1. Guatemala

2.  Guatemala is south of Mexico and west of Honduras  It’s capitol is Guatemala City, which has a population of 2,655,900 people  It’s current president is Álvaro Colom Caballeros  Guatemala’s current form of government is a constitutional democratic republic

3.  The flag of Guatemala has blue stripes on the side and one middle white stripe. In the middle of the white stripe you can see a coat of arms, and on that coat of arms you can see the State’s bird, Quetzal, which signifies freedom and liberty. The presence of weapons signifies the state’s right to protect it’s citizens, and the blue stripes on the sides represent the Pacific and Caribbean seas.

4.  On September 15 th, 1821, Guatemala gained it’s independence from Spain.  The celebrations of Independence day in Guatemala are extensive. The days following, the schools and buses are decorated and school bands march around playing music.

5.  Guatemala is known for having the first city, dating back to the 6 th century BCE, El Mirador.

6.  One major holiday in Guatemala is All Saints Day. On this day kites are flown in cemeteries and the people feast on a traditional food called Fiambre. An unusual horse race is also held that day.

7.  There are about six different temples in Guatemala’s Tikal. But the oldest building in Tikal is The Great Pyramid. It is more the 35 meters high and is located in the Plaza. It is part of a complex dedicated to astronomy.

8.  Tecuamburro is a volcano, about 50 Km south of Guatemala city. It’s summit elevation is 1845 meters off the ground. It’s last known eruption was in 960 BC.

9.  Miguel Asturias was a famous writer originally from Guatemala. He was born October 19 th 1899. He studied Anthropology and Indian Mythology, and in 1967 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

10.  Daphne was a famous actress from Guatemala. She is best known for her Fox soap opera, Melrose Place. She also starred in many other movies, two of which were slasher sorority films.

11.  Guatemala means land of the trees.  There are 21 different Mayan languages spoken here and several non-Mayan ones too.  Agriculture is the Country’s main commerce, with exports such as bananas, sugar, and coffee.  The official name of the country is Republic of Guatemala.

12.  http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107596.html?pageno=1  http://www.mapsofworld.com/flags/guatemala-flag.html  http://www.commonhope.org/news/independenceday.htm  http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_historical_events_are_Guate mala_known_for  http://www.mayalandia.com/guatemala/events.php  http://www.bing.com/reference/semhtml/?title=Tikal&qpvt=Ti kal&src=abop&fwd=1&q=tikal  http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1402-12=  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_%C3%81ngel_Asturias  http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-guatemala- 2322.html  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_Zuniga