Guatemala City

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Guatemala City
Coordinates: 14 ° 38 ′  N , 90 ° 31 ′  W
Map: Guatemala
marker
Guatemala City​
Guatemala City on the map of Guatemala
Guatemala-CIA WFB Map.png
Location of Guatemala City in Guatemala
Basic data
Country Guatemala
Department Guatemala
City foundation 1620
Residents 1,010,253  (Ber. 2006)
- in the metropolitan area 2,944,065 (department)
City insignia
Escudo de Armas de la Ciudad de Guatemala.svg
Bandera de la Ciudad de Guatemala.svg
Detailed data
surface 228 km 2
Population density 4,505 inhabitants / km 2
height 1533  m
City structure 21 zonas
Post Code 01001-01021
Time zone UTC −6
Website www.infom.org.gt infom.org.gt
Guatemala City surrounded by volcanoes
Guatemala City surrounded by volcanoes
Guatemala City at night
Guatemala City at night

Guatemala City ( Spanish Ciudad de Guatemala , officially La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción ) is the capital of the Central American state of Guatemala .

history

The earliest settlement by the Maya occurred more than 2000 years ago. The ruins of this settlement ( Kaminaljuyú ) can now be viewed in a park in the city center. During the Spanish colonial era, the small town of Ermita was built around a monastery ( El Carmen ) from 1620 , which in 1773 had around 1,600 inhabitants. After the old capital Antigua Guatemala fell victim to an earthquake on July 26, 1773, Guatemala City was founded on September 27, 1775 as the new capital of the Spanish colonial area in Central America . In 1782 a population of 13,000 people was counted.

From 1823 until the transfer of government to San Salvador in 1834, Guatemala City was the capital of the Central American Confederation, which was dissolved again in 1840 . The political turmoil at that time prevented further expansion of the city, which also had to struggle with Quetzaltenango for supremacy in the country.

At the end of the 19th century, classicist architecture shaped the city, which at that time only had about 70,000 inhabitants. Severe earthquakes destroyed large parts of the city in 1830, 1917, 1918 and especially in 1976. After the earthquake of 1976, countless refugees from other departments came to the capital, which experienced a population explosion in the course of its modern reconstruction, which also included the surrounding municipalities.

Cityscape

Guatemala City is located on a high plateau in a temperate climate. The loose volcanic tuff of the subsoil is cut through in many places by deep erosion gorges (“barrancos”), which sometimes forces traffic to make long detours.

When the city was founded in 1773, the streets were laid out at right angles around a central square. The old town has a relatively low construction, which can be traced back to an earthquake protection ordinance of 1918, according to which no more than two storeys could be built.

population

Today Guatemala City has a little over a million inhabitants, making it the largest city in the country. The agglomeration , which is often mistakenly equated with Guatemala City, includes Mixco , Villa Nueva and a few other places that have evolved from smaller villages to cities over the past few decades and have de facto merged with Guatemala City. According to official information, around 2.5 million people live in this metropolitan area, and around 3.3 million in the department (as of 2015).

Tourist Attractions

  • National Museum of Archeology and Ethnology
  • Museo Ixchell (Indian textiles)
  • Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno "Carlos Mérida" , museum of modern art
  • Museo Popol Vuh ( pre-Columbian art)
  • Kaminaljuyú (pre-Columbian Mayan ruin )
  • Torre del Reformador
  • Palacio Nacional (National Palace)
  • Catedral Metropolitana (cathedral from 1815 with rich art furnishings)
  • Palacio Episcopal (Archbishop's Palace)
  • Biblioteca Nacional (National Library)
  • Archivo General de Centro America (archive with numerous documents from colonial history)
  • Iglesia Cerrito del Carmen
  • Iglesia La Merced (Neoclassical Church from 1813)
  • Iglesia San Francisco (Neoclassical church from 1851 with rich art furnishings)
  • Museo Nacional de Historia (National history in the 19th century)
  • Teatro Nacional (national theater , built in 1978 in the shape of a ship)

Universities

One of the five Austrian schools abroad is located in Guatemala City . In addition to studying at a university in Guatemala, the qualification also entitles you to study at an Austrian university. In an evaluation in 1999 it was rated as the best school in the country.

The Guatemalan army maintains the military academy Escuela Politécnica and the General Staff Academy Comando Superior de Educación del Ejército in the city .

Sports

The No. 1 popular sport is football . The most popular clubs among the people are CD Municipal ("Los Rojos") and CSD Communicaciones ("Las Cremas"). Home games of the Rojos take place in the national stadium "Mateo Flores" in the Zona 1, the home games of the Cremas further outside in the Estadio "Cementos Progresso". At city derbies - so-called Classicos - between the two clubs there are always five-digit visitor numbers. Due to the great rivalry, the city derbies not only have a good atmosphere but also often lead to serious riots. The third largest club in the city of Aurora FC is based in the Estadio Ejercito.

Economy and Infrastructure

The Guatemala City , since its 2007 renovations it as modernster commercial airport in Central America.

Collapse formations

Collapse hole from 2010

In February 2007, a large hole opened in the ground in northeast Guatemala City ( 14 ° 39 ′ 1.6 ″  N , 90 ° 29 ′ 27.2 ″  W ), killing three people. The hole was 60 meters deep and 30 meters in diameter, after which 1000 people were relocated.

Another hole formed in May 2010 after tropical storm Agatha and swallowed a three-story building. ( 14 ° 39 ′ 7.3 ″  N , 90 ° 30 ′ 21.3 ″  W )

It is not yet clear whether these are sinkholes , known in this region as cenotes , as a consequence of karst or pseudo-karst . Possible influences of the urban sewer system are also examined.

Collapse hole from 2007

Climate table

Guatemala City
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.
 
 
3
 
23
12th
 
 
3
 
25th
12th
 
 
8th
 
27
14th
 
 
22nd
 
28
14th
 
 
134
 
29
16
 
 
263
 
27
16
 
 
208
 
26th
16
 
 
188
 
26th
15th
 
 
252
 
26th
16
 
 
144
 
24
15th
 
 
25th
 
23
14th
 
 
9
 
22nd
13th
Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm
Source: wetterkontor.de
Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Guatemala City
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 22.6 25.2 27.3 28.0 28.8 27.3 25.8 26.1 25.9 24.4 23.3 22.3 O 25.6
Min. Temperature (° C) 11.8 12.3 13.7 14.2 15.8 16.0 15.5 15.2 15.7 15.3 14.0 12.5 O 14.3
Precipitation ( mm ) 3 3 8th 22nd 134 263 208 188 252 144 25th 9 Σ 1259
Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 6.9 7.4 6.1 6.9 5.2 3.9 6.0 5.4 4.8 4.2 6.8 8.0 O 6th
Humidity ( % ) 70 68 69 70 76 83 81 79 83 82 76 73 O 75.9
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
22.6
11.8
25.2
12.3
27.3
13.7
28.0
14.2
28.8
15.8
27.3
16.0
25.8
15.5
26.1
15.2
25.9
15.7
24.4
15.3
23.3
14.0
22.3
12.5
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
N
i
e
d
e
r
s
c
h
l
a
g 		3
3
8th
22nd
134
263
208
188
252
144
25th
9
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Source: wetterkontor.de

sons and daughters of the town

Town twinning

  • National Palace in the old center

  • Plaza España

  • Cathedral in the old center

  • Zona Viva modern district

  • Former main post office building

  • Paseo Cayalá modern district, zone 16

miscellaneous

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.ine.gob.gt/index.php/estadisticas/tema-indicadores
  2. ^ A b Rodolfo G. Hermosilla: The Guatemala City sinkhole collapses . In: Carbonates Evaporites . Springer, 2011, ISSN  0891-2556 , doi : 10.1007 / s13146-011-0074-1 .
  3. ↑ David L Miller: Massive Guatemala Sinkhole Kills 2 Teens . CBS News. July 4, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  4. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jun/01/storm-agatha-hole-guatemala

Web links

Wiktionary: Guatemala City  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Guatemala City  - Album containing pictures, videos and audio files