LAFTA (Latin American Fun, Travel, Adventure)
& BUSINESS at travellog.com
Guatemala
From the CIA factbook
Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Honduras
and Belize and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and
Mexico
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total area: 108,890 sq km
land area: 108,430 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Tennessee
Land boundaries: total 1,687 km, Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km,
Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km
Coastline: 400 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: border with Belize in dispute; talks to resolve
the dispute are stalled
Climate: tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling
limestone plateau (Peten)
Natural resources: petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle
Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 4%
meadows and pastures: 12%
forest and woodland: 40%
other: 32%
Irrigated land: 780 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
natural hazards: numerous volcanoes in mountains, with frequent violent
earthquakes; Caribbean coast subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms
international agreements: party to - Antarctic Treaty, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea
Note: no natural harbors on west coast
Return to LAFTA & BUSINESS Guatemala homepage
Return ro LAFTA & BUSINESS homepage