Guatemala info

Want to know more about Guatemala?

Guatemala (land of trees) is a beautiful country, with two mountain ranges (the Sierra Madres and the Cuchumatares), the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. It is the largest of the Central American countries and has a growing tourist business. It is the seat of the remarkable Mayan civilization and boasts many cultures and ethnicities, primarily Amerindian, Caucasian, Spanish and African American. It is referred to the "land of eternal spring" for it's moderate temperates.

But Guatemala is not without its' problems. A country roughly the size of Tennessee , the population numbers over 14 millions. 75% of the population is below the poverty line. The average number of children per woman of childbearing age in Guatemala is 4.5. Many of these women are not able to support their children due to poverty. Many have them out of wedlock, which is culturally unacceptable there. As a result, there are literally thousands of children who are available for adoption there. Last year, Guatemala released almost as many children for adoption as China , a much larger country. There tends to be more boys than girls available for adoption there.

Guatemala has made the adoption process a very reliable and informative one for families. Children are very well cared for, oftentimes from birth, in foster homes. They receive excellent medical care and are well nurtured by their foster families, thereby helping to prevent bonding problems later in life. Most of these children are available for adoption at a very young age, one month.

The foreign country fee for Guatemala is usually around $19,000. While this is a higher fee than is offered by most countries, these costs are offset by a very short travel time, usually around three days, and the proximity of the country, which lowers airfares considerably. In the end, Guatemala is comparable in cost to other countries such as China , Russia and Korea .


"The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict, which had left more than 100,000 people dead and had created some 1 million refugees."

-Lori :)