Guatemala

República de Guatemala

Political Status: Independent Captaincy General of Guatemala proclaimed 1821; member of United Provinces of Central America, 1824–1838; separate state established 1839; most recent constitution (adopted May 31, 1985, with effect from January 14, 1986) amended by referendum of January 30, 1994.

Area: 42,042 sq. mi. (108,889 sq. km).

Population: 17,971,000 (2020E—World Bank); 17,153,288 (2020E—U.S. Census).

Major Urban Centers (2018E): GUATEMALA CITY (2,740,000), Mixco (473,080), Villa Nueva (406,830), Quetzaltenango (132,230), Escuintla (103,165).

Official Language: Spanish.

[Page 650]Monetary Unit: Quetzal (market rate September 30, 2020: 7.78 quetzales = $1US). Since May 1, 2001, foreign currencies have been permitted to circulate and may be used in business transactions.

President: Alejandro GIAMMATTEI (Vamos); elected in runoff election on August 11, 2019, and sworn in for a four-year term on January 14, ...