Guatemala’s neighbour countries are Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador.. The country is made up of three main regions—the cool and densely populated highlands, a tropical stretch along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and the tropical jungle in the lowlands in the North.
The magnificient Maya civilization bloomed some one thousand years ago, and you can still see its ruins throughout the country. Today over 50% of Guatemalans have Maya ancestry; most of them live in the western highlands as farmers. The other half of the population, known as Ladinos, have a mixed descendancy of Mayans and Spanish. Ladinos speak Spanish and dress in Western clothing, whereas Maya speak over 20 different indigenous languages and cling to traditional dress and customs. Ladinos of the cities dominate commerce, government, and the military. Guatemalan society became increasingly polarized when guerrilla groups formed in 1960 to fight for the poor majority of the Maya lower class. This civil caused the loss of 200,000 lives and displacement of half a million people. In September 1996, an agreement was drafted between the government and the guerrillas to end the civil war that had lasted for 36 years.
The democratic government is making progress in moving the Economy away from  agriculture toward manufacture and tourism. One of the most renowned tourism sites is Tikal, in northern Guatemala with a rough 3,000 Maya buildings from 600 B.C. to A.D. 900.

National name: República de Guatemala

Capital and largest city: Guatemala City, 2,655,900 (metropolitan area), 1,128,800 (city proper)
Other large cities: Mixco, 287,600; Villa Nueva, 138,900

Land area: 41,865 sq mi (108,430 sq km)
Total area: 42,042 sq mi (108,889 sq km)

Population: 12,701,000
Life Expectancy: 66

Form of Government: Constitutional democratic republic

Economy

Industry: sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals.
Agriculture: sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee; cattle.
Exports: coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom, meat.
Monetary unit: Quetzal, U.S. dollar, others
GDP per Capita: USD 3,900

People

Languages: Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40%, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca.
Ethnic Groups: Mestizo (Ladino) and European 59.4%, K’iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q’eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1% (2001)
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs