Guatemala (2008) | Tajikistan (2003) | |
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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 | 2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* (Khorugh), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand)
note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 40.8% (male 2,641,179/female 2,556,397)
15-64 years: 55.5% (male 3,426,376/female 3,642,157) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 213,801/female 248,201) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: 39.8% (male 1,376,244; female 1,353,108)
15-64 years: 55.5% (male 1,896,509; female 1,915,334) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 140,993; female 181,564) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens | cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats |
Airports | 402 (2007) | 66 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007) |
total: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 390
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 82 under 914 m: 301 (2007) |
total: 53
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 36 (2002) |
Area | total: 108,890 sq km
land: 108,430 sq km water: 460 sq km |
total: 143,100 sq km
land: 142,700 sq km water: 400 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Tennessee | slightly smaller than Wisconsin |
Background | The Mayan civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence 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 left more than 100,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, some 1 million refugees. | Tajikistan has experienced three changes in government and a five-year civil war since it gained independence in 1991 from the USSR. A peace agreement among rival factions was signed in 1997, and implemented in 2000. The central government's less than total control over some areas of the country has forced it to compromise and forge alliances among factions. Attention by the international community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development assistance, which could create jobs and increase stability in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace. |
Birth rate | 29.09 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 32.78 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $4.301 billion
expenditures: $5.219 billion (2007 est.) |
revenues: $502 million
expenditures: $520 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (2002 est.) |
Capital | name: Guatemala
geographic coordinates: 14 37 N, 90 31 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in April; ends last Friday in September; note - there is no DST planned for 2007-2009 |
Dushanbe |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands | midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains |
Coastline | 400 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended 25 May 1993 by former President Jorge SERRANO; reinstated 5 June 1993 following ouster of president; amended November 1993 | 6 November 1994 |
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 Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston local short form: Tojikiston former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic |
Currency | - | somoni |
Death rate | 5.27 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 8.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $5.561 billion (31 December 2007 est.) | $1 billion (2002 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador James M. DERHAM
embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City mailing address: APO AA 34024 telephone: [502] 2326-4000 FAX: [502] 2326-4654 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND
embassy: 10 Pavlova Street, Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734003; note - the embassy in Dushanbe is not yet fully operational; most business is still handled in Almaty at 531 Sayfullin Street, Almaty, Kazakhstan, telephone 7-3272-58-79-61, FAX 7-3272-58-79-68 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [992] (372) 21-03-48 (Dushanbe) FAX: [992] (372) 21-03-62 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Guillermo CASTILLO
chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952 FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Providence, San Francisco |
chief of mission: Ambassador Khamrokhon ZARIPOV
chancery: 1725 K Sreet NW, Suite 409, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090 FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091 |
Disputes - international | annual ministerial meetings under the OAS-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea; the Line of Adjacency created under the 2002 Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous international boundary to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States | prolonged regional drought creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands; negotiations with China resolved the longstanding boundary dispute; talks have begun with Uzbekistan to demine and delimit border; disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Kyrgyzstan |
Economic aid - recipient | $253.6 million (2005 est.) | $60.7 million from US (2001) |
Economy - overview | Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about one-fourth of GDP, two-fifths of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products, with sugar exports benefiting from increased global demand for ethanol. The 1996 signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, and Guatemala since then has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. On 1 July 2006, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) entered into force between the US and Guatemala and has since spurred increased investment in the export sector. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with about 56% of the population below the poverty line. Other ongoing challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, upgrading both government and private financial operations, curtailing drug trafficking and rampant crime, and narrowing the trade deficit. Given Guatemala's large expatriate community in the United States, it is the top remittance recipient in Central America, with inflows serving as a primary source of foreign income equivalent to nearly two-thirds of exports. | Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 8% to 10% of the land area is arable. Cotton is the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited in amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Even though 60% of its people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997. Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises will further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economic situation, however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, and the external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002, including an interest rate of 4%, a 3-year grace period, and a US $49.8 million credit to the Central Bank of Tajikistan. |
Electricity - consumption | 6.361 billion kWh (2005) | 14.52 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 339 million kWh (2005) | 3.909 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 23 million kWh (2005) | 5.242 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 7.281 billion kWh (2005) | 14.18 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 1.9%
hydro: 98.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m |
lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution | inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides |
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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) 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% (2001 census) | Tajik 64.9%, Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5% (declining because of emigration), other 6.6% |
Exchange rates | quetzales per US dollar - 7.6833 (2007), 7.6026 (2006), 7.6339 (2005), 7.9465 (2004), 7.9409 (2003) | Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.37 (2001), 2.08 (2000), 1.24 (1999), 0.78 (1998)
note: the new unit of exchange was introduced on 30 October 2000, with one somoni equal to 1,000 of the old Tajikistani rubles |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008); Vice President Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008); Vice President Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 9 September 2007; runoff held 4 November 2007 (next to be held September 2011) election results: Alvaro COLOM Caballeros elected president; percent of vote - Alvaro COLOM Caballeros 52.8%, Otto PEREZ Molina 47.2% |
chief of state: President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 6 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister appointed by the president; Tajikistan held a constitutional referendum on 22 June 2003 that, among other things, set a term limit of two seven-year terms for the president election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2% |
Exports | 15,560 bbl/day (2006 est.) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom | aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles |
Exports - partners | US 44.6%, El Salvador 11.9%, Honduras 7.2%, Mexico 5.2% (2006) | Netherlands 29.4%, Turkey 16.1%, Russia 11.9%, Uzbekistan 9.9%, Switzerland 9.3%, Hungary 5.4%, Latvia 4.2% (2002) |
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 stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is located in the center of the white stripe |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $8.476 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 13.8%
industry: 27.9% services: 58.3% (2007 est.) |
agriculture: 19%
industry: 26% services: 55% (2002 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5.6% (2007 est.) | 9.1% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 15 30 N, 90 15 W | 39 00 N, 71 00 E |
Geography - note | no natural harbors on west coast | landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR |
Highways | - | total: 27,767 km
paved: NA unpaved: NA (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% (2002) |
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1998) |
Illicit drugs | major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2005, cultivated 100 hectares of opium poppy after reemerging as a potential source of opium in 2004; potential production of less than 1 metric ton of pure heroin; marijuana cultivation for mostly domestic consumption; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs (particularly for cocaine); money laundering is a serious problem; corruption is a major problem | major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; Tajikistan seizes roughly 80 percent of all drugs captured in Central Asia and stands third world-wide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium) |
Imports | 72,960 bbl/day (2006 est.) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity | electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | US 33.2%, Mexico 8.8%, China 6.5%, El Salvador 5.3%, South Korea 4.9% (2006) | Russia 22.7%, Uzbekistan 18.4%, Ukraine 11.2%, Kazakhstan 10%, Turkmenistan 6.5%, Azerbaijan 5.7%, India 4.4% (2002) |
Independence | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) | 9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
Industrial production growth rate | 5.9% (2007 est.) | 10.3% (2000 est.) |
Industries | sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism | aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers |
Infant mortality rate | total: 29.77 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 32.26 deaths/1,000 live births female: 27.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
total: 113.43 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 126.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 99.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6.6% (2007 est.) | 12% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IOC, IOM, ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 4 (2002) |
Irrigated land | 1,300 sq km (2003) | 7,200 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitutcionalidad is Guatemala's highest court (five judges are elected for concurrent five-year terms); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (13 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) | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) |
Labor force | 3.958 million (2007 est.) | 3.187 million (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 50%
industry: 15% services: 35% (1999 est.) |
agriculture 67.2%, industry 7.5%, services 25.3% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 1,687 km
border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km |
total: 3,651 km
border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km |
Land use | arable land: 13.22%
permanent crops: 5.6% other: 81.18% (2005) |
arable land: 5.41%
permanent crops: 0.92% other: 93.67% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca) | Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business |
Legal system | civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts |
Legislative branch | unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 9 September 2007 (next to be held in September 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - UNE 30.4%, GANA 23.4%, PP 18.9%, FRG 9.5%, PU 5.1%, other 12.7%; seats by party - UNE 48, GANA 37, PP 30, FRG 15, PU 8, CASA 5, EG 4, PAN 4, UCN 4, URNG 2, UD 1 |
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (33 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 February and 12 March 2000 for the Assembly of Representatives (next to be held NA 2005) and 23 March 2000 for the National Assembly (next to be held NA 2005) election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 65%, Communist Party 20%, Islamic Rebirth Party 7.5%, other 7.5%; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 69.69 years
male: 67.94 years female: 71.52 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 64.37 years
male: 61.39 years female: 67.5 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.1% male: 75.4% female: 63.3% (2002 census) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4% male: 99.6% female: 99.1% (2003 est.) |
Location | Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize | Central Asia, west of China |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
none (landlocked) |
Military branches | Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force | Army, Air Force and Air Defense Force, Presidential National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $35.4 million (FY01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.4% (2006) | 3.9% (FY01) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 1,704,457 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 1,397,188 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 82,490 (2003 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 15 September (1821) | Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991) |
Nationality | noun: Guatemalan(s)
adjective: Guatemalan |
noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani |
Natural hazards | numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms | earthquakes and floods |
Natural resources | petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower | hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold |
Net migration rate | -2.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | -3.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Pipelines | oil 480 km (2007) | gas 540 km; oil 38 km (2003) |
Political parties and leaders | Center of Social Action or CASA [Eduardo SUGER]; Democracy Front or FRENTE [Alfonso CABRERA]; Democratic Union or UD [Manuel CONDE Orellana]; Encounter for Guatemala or EG [Nineth MONTENGRO]; Grand National Alliance or GANA [Alfredo VILLA]; Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Hector NUILA]; Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Ruben Dario MORALES]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Alvaro COLOM Caballeros]; Patriot Party or PP [Ret. Gen. Otto PEREZ Molina]; Unionista Party or PU [Fritz GARCIA]; Unity of National Change or UCN [Sidney SHAW] | Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV, chairman]; Islamic Revival Party [Said Abdullo NURI, chairman]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Sherali KENJAYEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV] |
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 | there are two unregistered political parties with 1,000 or more members: Progressive Party [Suton QUVVATOV]; Unity Party [Hikmatuko SAIDOV] |
Population | 12,728,111 (July 2007 est.) | 6,863,752 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 56.2% (2004 est.) | 60% (2001 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.152% (2007 est.) | 2.13% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000) | AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002) |
Railways | total: 886 km
narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m gauge (2006) |
total: 482 km
broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2002) |
Religions | Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs | Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.033 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.941 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.861 male(s)/female total population: 0.974 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala
domestic: state-owned telecommunications company privatized in the late 1990s opening the way for competition; fixed-line teledensity 11 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 60 per 100 persons international: country code - 502; landing point for both the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the SAM-1 fiber optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not reached by the national network
domestic: cable and microwave radio relay international: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1.355 million (2006) | 363,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 7.179 million (2006) | 2,500 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997) | 13 (2001) |
Terrain | mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau | Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest |
Total fertility rate | 3.7 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 4.17 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 3.2% (2005 est.) | 40% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | 990 km
note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2007) |
none |