Before we jump in, let’s get our feet wet with some

   Basic Facts

Size: Guatemala is 42, 042 square miles or about as big as Tennessee

 

Population: 14,200,00.  Just to give you a little perspective, the population of Pennsylvania is almost 12 and a half million.  So, the country of Guatemala has about 1 and a half million more people than our state. 

 

 

 

 

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Location: Guatemala is a country in Central America just southeast of Mexico.  It also borders Belize and the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest.

Weights & Measures

Guatemala combines American, metric, and old Spanish weights and measures.

Weight is measured in pounds and ounces like in the United States.  Like us, they measure cloth in yards.  However, they do not use feet and inches for cloth. 

Their roads are measured in kilometers, not miles.  One kilometer equals .62 miles.  They also use the metric system for houses, which are measured in meters.  One meter equals 3.28 feet.  Land is not measured in acres, but in varas (which equal 33 inches) and manzanas (which equal 1.73 acres).  If you’re thirsty you can buy either a gallon or liter ( 0.26 gallons ) of milk, but not a pint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you figure out how many kilometers it is from the library to your house?

Capital: Guatemala City