
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200 FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and San Francisco |
Disputes - international | Guatemala periodically asserts claims to territory in southern Belize; to deter cross-border squatting, both states in 2000 agreed to a "line of adjacency" based on the de facto boundary, which is not recognized by Guatemala | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $212 million (1995) | $120 million (2001) (2001) |
Economy - overview | The agricultural sector accounts for about one-fourth of GDP, two-thirds of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products. Former President ARZU (1996-2000) worked to implement a program of economic liberalization and political modernization. The 1996 signing of the peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused relatively little damage to Guatemala compared to its neighbors. Ongoing challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, and increasing the efficiency and openness of both government and private financial operations. Despite low international prices for Guatemala's main commodities, the economy grew by 3% in 2000 and is forecast to grow by 4% in 2001. Guatemala, along with Honduras and El Salvador, recently concluded a free trade agreement with Mexico and has moved to protect international property rights. However, the PORTILLO administration has undertaken a review of privatizations under the previous administration, thereby creating some uncertainty among investors. | Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products such as oil, bananas, and shrimp, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. Ecuador joined the World Trade Organization in 1996, but has failed to comply with many of its accession commitments. The aftermath of El Nino and depressed oil market of 1997-98 drove Ecuador's economy into a free-fall in 1999. The beginning of 1999 saw the banking sector collapse, which helped precipitate an unprecedented default on external loans later that year. Continued economic instability drove a 70% depreciation of the currency throughout 1999, which forced a desperate government to "dollarize" the currency regime in 2000. The move stabilized the currency, but did not stave off the ouster of the government. Gustavo NOBOA, who assumed the presidency in January 2000, has managed to pass substantial economic reforms and mend relations with international financial institutions. Ecuador completed its first standby agreement since 1986 when the IMF Board approved a 10 December 2001 disbursement of $96 million, the final installment of a $300 million standby credit agreement. |
Electricity - consumption | 3.295 billion kWh (1999) | 9.667 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 435 million kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 210 million kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 3.785 billion kWh (1999) | 10.395 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
38.31% hydro: 61.69% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 25%
hydro: 75% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; Hurricane Mitch damage | deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Galapagos Islands |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol |
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish or assimilated Amerindian - in local Spanish called Ladino), approximately 55%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian, approximately 43%, whites and others 2% | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3% |
Exchange rates | quetzales per US dollar - 7.8020 (January 2001), 7.7632 (2000), 7.3856 (1999), 6.3947 (1998), 6.0653 (1997), 6.0495 (1996), 5.8103 (1995) | sucres per US dollar - 25,000.0 (January 2002), 25,000.0 (2001), 24,988.4 (2000), 11,786.8 (1999), 5,446.6 (1998), 3,988.3 (1997)
note: on 13 March 2000, the National Congress approved a new exchange system whereby the US dollar was adopted as the main legal tender in Ecuador for all purposes; on 20 March 2000, the Central Bank of Ecuador started to exchange sucres for US dollars at a fixed rate of 25,000 sucres per US dollar; since 30 April 2000, all transactions are denominated in US dollars |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera (since 14 January 2000); Vice President Juan Francisco REYES Lopez (since 14 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera (since 14 January 2000); Vice President Juan Francisco REYES Lopez (since 14 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 7 November 1999; runoff held 26 December 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003) election results: Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera elected president; percent of vote - Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera (FRG) 68%, Oscar BERGER Perdomo (PAN) 32% |
chief of state: President Lucio GUTIERREZ (since 15 January 2003); Vice President Alfredo PALACIO (since 15 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Lucio GUTIERREZ (since 15 January 2003); Vice President Alfredo PALACIO (since 15 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year term (no reelection); election last held 20 October 2002; runoff election held 24 November 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006) election results: results of the 24 November 2002 runoff election - Lucio GUTIERREZ elected president; percent of vote - Lucio GUTIERREZ 54.3%; Alvaro NOBOA 45.7% |
Exports | $2.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | $4.8 billion (2001 est.) |
Exports - commodities | coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom, meat, apparel, petroleum, electricity | petroleum, bananas, shrimp, coffee, cocoa, cut flowers, fish |
Exports - partners | US 51.4%, El Salvador 8.7%, Honduras 5%, Costa Rica 3.4%, Germany 2.7% (1998) | US 38%, Peru 6%, Chile 5%, Colombia 5%, Italy 3% (2000) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | 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 | three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $46.2 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $39.6 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
23% industry: 20% services: 57% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 11%
industry: 25% services: 64% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $3,000 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 3% (2000 est.) | 4.3% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 15 30 N, 90 15 W | 2 00 S, 77 30 W |
Geography - note | no natural harbors on west coast | Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world |
Heliports | - | 1 (2002) |
Highways | total:
13,856 km paved: 4,370 km (including 140 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,486 km (1998) |
total: 43,197 km
paved: 8,165 km unpaved: 35,032 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
0.6% highest 10%: 46.6% (1989) |
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 34% (1995) (1995) |
Illicit drugs | transit country for cocaine and heroin; minor producer of illicit opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs (cocaine and heroin shipments); money laundering is probably increasing | significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; dollarization may raise the volume of money-laundering activity, especially along the border with Colombia; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents |
Imports | $4.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | $4.8 billion (2001 est.) |
Imports - commodities | fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity | machinery and equipment, chemicals, raw materials, fuels; consumer goods |
Imports - partners | US 42.8%, Mexico 9.9%, Japan 4.8%, El Salvador 4.3%, Venezuela 3.8% (1998) | US 25%, Colombia 13%, Japan 8%, Venezuela 8%, Brazil 4% (2000) |
Independence | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) | 24 May 1822 (from Spain) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4.1% (1999) | 5.1% (2001 est.) |
Industries | sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism | petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal work, paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, lumber |
Infant mortality rate | 45.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 33.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6% (2000 est.) | 22% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | BCIE, CACM, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | CAN, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 5 (2000) | 31 (2001) |
Irrigated land | 1,250 sq km (1993 est.) | 8,650 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (thirteen members serve concurrent five-year terms and elect a president of the Court each year from among their number; the president of the Supreme Court of Justice also supervises trial judges around the country, who are named to five-year terms); Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitutcionalidad (five judges are elected for concurrent five-year terms by Congress, each serving one year as president of the Constitutional Court; one is elected by Congress, one elected by the Supreme Court of Justice, one appointed by the President, one elected by Superior Counsel of Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala, and one by Colegio de Abogados) | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court) |
Labor force | 4.2 million (1999 est.) | 3.7 million (urban) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 50%, industry 15%, services 35% (1999 est.) | agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (2001 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
1,687 km border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km |
total: 2,010 km
border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km |
Land use | arable land:
12% permanent crops: 5% permanent pastures: 24% forests and woodland: 54% other: 5% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 5.69%
permanent crops: 5.15% other: 89.16% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (more than 20 Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca) | Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua) |
Legal system | civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (113 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 7 November 1999 (next to be held in November 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FRG 63, PAN 37, ANN 9, DCG 2, UD/LOV 1, PLP 1 note: for the 7 November 1999 election, the number of congressional seats was increased from 80 to 113 |
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (123 seats; 20 members are popularly elected at-large nationally to serve four-year terms; 103 members are popularly elected by province to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 31 May 1998 (next to be held 20 October 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - DP 32, PSC 27, PRE 24, ID 18, P-NP 9, FRA 5, PCE 3, MPD 2, CFP 1; note - defections by members of National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
66.51 years male: 63.85 years female: 69.31 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 71.61 years
male: 68.79 years female: 74.57 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 63.6% male: 68.7% female: 58.5% (2000 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.1% male: 92% female: 88.2% (1995 est.) |
Location | Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Honduras and Belize and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico | Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | South America |
Maritime claims | continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
continental shelf: claims continental shelf between mainland and Galapagos Islands
territorial sea: 200 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 239,876 GRT/393,680 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 23, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Chile 1, Greece 1 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force | Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, National Police |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $120 million (FY99) | $720 million (FY98) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.6% (FY99) | 3.4% (FY98) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
3,092,050 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 3,468,678 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
2,018,636 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 2,337,944 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | 20 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
140,358 (2001 est.) |
males: 132,978 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 15 September (1821) | Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809) |
Nationality | noun:
Guatemalan(s) adjective: Guatemalan |
noun: Ecuadorian(s)
adjective: Ecuadorian |
Natural hazards | numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms | frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts |
Natural resources | petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower | petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower |
Net migration rate | -1.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 275 km | crude oil 800 km; petroleum products 1,358 km |
Political parties and leaders | Authentic Integral Development or DIA [Jorge Luis ORTEGA]; Democratic Union or UD [Jose Luis CHEA Urruela]; Green Party or LOV [Jose ASTURIAS Rudecke]; Guatemalan Christian Democracy or DCG [Vinicio CEREZO Arevalo]; Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Pablo MONSANTO, also known as Jorge SOTO]; Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; New Nation Alliance or ANN [leader NA], which includes the URNG; National Advancement Party or PAN [Leonel LOPEZ Rodas]; Progressive Liberator Party or PLP [Acisclo VALLADARES Molina] | Concentration of Popular Forces or CFP [Averroes BUCARAM]; Democratic Left or ID [Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos]; Ecuadorian Conservative Party or PCE [Jacinto JIJON Y CAMANO]; Independent National Movement or MIN [Eliseo AZUERO]; Pachakutik-New Country or P-NP [Miguel LLUCO]; Popular Democracy or DP [Dr. Juan Manuel FUERTES]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Gustavo TERAN Acosta]; Radical Alfarista Front or FRA [Fabian ALARCON, director]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI; Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations or CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM | Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE [Leonidas IZA, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA CRUZ, president]; Popular Front or FP [Luis VILLACIS] |
Population | 12,974,361 (July 2001 est.) | 13,447,494 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 60% (2000 est.) | 70% (2001 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.6% (2001 est.) | 1.96% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Champerico, Puerto Barrios, Puerto Quetzal, San Jose, Santo Tomas de Castilla | Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, San Lorenzo |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000) | AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001) |
Radios | 835,000 (1997) | 5 million (2001) |
Railways | total:
884 km (102 km privately owned) narrow gauge: 884 km 0.914-m gauge (single track) |
total: 965 km
narrow gauge: 965 km 1.067-m gauge (2000 est.) |
Religions | Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs | Roman Catholic 95% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal (active duty members of the armed forces may not vote) | 18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters |
Telephone system | general assessment:
fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala domestic: NA international: connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 665,061 (June 2000) | 1,115,272 (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 663,296 (September 2000) | 384,000 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | 26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997) | 7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2001) |
Terrain | mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau (Peten) | coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente) |
Total fertility rate | 4.58 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 3.05 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 7.5% (1999 est.) | 14%; note - widespread underemployment (2001 est.) |
Waterways | 990 km
note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during highwater season |
1,500 km |