| Location | Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize |
| Geographic coordinates | 15 30 N, 90 15 W |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area | total: 108,889 sq km land: 107,159 sq km water: 1,730 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,667 km border countries (4): Belize 266 km, El Salvador 199 km, Honduras 244 km, Mexico 958 km |
| Coastline | 400 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands |
| Terrain | two east-west trending mountain chains divide the country into three regions: the mountainous highlands, the Pacific coast south of mountains, and the vast northern Peten lowlands |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Volcan Tajumulco (highest point in Central America) 4,220 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 759 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 41.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 14.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 8.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 18.2% (2018 est.) forest: 33.6% (2018 est.) other: 25.2% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 3,375 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 127.91 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms volcanism: significant volcanic activity in the Sierra Madre range; Santa Maria (3,772 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Pacaya (2,552 m), which erupted in May 2010 causing an ashfall on Guatemala City and prompting evacuations, is one of the country's most active volcanoes with frequent eruptions since 1965; other historically active volcanoes include Acatenango, Almolonga, Atitlan, Fuego, and Tacana; see note 2 under "Geography - note" |
| Geography - note | note 1: despite having both eastern and western coastlines (Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean respectively), there are no natural harbors on the west coast note 2: Guatemala is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
