What are 5 interesting facts about Guatemala?
11 Surprising Cultural Facts You Didn’t Know About Guatemala
- The national bird lends its name to the Guatemalan currency. …
- Guatemala means “land of many trees” …
- It has been inhabited for 20,000 years. …
- 22 languages are spoken in the country. …
- The CIA overthrew a socialist government in 1954. …
- The Guatemalan Civil War was the longest in Latin American history.
What is a fun fact about Guatemala?
The population of Guatemala today is more than 14 million people. Guatemala is the second-most populated country in both South and Central America. The Guatemalan currency is the Quetzal, and the U.S. dollar is also used. Approximately half of the Guatemalans living today are descendants of the ancient Mayans.
What is Guatemala famous for?
Guatemala is best known for its volcanic landscape, fascinating Mayan culture and the colorful colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But this small Central American country has a wealth of homegrown produce and talent.
What did Guatemala invent?
Guatemalans invented the first ever chocolate bar
They call chocolate “the food of the Gods”. And they believe that chocolate holds incredible nutritional benefits, like reducing blood pressure. Today, Guatemala is a mass producer and exporter of chocolate products.
Why Guatemala is so poor?
Guatemala’s poor getting poorer. In Latin America, only Guatemala’s poor are getting even poorer. A new World Bank study says a key reason is that the government collects too few taxes. Low spending leads to poor infrastructure and slow growth.
What food is Guatemala known for?
Corn, beans, rice, pork, beef, chicken, cheese, and tortillas form the backbone of most Guatemalan cuisine. Meat stews (caldos) and soups (sopas) are easily the most popular dishes among locals.
What is Guatemala favorite sport?
Football
Are Guatemalans friendly?
The people are super friendly
The local Guatemalans are some of the friendliest people in all of Central America! … If lost, people are always happy to help and I’ve found that hitching in Guatemala is relatively easy as people are so keen to try and help out travellers.
What language do Guatemala speak?
Spanish
Is Guatemala 3rd world country?
If you live in Guatemala, you may be wondering if it is a third world country. Is Guatemala a third world country? Yes, it is. … Even though the term ‘third world’ is outdated, it is often used to describe countries that are poor or underdeveloped.
What do people in Guatemala do for fun?
Outdoor sports are main recreational activities. The most popular are white-water rafting near Acatenango Volcano, kayaking on inland Lake Atitlán and along the Pacific coast, spelunking in the limestone labyrinths of the Petén plateau, and volcano climbing and mountain biking in the sierras above Antigua Guatemala.
Who is the most famous person in Guatemala?
Ricardo Arjona
Perhaps Guatemala’s most famous musical export, Arjona is a singer-songwriter who has sold more than 40 million albums.
How did Guatemala get its name?
Etymology. The name “Guatemala” comes from the Nahuatl word Cuauhtēmallān (nahwiki), or “place of many trees”, a derivative of the K’iche’ Mayan word for “many trees” or, perhaps more specifically, for the Cuate/Cuatli tree Eysenhardtia.
What are people like in Guatemala?
The culture of Guatemala reflects strong Mayan and Spanish influences and continues to be defined as a contrast between poor Mayan villagers in the rural highlands, and the urbanized and relatively wealthy mestizos population (known in Guatemala as ladinos) who occupy the cities and surrounding agricultural plains.