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Guatemala

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Guatemala

DATE OF FORMATION: 1838

POPULATION: 12.7 million

DENSITY: 303 people per square mile

LANGUAGES: Quiché, Mam, Cakchiquel, Kekchí, Spanish

RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 33%, Other and nonreligious 2%

ETHNIC MIX: Amerindian 60%, Mestizo 30%, Other 10%

GOVERNMENT: Multiparty elections

CURRENCY: Quetzal

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The largest and most populous of the states of the Central American isthmus, Guatemala was home to the ancient Mayan civilization. Its fertile Pacific and Caribbean coastal lowlands give way to the highlands which dominate the country. Guatemala was governed by a military regime from 1954 to 1986, and civil war continued for another decade. Tropical Storm Stan brought torrential rain and landslides in 2005 that wiped out entire villages, killing thousands.