GUATEMALA
The Republic of Guatemala, the largest economy in Central America, is a country with lots of opportunities. Strategically located, Guatemala is the gateway to the Central American Common Market (CACM). Guatemala’s area is 108,889 square kilometers, borders Mexico, to the north and west, Belize, Caribbean Sea, Honduras and El Salvador to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the South. Main export products are: coffee, sugar, bananas, cardamom, and non-traditional products.

Guatemala has a modern infrastructure, with port facilities on both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, local and international airports, railroad (only for cargo purposes) and the most developed cross-country highway network in the region. Guatemala also has the largest labor-force in Central America. Guatemala has a representative democracy government, a constantly improving political environment conducive to stability and sustained economic growth, one of the highest in Latin America.

Besides the CACM, Guatemala has preferential market access to U.S. and European markets, through such arrangements as the General Preferences System (GSP) and the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI). Trade agreements also improve the market access conditions to Panama, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, Chile and the Andean Community.

Over half of the population is made up of 22 Maya groups, the most numerous of which are the Quiche, Kakchikel, Mam and Kekchi. The mestizos, or ladinos, product of the biological and cultural mix between Indians and Europeans, make up less than half the population, including the Garifunas, of Afro-West Indian stock, and some Europeans. Although the official language is Spanish, each Maya group and the Garifunas speak their own language.

In Guatemala, freedom of worship is guaranteed in the constitution. The country is mostly Catholic, although there are many Protestant denominations. Maya rights and worship are preserved, particularly in the rural communities.