Political Geography
- Conventional Long Form Name: Republic de Guatemala
- Capital City: Guatemala City
- Type of Government: Democratic Republic
- Date of Independence: September 15, 1821
- National Holidays:
- January 1: New Year's Day
- April Thursday and Friday: Easter, Holy week
- May 1: Labor Day
- June 30: Army Day
- September 15: Independence Day
- October 20: Revolution Day
- November 1: All Saints Day
- December 25: Christmas
- Chief of State: President Otto Fernando Perez Molina
- Head of Government: President Otto Fernando Perez Molina
- Executive Branch/Powers: President and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a 4-year term. Elections are held in September
- Legislative Branch/Powers: Unicameral Congress of the Republic have 158 seats. Members are elected through a party list from proportional representation system.
- Judicial Branch/Powers: Supreme Court of Justice consists of 13 magistrates including the court president and organized into 3 chambers. The court president also supervises trial judges through the country. Constitutional Court consists of 5 judges and 5 alternates.
- Suffrage: 17 years or older to vote
- Guatemala Ambassador to the US: Jose Julio Alejandro Ligorria Carballido
- Guatemala Embassy in the US: Washington, D.C.
- Guatemala Consulates in the US: McAllen, TX; Atlanta; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Los Angeles, CA; Silver Spring; Miami; New York; Phoenix; Rhode Island; and San Francisco.
- US Ambassador to Guatemala: Todd Robinson
- US Embassy in Guatemala: Guatemala City
- US Consulate Guatemala: Guatemala Ciudad
- Guatemalan Representative to UN: Fernando Carrera
- Symbols:
- National Bird: Quetzal
- National Flower: White Nun Orchid or Monja Blanca
- International Disputes: Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea; Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize. 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 Inside Guatemala: 0 (most people are leaving)
- Origin of Refugee: No refugees
- Internally Displaced Persons: 2,000 from Maya and Peasants
- Stateless Persons: 0
- Human Trafficking Issues: Guatemala is a country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Guatemalan women and children are exploited in sex trafficking within the country and forced to do labor within the country, often in agriculture or domestic service, especially indigenous people. Guatemalan children are exploited in forced labor in begging and street vending, particularly within Guatemala City and along the border area with Mexico.
- Illicit Drug Trafficking: Gangs and criminals flourish under conditions that allow drug traffickers to operate. Violent drug cartels, however, are only one manifestation of the gangs and clandestine associations that have long dominated Guatemalan society and crippled its institutions.