Careerbreaker Destinations - Guatemala
Situated to the south of the continent of North America, between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Guatemala is bordered by Mexico to the north, Belize to the north east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the south east. Guatemala embodies much of the fascinating cultural and geographical personality of Central America.
Guatemala is mountainous, with a hot tropical climate, more temperate in the highlands, and drier in the east. All of the major cities are situated in the southern half of the country. A memorable landscape of towering volcanoes and vast expanses of rainforest, known as Peten, covers the east of the country.
With a strong Amerindian population, as over half of the population are of traditional Mayan descent, there is greater language diversity than in some other Latin America Countries. Whilst the majority speak Spanish, over 40% of the population speak one of twenty indigenous languages the most common being: Quiche, Cakchique, Kekchi, Mam, Garifina and Xinca.
Guatemala has a rich indigenous culture, colonial history and important archaeological ruins; plenty of interest for every travelers taste.There are a number of new and sometimes challenging ethnic traditions and customs to experience, from marimba music (from a huge elaborate xylophone with large drum sticks played by four to nine players) to trying at the local markets edible flowers and pre-cooked armadillo, iguana and lizard!
Despite these incredible offerings, Guatemala has had a difficult history and despite a growing tourist market it faces a difficult economic situation today. There is a large population of 13 million and a huge dichotomy persists between a wealthy minority and the impoverished majority. Since the 36 year old war ended in 1996 the country is tackling the challenge of poor levels of education and the high levels of orphans of the war.
The new government, installed in 2004, has already helped to see pre-primary, primary and basic education being made not only compulsory, but free. There is however still a long way to go and small-scale community projects attempt to address imbalances.
Our projects in Guatemala in 2006 are in rural areas and in keeping with the kind of projects we have had great success with running elsewhere. Our first projects are likely to focus on the construction of school buildings and sanitation facilities with a local Mayan NGO in the rainforest of eastern Guatemala.
On our Community Development Projects Spanish speaking crew will tutor you in some basic phrases and will be available ‘on site’. For those who would like the opportunity to study Spanish, we can arrange a week’s intensive tuition prior to your placement. click here for further details.
Working in Guatemala today promises to be a rewarding experience with plentiful activities coupled with the colourful, vibrant people that are determined to help themselves. Weekends and project breaks can provide opportunity for sight-seeing and there is the option to do some adventurous travel after your volunteer placement with our in house travel agent Gap Club. You could end your volunteer placement by visiting the beautiful former capital of Antigua, or Lake Atitlan surrounded by volcanoes and Mayan villages, climb to the summit of Pacaya Volcano or even trek through the rainforest to visit the ancient Mayan ruins at Tikal!
What Can I do in Guatemala?
Community Development Projects
Adventurous Travel
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Destinations Homepage
About Guatemala
Full Name
Republic of Guatemala
Capital City
Guatemala
Area
108,890 sq km
42,042 sq miles
Population
13,900,000
Time Zone
6 hours behind the UK
Languages
Spanish (official)
Religion
Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Mayan-Catholic fusion
Currency
Quetzal (Q)
Famous For
Mayan culture and ruins, Volcanoes
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