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GUATEMALA
Guatemala is located in Central America and shares borders to the north and west with Mexico, to the southeast with El Salvador and Honduras, to the northeast with Belize and the Caribbean sea and to the south with the Pacific ocean. The landscape is predominantly mountainous and heavily forested. A string of volcanoes rises above the southern highlands along the Pacific, three of which are still active. Within this volcanic area are basins of varying sizes which hold the majority of the country’s population. The region is drained by rivers flowing into both the Pacific and the Caribbean. One basin west of the capital has no river outlet and thus has formed Lake Atitlán, which is ringed by volcanoes. To the northwest, bordering on Belize and Mexico, lies the low undulating tableland of El Petén, 36,300 sq km (14,000 sq miles) of almost inaccessible wilderness covered with dense hardwood forest. This area covers approximately one-third of the national territory, yet contains only 40,000 people.
But nature wields a double-edged sword in Guatemala, and as much as its effects have scathed Guatemalan infrastructure and land, it has also formed some astonishing sights, such as volcanic peaks, subtropical forests and ancient, sulphurous lakes. Orchids spring out of soil, exotic creatures roam it, and exotic birds soar in Guatemala's vast skies. And equally, just as Guatemala's human history contains some savage chapters, a visitor is still frequently greeted by sincere friendliness. The indigenous Guatemalan culture also persists, and those thinking that the Mayans were totally eradicated centuries ago may be surprised to bump into a few on their travels – they constitute almost half of the population.
Antiquity is at the heart of Guatemala: the country incorporates some of the most spectacular Mayan archaeological sites and the pineforested hills of the Highlands are home to Mayan communities that still wear their traditional weavings. Guatemala has around 21 different ethnic groups, speaking some 23 languages. The staggering Mayan monuments alert the visitor to a mystery that hangs in the air: the Mayans were dominant through much of Central America from the fifth until the eighth century, when their civilization rapidly declined and a variety of other ethnic groups moved into the region.
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