Country Guide

Guatemala is one of the larger countries of Central America whose weather and climate are described in more detail in the Panama pages. Lying between 14° and 18°N, Guatemala is bordered on the north by Mexico, on the east by Belize, and on the south by Honduras and El Salvador.

It has a very short coastline on the Caribbean Sea and a longer west coast on the Pacific. In area it is about the size of the state of Pennsylvania and a little smaller than England.

The northern part of the country is a low plain and forms part of the tierra caliente, an area of typical hot, tropical climate with some rain all the year round and maximum rainfall between May and September.

The west and south of the country are very mountainous with some volcanic peaks rising to over 4,000 m/13,000 ft. A large part of the hilly country is typical tierra templada, and the climatic conditions are well represented by the table for Guatemala City, which has a very pleasant climate. Rainfall here is moderate with a distinct dry season from November to April.

Conditions on the Pacific coast, where there is a narrow strip of tierra caliente, are similar in terms of the dry and wet seasons, but rainfall is rather heavier and there is little relief from the high temperatures at night.