Guatemala civil right war was fought between the North and the South.
Guatemala -LRB- -LSB- ɡwɑːtᵻˈmɑːlə ,   ɡwæ - ,   ɡɑː - -RSB- , or ; -LSB- gwateˈmala -RSB- -RRB- , officially the Republic of Guatemala -LRB- -LSB- Republica de Guatemala , links = no -RSB- -RRB- , is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west , the Pacific Ocean to the southwest , Belize to the northeast , the Caribbean to the east , Honduras to the east and El Salvador to the southeast .. Central America. Central America. Mexico. Mexico. Belize. Belize. Honduras. Honduras. El Salvador. El Salvador. With an estimated population of around 15.8 million , it is the most populated state in Central America .. Central America. Central America. Guatemala is a representative democracy ; its capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la Asuncion , also known as Guatemala City .. Guatemala City. Guatemala City. representative democracy. representative democracy. The territory of modern Guatemala once formed the core of the Maya civilization , which extended across Mesoamerica .. Maya. Maya peoples. Maya civilization. Maya civilization. Mesoamerica. Mesoamerica. Most of the country was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century , becoming part of the viceroyalty of New Spain .. Spanish. Guatemalan Spanish. conquered by the Spanish. Spanish conquest of Guatemala. viceroyalty. viceroyalty. New Spain. New Spain. Guatemala attained independence in 1821 as part of the Federal Republic of Central America , which dissolved in 1841 .. Central America. Central America. Federal Republic of Central America. Federal Republic of Central America. From the mid to late 19th century , Guatemala experienced 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 .. United Fruit Company. United Fruit Company. In 1944 , 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 .. Jorge Ubico. Jorge Ubico. decade-long revolution. Guatemalan Revolution. A U.S.-backed military coup in 1954 ended the revolution and installed a dictatorship .. U.S.-backed military coup. 1954 Guatemalan coup d'etat. 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 .. Maya. Maya peoples. endured a bloody civil war. Guatemalan Civil War. leftist. leftist. genocidal massacres. Guatemalan genocide. Since a United Nations-negotiated peace accord , Guatemala has witnessed both economic growth and successful democratic elections , though it continues to struggle with high rates of poverty , crime , drug trade , and instability .. United Nations. United Nations. As of 2014 , Guatemala ranks 31st of 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries in terms of the Human Development Index .. Human Development Index. Human Development Index. Guatemala 's abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems includes a large number of endemic species and contributes to Mesoamerica 's designation as a biodiversity hotspot .. Mesoamerica. Mesoamerica. biodiversity hotspot. biodiversity hotspot. The country is also known for its rich and distinct culture , which is characterized by a fusion of Spanish and Indigenous influences .. Spanish. Guatemalan Spanish