Guatemala: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 13, 2026

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Facts

Also Known As	Republic of Guatemala • República de Guatemala
Head Of State And Government	President: Bernardo Arévalo
Capital	Guatemala City
Population	(2026 est.) 18,403,000
Form Of Government	republic with one legislative house (Congress of the Republic [158])
Official Language	Spanish
Official Religion	none
Official Name	República de Guatemala (Republic of Guatemala)
Total Area (Sq Km)	108,889
Total Area (Sq Mi)	42,042
Monetary Unit	quetzal (Q)
Population Rank	(2026) 70
Population Projection 2030	21,290,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2026) 437.7
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2026) 169
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2018) 53.9% • Rural: (2018) 46.1%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2025–2026) 70.8 years • Female: (2025–2026) 77.3 years
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2024) 106,395
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2024) 5,780

Photos and Videos

Political map of Guatemala showing its national boundaries with Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador, as well as major cities including Guatemala City, Quetzaltenango, Puerto Barrios, and Escuintla. The map features rivers, coastlines along the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, and an inset locator map highlighting Guatemala's position in Central America.

Temple II, also known as the Temple of the Masks, rises in stepped stone tiers with a central staircase at the Great Plaza in Tikal, Guatemala, surrounded by trees and grass.

Map showing the location of Guatemala in Central America, shaded in tan, bordered by Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador, with Guatemala City marked. Surrounding regions include the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Pacific Ocean.

Map of Guatemala highlighting physical features such as major mountain ranges, volcanoes, lakes, and rivers. Notable features include the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Chama Mountains, Sierra de Santa Cruz, and volcanoes like Tajumulco, Tacana, and Ipala. The map also marks Tikal National Park and major lakes such as Lake Atitlan and Lake Izabal. International borders with Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador are shown, along with a small locator map in the corner for regional context.

The bright yellow facade of San Andres Xecul Church in Guatemala is decorated with colorful painted figures, patterns, and religious motifs.

A Guatemalan boy wearing a cap carries a large sack on his back while walking through rows of coffee plants with red berries on a plantation.

A person wearing a plaid shirt sorts freshly harvested red coffee cherries in a wooden container in Guatemala, with coffee beans spilling from a sack above.

Ancient stone temples of Tikal, including Pyramids I, II, and IV, rise above dense green forest in Tikal National Park, Guatemala, under a partly cloudy sky.

What archaeology reveals about Maya culture

National anthem of Guatemala

See All Videos, Images, Audio and Interactives →

Topics

list of cities and towns in Guatemala World War II League of Nations nation-state Allied powers Anglo-American Chain of Command in Western Europe, June 1944 Central American Common Market Central America–Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement German Chain of Command in Western Europe, June 1944 casualties of World War II United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

Bernardo Arévalo, president of Guatemala

Bernardo Arévalo

Guatemalan politician and writer

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Efraín Ríos Montt

dictator of Guatemala

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Álvaro Arzú

president of Guatemala

Jacobo Arbenz

Jacobo Arbenz

president of Guatemala

Pedro de Alvarado

Pedro de Alvarado

Spanish conquistador

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Robert Redfield

American anthropologist

Miguel Ángel Asturias.

Miguel Ángel Asturias

Guatemalan author and diplomat

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Fernando Romeo Lucas García

president of Guatemala

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Rafael Carrera

ruler of Guatemala

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Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García

president of Guatemala

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Jorge Ubico

president of Guatemala

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Juan José Arévalo

president of Guatemala

Manuel Estrada Cabrera

Manuel Estrada Cabrera

president of Guatemala

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Lorenzo Montúfar y Rivera Maestre

Guatemalan statesman

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Frans Ferdinand Blom

Danish archaeologist

Justo Rufino Barrios

Justo Rufino Barrios

president of Guatemala

Map of Latin America showing countries, major cities, and key physical features such as mountain ranges, highlands, and rivers. The map includes Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, with labeled regions like the Andes, Brazilian Highlands, and Gran Chaco, as well as an inset highlighting the West Indies. Surrounding bodies of water, including the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea, are also labeled.

history of Latin America

Map of North America showing international boundaries, country names, and capital cities. The map includes Canada, the United States, Mexico, Greenland, Central American countries, and Caribbean nations, with a locator inset at the bottom left for global context. Major bodies of water such as the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea are labeled.

North America

continent

Map of Central America showing country borders, capital cities, major lakes, and the Panama Canal, with shaded relief indicating elevation changes across the region.

Central America

A view overlooking the city of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

Quetzaltenango

Guatemala

Santa Catalina Arch in Antigua Guatemala

Antigua Guatemala

Guatemala

Sololá, Guatemala

Sololá

Guatemala

Guatemala City: cathedral

Guatemala City

national capital, Guatemala

Cobán, Guatemala

Cobán

Guatemala

Uaxactún

Petén

department, Guatemala

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Escuintla

Guatemala

Mayan temple

Flores

Guatemala

Santo Tomás de Castilla: container port

Santo Tomás de Castilla

Guatemala

Abaj Takalik

Retalhuleu

Guatemala

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Puerto Barrios

Guatemala

Zaculeu

Huehuetenango

Guatemala

Opened passport with visas, stamps, seals, world map. (travel, tourism)

Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz

Flags of all countries of the world. Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

The Country Quiz

Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz

Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Countries of the World

Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Countries & Their Features

7:023 Geography: Think of Something Big, globe showing Africa, Europe, and Eurasia

Which Country Is Larger By Area? Quiz

Flags of the world against blue sky. Countries, International. Globalization, global relations, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Poland, Palestine, Japan. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

Which Country Is Larger By Population? Quiz

Flags of all nations of the world. Grouping of various country flags on a world map.

Which Country Is Larger? Quiz

10:087 Ocean: The World of Water, two globes showing eastern and western hemispheres

You Name It!

Actual continental drift of plates. Thematic map.

Geography Fun Facts