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Guatemala:. Land of Trees. Basic Facts. Capital: Guatemala City Population: 12,701,000 Language: Spanish Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant, and other indigenous Mayan beliefs Currency: Quetzal, US dollar, others allowed. Present Day Guatemala.
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Guatemala: Land of Trees
Basic Facts • Capital: Guatemala City • Population: 12,701,000 • Language: Spanish • Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant, and other indigenous Mayan beliefs • Currency: Quetzal, US dollar, others allowed
Present Day Guatemala • Very diverse landscape – everything from mountains to volcanoes • Famous for its Mayan ruins such as the pyramid of Tikal. • Population is half Maya descent and half Ladino, which is a mixture of Spanish and Maya.
Guatemala vs. USA • Literacy rate – 69.1% Guatemala 99% United States • Life Expectancy – 69 years Guatemala 78 years United States • Unemployment – 3.2% Guatemala 4.6% United States • Population below poverty line: 56.2% 12% United States
Historical Guatemala • The Maya – ancient civilization known for their monstrous pyramids. • Still impacting the culture today through passed down heritage and traditions. • More than half the culture is of Mayan descent.
Reflections • Maya vs. Native Americans – they seem to appreciate the indigenous peoples more than Americans do. • Literacy Rate – seeing the statistics about education and literacy in Guatemala makes me appreciate our own education system so much! • Poverty – over ½ of Guatemalans are below poverty compared to 12% of Americans!!! • Pyramids – I can only compare these to the skyscrapers of the big cities, but it would be so awesome to see a pyramid up close.
References • CIA World Factbook: United States and Guatemala https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gt.html https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html • National Geographic: http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_guatemala.html • Picture taken by David Hiser/Getty Images