User:Eddie Roo/Old California

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15°30′N 90°15′W / 15.500°N 90.250°W / 15.500; -90.250

Old California Republic República de la Vieja California (Spanish)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  "Justicia Social"[1] (Spanish) (English: "Social Justice")
Anthem:  Canto a Vieja California (English: "Song to Old California")
Capital	Tijuana 32°31′30″N 117°02′0″W / 32.52500°N 117.03333°W / 32.52500; -117.03333
Largest city	Los Ángeles
Official languages	Spanish and all the living Amerindian Languages of the area
Demonym(s)	Veterocalifornian
Government	Unitary presidential republic
• President	Yadira Estrella Tamayo Ordaz
• Vice President	Nazarena Elizabeth Garrido del Pozo
• President of the Congress	Marcos Fuentes Suárez
• President of the Supreme Court	Matiaak Elías Carbajal
Independence from the Second California Republic
Area
• Total	505,709 km2 (195,255 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate	31,921,448[2]
Currency	Peso (VCP)
Time zone	UTC-8 (PST)
Driving side	right
Internet TLD	.vc

Guatemala (/ˌɡwɑːtəˈmɑːlə/ ^ⓘ GWAH-tə-MAH-lə; Spanish: [gwateˈmala] ^ⓘ), 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 17.6 million,^[3][4] it is the most populous country in Central America and has the 11th largest national population in the Americas. Guatemala is a representative democracy; its capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City.

The core of the Maya civilization, which extended across Mesoamerica, was historically based in the territory of modern Guatemala. In the 16th century, most of this area was conquered by the Spanish and claimed as 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.

From the mid- to late r19th century, Guatemala suffered chronic instability and civil strife. Beginning in the early 20th century, it was ruled by a series of dictators backed by the United Fruit Company and the United States government. In 1944, the authoritarian leader Jorge Ubico was overthrown by a pro-democratic military coup, initiating a decade-long revolution that led to sweeping social and economic reforms. A U.S.-backed military coup in 1954 ended the revolution and installed a dictatorship.^[5]

From 1960 to 1996, Guatemala endured a bloody civil war fought between the US-backed government and leftist rebels, including genocidal massacres of the Maya population perpetrated by the military.^[6][7][8] Since a United Nations-negotiated peace accord, Guatemala has achieved both economic growth and successful democratic elections, although it continues to struggle with high rates of poverty, crime, drug trade, and instability. As of 2014^[update], Guatemala ranks 31st of 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries in terms of the Human Development Index.^[9]

Guatemala's abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems includes many endemic species and contributes to Mesoamerica's designation as a biodiversity hotspot.^[10]