GUATEMALA Originally Known as Goathemala The Land of Trees

The History of Guatemala Guatemala was the heart of the Mayan Indian civilization from 500 AD to 900 AD, but currently still more than half of the population is descendants of the Mayan population. Guatemala became independent of Spain in Guatemala is located in Central America, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the East and the Caribbean Sea to the West, which makes it a target for hurricanes. It is bordered by Belize to the Northeast, Mexico to the north, and with Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast.

Tikal

Guatemala In comparison, Guatemala is the size of Tennessee. Most of Guatemala's population is rural. The official language is Spanish. However, several Maya language dialects are still used.

The Flag According to in the Guatemalan flag's coat of arms, the crossed rifles indicate Guatemala's willingness to defend itself by war if need be; while the olive branches symbolize peace. The sky blue stripes represent the fact that Guatemala is located between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and the white stripe stands for the purity of the country's values and peace.

The capital is Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City. The country is divided into 22 states each has a capital. The principal cash crops are coffee, sugar, bananas, and cotton.

Football or soccer is played all over the nation even in the most remote villages. The food is simple and not highly spiced with tortillas and black beans at every meal. Most children do not attend school because it is such a poor country that they must work instead.

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Lake Atitlan One of the most beautiful and prestigious lakes in the world is located in Guatemala, Lake Atitlan. Lake Atitlan is known because it is the deepest lake in Central America having a maximum depth of up to about 340 meters. Surround the lake are 3 volcanoes; Atitlán, San Pedro, Tolimán. None of these volcanoes are active.

The Ring of Fire The Pacific Ring of Fire is an arc of intense earthquake and volcanic activity stretching from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and south along the coast of North and South America. It is composed over 75% of the world's active and inactive volcanoes. The Ring of Fire is located along the borders of the Pacific Plate.

Think Pair Share Get with a partner and discuss the following questions: What is a Volcano? What is an active Volcano? What is an Inactive Volcano? How do you think volcanoes are formed?

Volcanoes A volcano is an opening, or eruption, in our planet's surface or crust, which allows hot magma, volcanic ash and gases to escape from below the surface. An active volcano is a volcano that has had at least one eruption during the past 10,000 years. An active volcano might be erupting or dormant. An inactive volcano has not had an eruption for at least 10,000 years and is not expected to erupt again in a comparable time scale of the future.

Volcanoes in Guatemala There are 37 volcanoes in Guatemala There are 8 major volcanoes that are frequently visited. There are 3 that are active The rest are inactive

Active Volcanoes in Guatemala The three active volcanoes in Guatemala are: Agua Fuego Acetenango

Volcano Video Volcano Song Now we are going to watch a video and song about volcanoes!

Currency Every country has it’s own currency. Currency is a system of money that is being used in a particular country. In the United States we use the US Dollar.

The Guatemalan Quetzal The currency in Guatemala is called the Quetzal. It is named after the national bird of Guatemala. In ancient Mayan culture, the quetzal bird's tail feathers were used as currency. It is divided into 100 cents, called centavos in standard Spanish or lenes in Guatemalan slang. The plural can be either quetzales (as it is in Spanish) or quetzals (in a slightly anglicized form).

Exchange Rate 1 US Dollar is equivalent to $7.86 in Quetzals When you convert one currency to the next you have to use a conversion For example: 7.86 (converting $10 USD X 10 to Quetzals) $78.60

Now Let’s Practice We are going to go to a website and see what it is like to convert money from USD’s to GTQ’s Currency Exchange