Basic Information About Guatemala:

Population: The population of Guatemala is 16,817,398.  

GDP:  $ 119.1 billion (2016)

Climate:  November through to April is the dry season and in the mountainous central region (Guatemala City, Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Chichicastenango, Cobán and the highlands) it is an ideal climate for outdoor pursuits with average temperatures of 18°C (64°F).  

People:  These people are called Ladino in Guatemala. Approximately 39.8% of the population is indigenous and consist of 23 Maya groups and one non-Mayagroup. These are divided as follows: (K’iche 9.1%, 8.4% Kaqchikel, Mam 7.9%, 6.3% Q’eqchi’, other Mayapeoples 8.6%, 0.2% indigenous non-Maya).  

Religion:  Mayan Spirituality, Catholicism, and Christianity. Religion in Guatemala is fairly complex, with traditional Mayan spirituality still very much a presence, particularly in the highlands, along with Catholicism and the more recent incursions of Evangelical Christianity.

Capital:  Guatemala City (Spanish: Ciudad de Guatemala), locally known as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala, and the most populous in Central America.

Language:   Guatemalan Spanish is the local variant of the Spanish language. Twenty-one Mayan languages are spoken, especially in rural areas, as well as two non-Mayan Amerindian languages, Xinca, an indigenous language, and Garifuna, an Arawakan language spoken on the Caribbean coast.

Currency:  The Guatemalan Quetzal is the currency of Guatemala.

Time Zone: UTC-06:00