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Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is south of Mexico and west of Honduras

It’s capitol is Guatemala City, which has a population of 2,655,900 people

It’s current president is Álvaro Colom Caballeros

Guatemala’s current form of government is a constitutional democratic republic

The Flag of Guatemala

The flag of Guatemala has blue stripes on the side and one middle white stripe. In the middle of the white stripe you can see a coat of arms, and on that coat of arms you can see the State’s bird, Quetzal, which signifies freedom and liberty. The presence of weapons signifies the state’s right to protect it’s citizens, and the blue stripes on the sides represent the Pacific and Caribbean seas.

Independence

On September 15th, 1821, Guatemala gained it’s independence from Spain.

The celebrations of Independence day in Guatemala are extensive. The days following, the schools and buses are decorated and school bands march around playing music.

Historical significance

Guatemala is known for having the first city, dating back to the 6th century BCE, El Mirador.

Major Holiday

One major holiday in Guatemala is All Saints Day. On this day kites are flown in cemeteries and the people feast on a traditional food called Fiambre. An unusual horse race is also held that day.

Monuments

There are about six different temples in Guatemala’s Tikal. But the oldest building in Tikal is The Great Pyramid. It is more the 35 meters high and is located in the Plaza. It is part of a complex dedicated to astronomy.

Geological feature- Tecuamburro

Tecuamburro is a volcano, about 50 Km south of Guatemala city. It’s summit elevation is 1845 meters off the ground. It’s last known eruption was in 960 BC.

Miguel Asturias

Miguel Asturias was a famous writer originally from Guatemala. He was born October 19th 1899. He studied Anthropology and Indian Mythology, and in 1967 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Daphne Zuniga

Daphne was a famous actress from Guatemala. She is best known for her Fox soap opera, Melrose Place. She also starred in many other movies, two of which were slasher sorority films.

Fun Facts

Guatemala means land of the trees. There are 21 different Mayan languages

spoken here and several non-Mayan ones too.

Agriculture is the Country’s main commerce, with exports such as bananas, sugar, and coffee.

The official name of the country is Republic of Guatemala.

Sources

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107596.html?pageno=1 http://www.mapsofworld.com/flags/guatemala-flag.html http://www.commonhope.org/news/independenceday.htm

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_historical_events_are_Guatemala_known_for

http://www.mayalandia.com/guatemala/events.php http://www.bing.com/reference/semhtml/?

title=Tikal&qpvt=Tikal&src=abop&fwd=1&q=tikal http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1402-

12= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_%C3%81ngel_Asturias http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-guatemala-

2322.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_Zuniga