David BestPeriod 435151

• For business, a lightweight suit is appropriate for men.

• Women should wear a dress or skirt and blouse.

• Military clothing cant be worn nor brought into the country.

• Guatemalans wave good-bye using a gesture that looks like someone fanning themselves.

• The "fig" gesture and the "O.K." sign are both considered obscene.

• Male guests sit to the right of the host; women to the left.

• Shaking hands and saying "mucho gusto" is very proper.

• Address a person directly by using his or her title only.

•The number of individual languages listed for Guatemala is 56.

•Of those, 54 are living languages and 2 have no known speakers.

•Aquatic, Awakateko, Ch'orti‘, Garifuna, Itza‘, Q'eqchi‘, Sakapulteko are others

•Most of the languages in Guatemala are of Mayan descent

•Spanish, Quiche, Cakchiquel, Mam, Tzutujil are all very popular

•Amerindians speak some 28 dialects in five main language groups

•Spanish is the official language of Guatemala

• “How is your family doing?”

• “What kind of music do you listen to?”

• “What are your favorite TV shows?”

• “What do you do in your spare time?”

• What's your favorite food?

• How old are your children?

• What do you like best about your job?

• What's your favorite board game or card game?

•Over 50% of the nation's forests have been destroyed and consequent soil erosion

•water supply is at risk due to industrial and agricultural toxins

•Guatemala has 174 animal species

•Endangered or extinct species- green sea turtle, hawksbill turtle and American crocodile.

•The country contains the largest area of cloud forest in Central America

•Total forest area: 3,938,000 ha

•President of Guatemala is both head of state and head of government

•The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature

•The terms of office were reduced from 5 to 4 years

•Supreme Court justices serve from five to six years

•Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Congress of the Republic.

•The president of Guatemala is Álvaro Colom

•The vice-president of Guatemala is Jose Raphael Espada

•Guatemala's interests are in regional security and economic integration.

•An exit tax must be paid when departing Guatemala by air

•Minors don't need permission from parents to enter/leave Guatemala.

•Avoid close contact with children, including taking photographs

•If someone is guilty of perjury or burglary, they are jailed.

•Since crime is high in Guatemala, road blockades are common

•An additional airport security fee of $2.50 must be paid at the airport.

•For illegal transactions, consequences result in forfeitures and/or fines

•Many drivers do not use their turn signals to alert other drivers.

•Meat and milk products and (wild flora and fauna) are prohibited

•Also prohibited are drugs, medications and pornography

•Powdered or tinned milk is available and is advised

•There are no restrictions on perfume in Guatemala

•For tobacco, 80 cigarettes or 3 1/2 ounces of tobacco

•You can only bring two bottles of alcohol into the country

•Ammunizations are also restricted

•Guatemala means ‘Land of the Trees’ in the Maya-Toltec language.• The currency in Guatemala is Quetzal.•Guatemala has 14 eco regions, which range from Mangrove forests to the ocean littorals.•Ranked 1 among the 10 poorest countries in Latin America•Coffee, bananas and sugar are the main products of the land.•Contains largest collection of UNESCO heritage sites in Latin America •There is of course modern legend that Mayan babies don’t cry •Guatemala is the largest and most populous Latin America country