OVERVIEW

The beautiful country of Guatemala, bordered by Mexico on the north, Belize on the east, and El Salvador and Honduras on the south , has a surface area of 108,889 square kilometers, (42,042 square miles).

Population: Guatemala has approximately 11 million inhabitants of which 3.5 million live in the capital city.

Local Time: Guatemala does not turn its clock back or forward. So during Standard Time in the USA and Canada, Guatemala's time corresponds to US. Central Time. During the summer Daylight Savings period, the local time corresponds to US. Mountain Time.

Language: Although Spanish is the official language of Guatemala, it is not universally understood among the indigenous population and 21 Mayan groups have kept their ancestral languages alive. Garífuna and Xinca are also spoken. English is spoken in all main tourist centers.

Currency: The official currency is the quetzal which is equivalent to approximately 13 US cents. US dollars and credit cards are welcome in most places.