Guatemala
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Introduction
Guatemala is located within Central America. It borders the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and it borders the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize.
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.
Editor's Notes
- A more detailed country profile on Guatemala may be found at: The CIA World Fact Book.
- Visit Guatemala Website.
- Website of the Government of Guatemala (en español).
Citation
Central Intelligence Agency (Content source); Sidney Draggan (Topic Editor). 2008. "Guatemala." In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [Published in the Encyclopedia of Earth February 3, 2008; Retrieved September 7, 2008]. <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Guatemala>