Guatemala is the northernmost country of Central America. It borders Mexico on the north and west, Honduras, Belize, and El Salvador to the east. The capital city is Guatemala City, also known as Guate (Gwah-teh), which is the center of government, economy and culture of the nation, and is located in the highlands approximately 5,000ft in elevation.

The country is about the size of Tennessee, but very rich in its environment, consisting of three main regions- the cool highlands where the heaviest population resides, the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and the tropical jungles of the northern lowlands known as the Petén. In general, there are many trees, lakes, rivers, mountains and volcanoes.

There are about 12 million people that live in Guatemala. The population is about evenly divided between the purely indigenous Mayan people and the Mestizo, or those of mixed Mayan and Spanish descent. Spanish is the spoken language of about 60% of the population, and the rest speak one of 20+ dialects of the indigenous language. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion, although about 30% is said to be Protestant, as well as a minority population being traditional Mayan.

Guatemala is mainly an agricultural economy that depends on the leading commercial and export crops of coffee, sugar and bananas. There is some manufacturing and exporting of refined sugar, textiles, clothing, furniture, rubber, and chemicals, as well as an industry in tourism centered around the Mayan town of Chichicastenango. The land is rich in natural resources and minerals such as zinc, lead, nickel, petroleum, and jade, although political unrest and environmental opposition have been limitations to the development of these industries.

Guatemala is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and in many respects is still trying to overcome the effects of colonialism. Many are under 14 years of age, illiterate, and living without access to basic services of electricity, running water, etc. A USAID study presented in Guatemala shows that 80% of the country’s population lives below the poverty line. 46% of the children suffer from malnutrition, which is a statistic worse than in many African countries, and at the same level as Bangladesh. (Source: Casa Alianza- November 6, 2001).

Source of information: nblatino.ca/spanish/about/latin_america

We are currently partnering with several orphanages and other excellent ministries in Guatemala. Being a country that is so much in need, there are many opportunities for us to add more ministry partners in the future.

To see a list of our ministry partners in Guatemala, go to the WHO WE SERVE page by clicking on the menu button.

Trip Information:
Sample Guatemala Itinerary

Guatemala on the Web:
Guatemala map, history and other statistics
Guatemala City and other cities:
www.enjoyguatemala.com/guatemalacity.htm
http://centralamerica.com/guatemala/
http://www.inguat.gob.gt
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gt.html
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107596.html
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/central-america/guatemala