The republic of Guatemala is about the size of Tennessee. It is south of Mexico, and bordered by Belize, Honduras and El Salvador on the east. Guatemala City is the capital and largest city of this country, which holds the highest population of any other Central American country, with an estimated 12.3 million people.
Guatemala was once the site of the ancient Maya civilization, and later a Spanish colony. It became a republic in 1839, after the collapse of the United Provinces of Central America. Guatemala was under military dictatorship until World War II. In 1944, the last of these rulers was overthrown, and the country elected a new President, Juan Jose Arevalo, who led the country toward political democracy. Under his leadership, Guatemala moved forward by introducing new labor laws, a new social security system, and industrialization. However, military leaders later took over the government again, and these programs were abolished. After 30 more years of political unrest, Guatemala was granted civilian rule once again. The military still holds a great deal of power in the country.
Guatemala is now a constitutional democratic republic. The constitution grants a separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. In 1993, reforms were introduced to reduce the terms of office for various leadership roles, including that of the President and Vice President. The President and Vice President are now allowed 4-year terms, and can only hold office for one term.
Guatemala is still in its rebuilding stage, and many of its people live in poverty. Over half of the population are descendants of the Mayan people. Most of the population is Roman Catholic, and an increasing number are members of Protestant groups. Spanish is the official language. The country is home to 22 different Maya languages.
The quetzal is the basic unit of currency.
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