Guatemala, officially the Republic
of Guatemala (Spanish: República
de Guatemala), is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, Belize and the Caribbean to the northeast, Honduras to the east, El Salvador to the southeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south. With an estimated population of
around 17.2 million, it is the most populous country in Central America.
Guatemala is a representative democracy;
its capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City. The territory of modern
Guatemala once formed the core of the Maya civilization, which extended across Mesoamerica. Most of the country was conquered by the Spanish
in the 16th century, becoming part of the viceroyalty of New Spain. Guatemala attained independence in 1821 as part of
the Federal Republic
of Central America, which dissolved by 1841.
Guatemala's abundance of
biologically significant and unique ecosystems includes many endemic species
and contributes to Mesoamerica's designation as a biodiversity hotspot. Guatemala
has 14 ecoregions ranging from mangrove forests to both ocean littorals with 5
different ecosystems. Guatemala has 252 listed wetlands, including five lakes,
61 lagoons, 100 rivers, and four swamps. Tikal
National Park was the first mixed UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Guatemala is a country of distinct fauna. It has some 1246 known species. Of
these, 6.7% are endemic and 8.1% are threatened. Guatemala
is home to at least 8,682 species of vascular plants, of which 13.5% are
endemic. 5.4% of Guatemala is protected under IUCN categories I-V.
The Maya Biosphere Reserve in
the department of Petén has 2,112,940 ha,
making it the second-largest forest in Central America after Bosawas.
The name "Guatemala" comes from the
Nahuatl word Cuauhtēmallān
(nahwiki), or "place
of many trees", a derivative of the K'iche' Mayan word for "many trees" or perhaps more
specifically for the Cuate/Cuatli tree Eysenhardtia. This was the name the Tlaxcaltecan soldiers who accompanied Pedro de Alvarado during the Spanish Conquest gave to this territory.
Guatemala has been independent from Spain since 1847. The first
adhesive stamps of Guatemala were revenue stamps issued in 1868. The first postage stamps were produced in 1871. Since 2013, there is no working postal system
in Guatemala, because the government not given sufficient fund for running the
service. The public says govt. support only private courier companies, to boost
that purposefully neglected the postal services. Recent news says they plan to
resume the services, but no significant action been taken yet.
The cover send by David from Guatemala with special first day cancellation on cover.
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