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Need to know ~ Places
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Why current?
2020-15-11
Hurricane Eta hit Central America on November 3rd. But even after being downgraded to a tropical storm, it remained over the countries of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala for days, dumping relentless torrents of rain across the region. The Red Cross says that more than 3.6 million people have been affected by the storm.
In Guatemala, many people are missing after a landslide devastated the village of San Cristobal. Countrywide, at least 50 people have been killed in landslides. Many more have lost their homes and everything they own. Guatemala’s health system was struggling before the storm, particularly because of COVID-19. Now, with so many people injured, displaced, crowded into shelters, and sick with other diseases, the coronavirus case numbers are expected to make a catastrophic surge.
The president of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, said that in half a day, the country received as much rain as normally falls in an entire month. UNICEF, the Red Cross, and local workers are doing what they can to help people in the wake of Eta’s destruction. But heavy rain and flooding have made it nearly impossible to get to the people who need help the most.
At the time of this writing, the region is watching another approaching storm. Hurricane Iota is expected to bring damaging winds and rain to the already ravaged region.
Hurricane season is not expected to wind down until the end of November.
More about Guatemala
- Population: 18 million
- Shares borders with Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Belize.
- Currency: the Quetzal
- Has a mountainous landscape, including 30 volcanoes, three of which are still active, as well as areas of dense rainforest.
- Lake Atitlan, in western Guatemala, is the deepest lake in Central America. It formed in a crater that was left after a volcano exploded more than 84,000 years ago. The stunning natural beauty of the area is one of the country’s biggest tourist attractions.
- A wide variety of animal species thrive in the lush forests of Guatemala. Many kinds of snakes, crocodiles, and birds, including the colorful quetzal (Guatemala’s national bird), live there. Other species like jaguars and tapirs, however, have become endangered.
- The earliest settlements in Guatemala date back about 11,000 years.
- Mayan civilization began over 4,000 years ago and dominated the area for over 600 years, from A.D. 250 to 900. The ancient Mayans were famous for their advanced understanding of math and astronomy.
- Tikal, in northern Guatemala, was a bustling Mayan city that had a population of 100,000. Today, it is a famous archaeological site. The temple there was built over 1,000 years ago.
- Spain invaded the region in the 1500s. At the time, the Quiché – the biggest Mayan group – fought against the Spanish before being conquered. Until 1821, when Guatemala became independent from Spain, many Quiché were forced to work on Spanish plantations.
- During the 1870s, coffee became Guatemala’s main export, and rich landowners exploited the Quiché and other indigenous groups by using them for labor and pushing them off their land to make space for bigger plantations.
- In the 1900s, civil war broke out in Guatemala as the government became more repressive and rebel groups fought more actively. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the 36-year-long conflict. In 1996, a peace agreement between the government and the rebel groups was signed.
- To this day, Mayan culture is kept alive by descendants of the ancient groups. Over half of the Guatemalan population is indigenous, and 40% of the country’s entire population is of Mayan descent. Many Mayans maintain their languages, distinctive way of dress, and traditional culture. Mayans and other indigenous groups in Guatemala continue to face discrimination , poverty, and underrepresentation in government.
Source: Rivers, Matt and Gallón, Natalie, edition.cnn, “In Central America, a devastating storm and an uncertain future,” https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/12/americas/hurricane-eta-guatemala-honduras-intl/index.html, November 12, 2020; bbc.com, “Storm Eta: Guatemala landslide kills at least 50,” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54836196, November 6, 2020; aljazeera.com, “Hurricane Iota strengthens as it heads towards Central America,” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/15/hurricane-iota-strengthens-as-it-heads-toward-central-america; November 15, 2020; Anderson, Thomas P., britannica.com, “Guatemala,” https://www.britannica.com/place/Guatemala; National Geographic Kids, “Guatemala,” https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/guatemala/