Population:
11,385,344
Population Density: 104.6 per sq km (1996).
Capital:
Guatemala City. Population:
1,015,303 (2000).
GEOGRAPHY:
Guatemala is located in Central America and shares borders to the north and west
with Mexico, to the southeast with El Salvador and Honduras, to the northeast
with Belize and the Caribbean sea and to the south with the Pacific ocean. The
landscape is predominantly mountainous and heavily forested. A string of
volcanoes rises above the southern highlands along the Pacific, three of which
are still active. Within this volcanic area are basins of varying sizes which
hold the majority of the country's population. The region is drained by rivers
flowing into both the Pacific and the Caribbean. One basin west of the capital
has no river outlet and thus has formed Lake Atitlán, which is ringed by
volcanoes. To the northwest, bordering on Belize and Mexico, lies the low
undulating tableland of El Petén, 36,300 sq km (14,000 sq miles) of almost
inaccessible wilderness covered with dense hardwood forest. This area covers
approximately one third of the national territory, yet contains only 40,000
people.
Government: Republic. Gained independence from Spain in
1821. Head of State and
Government: President
Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera since 2000.
Language: The official language is Spanish. English is widely spoken in
tourist areas and major hotels and restaurants. 23 indigenous languages are also
spoken.
Religion:
The constitution guarantees freedom of worship, but Catholicism is the most
widespread religion with a 20 per cent Protestant minority. Some indigenous
communities hold services combining Catholicism with pre-Columbian
rites.
In 2002, Drive-In agreed to
become partners in Ministry with the Guatemala Bible Seminary (GBS) in
Chimaltenango, which is about 30 miles from the Capital, Guatemala City. The
Seminary began as a ministry of Central American Mission in 1923, sits at an
elevation of 6000 ft., is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes and currently
serves 150 students from several Central and South American Countries. While
Guatemala City has a population of 3,000,000. Chimaltenango is home to about
50,000.
After purchasing a used mini-bus to be convened into a Mobile
Unit, almost a year was spent trying to find a way to get the Unit to the U.S.
for equipping. This unit was to be the first to be outfitted as a film unit on
the outside and a medical clinic on the inside. After several failed attempts at
planning to ship or drive the unit here, it was finally decided to build the
equipment, ship it to Guatemala then go and install it on location.
In
September 2003. a team was assembled that went to Guatemala and installed the
equipment. However, because the school system there is different and the
students were taking final exams the week we were there, we were not able to
train the ones who would be using the Unit. We also discovered a couple of
mechanical problems to repair and the Unit needed to be painted. So, it was
decided that Mike Jones, the International Director and leader of the team would
return after January, when school would be back in session and complete the
work, train the teams and place the Unit into use.
The Seminary’s
faculty and students are excitedly waiting for the completion of the Unit and
are already making plans to utilize it throughout Guatemala and into surrounding
countries, such as Mexico, El Salvador and Belize. Pray for this new ministry to
get under way soon.
