Facts about Guatemala's climate geography and hostory

Geography: Guatemala is in Central America at the southern tip of Mexico. Guatemala has a total area of 108,890 square kilometers (42,042 square miles). It is slightly smaller than the state of Tennessee. Guatemala borders Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico. These borders total 1,687 kilometers (1,048 miles) in length. Guatemala's coastline along the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea totals 400 kilometers (249 miles). Guatemala City is the nations capital and has over 2 million Guatemalans. It is located in south-central Guatemala, less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Pacific Ocean.

Climate: The temperature varies with altitude. The average annual temperature on the coast ranges from 77° to 86°F. In the central highlands the average is 68°F, and in the higher mountains 59°F. In Guatemala City, the average January minimum is 52°F and the maximum 73°F; the average minimum and maximum temperatures in July are, respectively, 61°F and 79°F. The rainy season extends from May to October inland and from May to December along the coast. The dry season from November to April. Because of its consistently temperate climate, Guatemala has been called the "Land of Eternal Spring."

Human traces in Guatemala has traced back to at least 12,000 B.C. During the colonial era (early 16th century) the spaniards arrived in Guatemala first and made several voyages to and from the colony. The first capital was named Tecpan Guatemala, founded in July 25, 1524.
On September 15, 1821, the Captaincy-general of Guatemala offically declared Guatemala's independence from Spain.
Many leaders controlled Guatemala for more than a century, then a Civil War broke out between the guerrillias and the government. In 1996 the war ended with help with negotiations by the U.N. Both sides made a compromise. The guerrilla fighters disarmed and received land to work. The Government pulled back it's troops and promised to protect the natives. The U.S. had been supplying the government militaty forces leading to an overwhelming amount of deaths.