Home

Transnational_issues of Guatemala

Disputes - international:annual ministerial meetings under the OAS-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea; the Line of Adjacency created under the 2002 Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous international boundary to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States
Refugees and internally displaced persons:IDPs: undetermined (estimates vary from none to 1 million displaced from government's scorched-earth offensive in 1980s against indigenous people) (2006)
Illicit drugs:major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2005, cultivated 100 hectares of opium poppy after reemerging as a potential source of opium in 2004; potential production of less than 1 metric ton of pure heroin; marijuana cultivation for mostly domestic consumption; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs (particularly for cocaine); money laundering is a serious problem; corruption is a major problem

Guatemala Quickstats

  • Population: 12,728,111 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 108,890 sq km
  • Density: 134.6 /km² (85th)
  • GDP (total): $62.78 billion (71st)
  • GDP (per capita): $4,155 (116th)
  • Literacy: 69.1%

Languages of Guatemala

Useful to know

  • Currency: Quetzal (GTQ)
  • Dial code: +502

International Trade

External sites

More Resources

Recent blog posts