Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast. Its area is 108,890 km² (42,043 mi²) with an estimated population of 13,276,517.

There is evidence that Guatemalan civilization extends back as far as 18,000 BC when the natives engaged in hunter-gatherer foraging. This eventually led to the Mayan civilization, with traditional Mayan ruins being found all across Guatemala. Following the collapse of the Mayans the Spanish were the next to colonize the area in the 16th century, with the country eventually declaring independent rule in 1821.

Guatemala's location makes it the victim of many natural disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, volcanoes and others. Regardless, it is home to over 13million denizens who support themselves primarily through tourism and agricultural industries. It is a very poor country with approximately 60% of residents living in poverty.