home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
/ The Guinness Encyclopedia / The Guinness Encyclopedia - Wayzata Technology (3221-1B) (Disc 2) (1995).iso / countrie / 16in_cou.ntr / card_21052.xml < prev    next >
Extensible Markup Language  |  1995-06-13  |  3KB  |  19 lines
  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
  2. <!DOCTYPE card PUBLIC "-//Apple, Inc.//DTD card V 2.0//EN" "" >
  3. <card>
  4.     <id>21052</id>
  5.     <filler1>0</filler1>
  6.     <cantDelete> <false /> </cantDelete>
  7.     <showPict> <true /> </showPict>
  8.     <dontSearch> <false /> </dontSearch>
  9.     <owner>5472</owner>
  10.     <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet_3106.css" />
  11.     <content>
  12.         <layer>background</layer>
  13.         <id>31</id>
  14.         <text><span class="style42"></span><span class="style12">GUATEMALA</span><span class="style14"></span><span class="style42">Official name: </span><span class="style13">Rep├║blica de Guatemala (Republic of Guatemala)</span><span class="style42">Member of: </span><span class="style13">UN, OAS, CACM</span><span class="style42">Area: </span><span class="style13">108889 km2 (42042 sq mi)</span><span class="style42">Population: </span><span class="style13">9713000 (1993 est)</span><span class="style42">Capital: </span><span class="style13">Guatemala City 2074000 (including suburbs; 1992 est)</span><span class="style42">Other major cities: </span><span class="style13">Puerto Barrios 338000, Quezaltenango 246000 (1992 est)</span><span class="style42">Language: </span><span class="style13">Spanish (official; about 55% as a first language), over 20 Mayan languages (45%)</span><span class="style42">Religions: </span><span class="style13">Roman Catholic (official; 65%), various Protestant Evangelical Churches (35%)</span><span class="style42">GOVERNMENT</span><span class="style13">A President ΓÇô who appoints a Cabinet ΓÇô and the 116-member National Congress are elected for a five-year term by universal adult suffrage. The National Congress comprises 87 members elected by constituencies and 29 members elected under a system of proportional representation. </span><span class="style42">GEOGRAPHY</span><span class="style13">A mountain chain ΓÇô containing over 30 volcanoes, including Tajumulco (4220 m/13881 ft) ΓÇô separates Pacific and Atlantic coastal lowlands. </span><span class="style42">Climate: </span><span class="style13">The coastal plains have a tropical climate; the mountains are more temperate.</span><span class="style42">ECONOMY</span><span class="style13">More than one half of the labor force is involved in agriculture. Coffee is the major export, while the other main crops include sugar cane and bananas. </span><span class="style42">Currency: </span><span class="style13">Quetzal.</span><span class="style42">HISTORY</span><span class="style13">The area was the center of the Mayan civilization between the 4th and 9th centuries. After 1524, Guatemala was the administrative center of Spanish Central America. Independence was proclaimed in 1821, but the country was part of the Central American Federation until 1839. Until recent times, Guatemala has a history of being ruled by dictators allied to landowners. However, in the 1950s President Jacobo Arbenz expropriated large estates, dividing them among the peasantry. Accused of being a Communist, he was deposed by the army with US military aid (1954). For over 30 years, the left was suppressed, leading to the emergence of guerrilla armies. Thousands of dissidents were killed or disappeared. Civilian government was restored in 1986. In 1993, President Serrano was deposed after attempting to impose a dictatorship, and a government of national unity was formed.</span></text>
  15.     </content>
  16.     <name>Guatemala</name>
  17.     <script></script>
  18. </card>
  19.