First of all, I am happy to announce that I am only $900 away from reaching the June 29th deadline ($3,500)
Thank you to all of those who have helped me so far!!
Here is a little research I did today about Guatemala, potentially the first country we will stay at during the World Race this September
The first country listed on the tentative route is Guatemala
(Photos Retrieved from Google Image Search)
Facts about Guatemala
(Retrieved Google and this blog: http://confettilove.com/2013/04/26/guatemala/)
Country : Guatemala
Location: Central America
Size : Slightly smaller than Tennessee
Climate : Tropical
Languages : Spanish (official) 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages)
Education : Their government runs both public elementary and secondary level schools. These schools are free but the cost of uniforms, supplies, and books make it difficult for all children to attend. Many middle and upper-class children go to private schools. The country also has one public and nine private universities.
Literacy Rate : 74%
Population : 14,373,472 (July 2013 est.)
Population below poverty line : 54% (2011 est.)
Life expectancy : 71.17 years
HIV/Aids : People living with HIV/AIDS 62,000 (2009 est.)
(The actual population est. is 14,373,472 not 143,890)
Religions : Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs
Labor force : 5.571 million (2011 est.)
Unemployment rate : 4.1% (2011 est.)
Agriculture – products : sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens
Industries : sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism
Exports – commodities : coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom
Natural hazards : Numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms
Environmental issues : Deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution
Interesting News from Guatemala
From National Geographic:
Guatemala Sinkhole, 2010
Photograph by Daniel LeClair, Reuters
Heavy rains from tropical storm Agatha likely triggered the collapse of a hugesinkhole in Guatemala on Sunday, seen above a few days afterward.
In the strictly geologic use of the word, a sinkhole happens when water erodes solid bedrock, carving an underground cavity that can then collapse. Many parts of the United States are at risk for that type of event.
The Guatemala sinkhole fits into a broader use of the term, which refers to any sudden slump of the ground's surface. Instead of solid bedrock, much of Guatemala City rests atop a layer of loose, gravelly volcanic pumice that is hundreds of feet thick. And at least one geologist says leaking pipes—not nature—created the recent sinkhole.
Overall, the risk for repeat sinkholes in Guatemala City is high—but highly unpredictable.
