around the country, who are named to five-year terms); Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitutcionalidad (five judges are elected for concurrent five-year terms by Congress, each serving one year as president of the Constitutional Court; one is elected by Congress, one elected by the Supreme Court of Justice, one appointed by the President, one elected by Superior Counsel of Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala, and one by Colegio de Abogados)
Political parties and leaders: Authentic Integral Development or DIA
[Jorge Luis ORTEGA]; Democratic Union or UD [Jose Luis CHEA
Urruela]; Green Party or LOV [Jose ASTURIAS Rudecke]; Guatemalan
Christian Democracy or DCG [Vinicio CEREZO Arevalo]; Guatemalan
National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Pablo MONSANTO, also known as
Jorge SOTO]; Guatemalan Republican Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt];
New Nation Alliance or ANN [leader NA], which includes the URNG;
National Advancement Party or PAN [Leonel LOPEZ Rodas]; Progressive
Liberator Party or PLP [Acisclo VALLADARES Molina]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Agrarian Owners Group or
UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI; Committee for Campesino
Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial,
Industrial, and Financial Associations or CACIF; Mutual Support
Group or GAM
International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, CCC, ECLAC,
FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ariel RIVERA Irias
chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 745–4952
FAX: [1] (202) 745–1908
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Prudence BUSHNELL
embassy: 7–01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City
mailing address: APO AA 34024
telephone: [502] 331–154⅕5
FAX: [502] 334–8477
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side), white, and light blue with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the national bird) and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain) all superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed swords and framed by a wreath
Guatemala Economy
Economy - overview: The agricultural sector accounts for about one-fourth of GDP, two-thirds of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products. Former President ARZU (1996–2000) worked to implement a program of economic liberalization and political modernization. The 1996 signing of the peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused relatively little damage to Guatemala compared to its neighbors. Ongoing challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, and increasing the efficiency and openness of both government and private financial operations. Despite low international prices for Guatemala's main commodities, the economy grew by 3% in 2000 and is forecast to grow by 4% in 2001. Guatemala, along with Honduras and El Salvador, recently concluded a free trade agreement with Mexico and has moved to protect international property rights. However, the PORTILLO administration has undertaken a review of privatizations under the previous administration, thereby creating some uncertainty among investors.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $46.2 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23%
industry: 20%
services: 57% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 60% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.6%
highest 10%: 46.6% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 4.2 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 50%, industry 15%, services 35% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7.5% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.2 billion
expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries: sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 4.1% (1999)
Electricity - production: 3.785 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 38.31%
hydro: 61.69%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 3.295 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 435 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 210 million kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens
Exports: $2.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom, meat, apparel, petroleum, electricity
Exports - partners: US 51.4%, El Salvador 8.7%, Honduras 5%, Costa
