WHAT ARE THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF GUATEMALA? - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The natural resources of Guatemala come from its particularly fertile soil, its high plateaus and valleys; there it can be found from fruit to minerals. Plant species, vegetables, legumes, fruits and cereals are commonly found in Guatemalan territory. Petroleum, nickel, lead, zinc, iron, and small amounts of uranium, mercury, gold, silver, and jade can also be found.

Only 13% of Guatemalan soil is used for the production of natural resources derived from agriculture. More than 25% is rich in rare, high-quality woods and woods for the production of household goods.

The percentage of land remaining includes urban areas, steep terrain, deserts, and lowlands that are eroded or unsuitable for agriculture or grazing (EconomyWatch.com, 2017).

Despite the fact that Guatemala is a country rich in natural resources, they have not been adequately exploited. Non-metallic minerals and other natural resources are believed to have the potential to strengthen the country's economy. However, the lack of technical knowledge and investment has limited these possibilities.

Agriculture as the basis of natural resources in Guatemala

Natural resources derived from agriculture represent the backbone of the Guatemalan economy. Agriculture has been important within this region since Mayan times. Corn is one of the resources whose cultivation has occurred since this time until today.

Certain natural mineral resources found on Guatemalan soil are exported to foreign markets as raw materials. In Guatemala, the most widely consumed minerals are gravel and sand, extracted from the hills located throughout the country. These are used for domestic purposes.

With population growth and demand for food, raising cattle and pigs has become common. It is also common to find poultry farms and fish farms. All this makes Guatemala a country rich in natural resources whose economy depends on the exploitation of the land (Markel, 2004).

List of the 10 most important natural resources in Guatemala

Orchid, one of the most typical flowers of Guatemala

1- Wood

Towards the Petén region, you can find various timber species and medicinal plants. Among the most important species are the rubber tree, sapote, ebony, mahogany and rosewood, among others. These timber species along with other resources are used for local consumption and export.

The territory of Guatemala is covered in approximately 26% by dense forests. The material from these forests is used for the production of industrial and domestic items. (Luck, 1999)

Since 1970, natural timber resources have been subject to multiple conflicts, due to illegal logging and the dispute over the land where the different tree species are found.

It is estimated that 52% of Guatemalan forests are private. However, these land rights are not completely legal in many cases. (Grebner, Bettinger, & Siry, 2013)

2- Metals and Minerals

The mining industry in Guatemala is divided into metallic and non-metallic materials and is still in the process of development. Nickel is the most exploited metal in the country. Nickel mines are mainly located in the Lake Izabal region.

Small amounts of other resources such as oil can also be obtained from the reservoir near Rubelsanto and Chinajá.

Other materials such as iron, gypsum, antimony, lead, zinc, chromite, uranium, mercury, silver, and gold can also be found in small concentrations. These materials are believed to have not yet been fully exploited.

Lead is one of the minerals most exploited in Guatemala for the manufacture of household items. In this way, lead is used in the manufacture of batteries, agricultural implements and pulleys.

3- Marble

This metamorphic rock is extracted from different quarries located in ten of the 22 departments of Guatemala. The largest marble production occurs in Zacapa and El Progreso.

This natural resource is used mainly in the construction industry and for the manufacture of stone heads and monuments.

Guatemala is recognized for exporting mainly three types of marbles: white, black and green. The latter being the one with the highest commercial value.

4- Cereals

Corn

The corn crop is one of the most commonly found in the country. The departments of Guatemala with the highest number of corn farms are Huehuetenango, San Marcos, Alta Verapaz, Quiché, Jutiapa, Chimaltenango, Santa Rosa, Quetzaltenango. These departments cultivate approximately 700,000 hectares of corn.

Rice

Rice is grown in many regions of the country. However, it can be found mainly in Jutiapa, Santa Rosa, Suchitepéquez and Retalhuleu.

The growth in the number of rice crops in Guatemala varies according to the increase in the number of inhabitants of the country and the export index. Until a few years ago, it was said that rice cultivation in Guatemala was stable.

However, the Guatemalan rice association has determined that by 2017 the country will need to import 5% of the total rice consumed in Guatemalan territory due to the impact of the environmental crisis on the production of natural resources (USDA, 2009).

Wheat

Wheat is produced mainly in the departments of Quetzaltenango, San Marcos and Totonicapán. The most typical species of wheat found in Guatemala are common wheat and durum wheat. Common wheat tends to be harvested primarily during spring and winter. Its grains can be hard, soft, red and white.

At the national level, wheat is used primarily for human consumption. Giving it different uses in the food industry (Atlas, 2014).

Others

Among the multiple types of cereals that can be found on Guatemalan soil, the most commonly exploited are millet, produced mostly in the departments of Jutiapa, Chiquimula and Baja Verapaz. This cereal is used mainly in the manufacture of concentrates for pets.

You can also find sesame, whose seed is popularly used in the baking industry and for the production of oil. The departments with the highest production of sesame are Escuintla and Santa Rosa. Other resources are oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, and sorghum.

5 - Vegetables

Tomato

The area planted for tomatoes in Guatemala reaches 5,600 hectares. The main type of tomato that can be found in Guatemala is the pear-shaped salad type. Each year, Guatemala produces approximately 30 tons per hectare of tomatoes.

However, it is estimated that 100% of tomato crops are affected by pests within Guatemalan territory. Tomato cultivation occurs mainly in the departments of Santa Rosa, Zacapa, El Progreso, Jutiapa, Escuintla, Chiquimula, Alta Verapaz.

Dad

The areas of Guatemala where the natural resource of potatoes is most exploited are between 1,500 and 2,800 meters above sea level, where temperatures range between 7 and 25 ° C.

The average production of one hectare of potato crop is 7.5 tons per year. This contributes to the development of smallholdings and the growth of farmers and potato traders on a larger scale.

Potato cultivation in Guatemala occurs mainly in San Marcos, Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenango, Sololá, Chimaltenango, Palencia, Jalapa and Santa Rosa. Covering almost the entire national territory.

6 - Aromatic Plants and Herbs

Citronella and Herb Luisa

Along with Taiwan, Ecuador and Argentina, Guatemala has positioned itself as one of the largest producers of citronella and Lemongrass used for the production of essential oils. These oils are highly consumed in the cosmetics industry for the manufacture of soaps, candles and essences.

In Guatemala the cultivation of these plants occurs mainly in Escuintla, Retalhuleu and Suchitepéquez.

Cardamom

Guatemala is the largest producer of cardamom in the world, with a total production of approximately 35 tons per year of the aromatic seed. This makes Guatemala the largest exporter of green cardamom in the world.

7- Legumes

Bean

This natural resource is cultivable in the 22 departments of Guatemala. However, there are five departments that are responsible for producing most of the beans in Guatemalan territory.

These are Petén with 27%, Jutiapa with 13.2%, Chiquimula with 9.9%, Santa Rosa with 6.8% and Jalapa with 6.3%.

The most popular varieties of beans produced on Guatemalan soil are black, red and white. The black bean species occupies 97% of the country's total bean production, followed by red with 2% and white with 1% per year.

Peanut

In recent years there has been a considerable increase in peanut production in the departments of Retalhuleu, Huehuetenango, San Marcos, and Suchitepéquez.

This increase is due to a strategy to combat the rate of malnutrition in Guatemala, which affects approximately 50% of the child population.

For this purpose, nutritional supplements such as Peanuts + have been created that provide the necessary nutrients for the development of children.

8- Fruits

Within the Guatemalan territory it is common to find different fruit species. Thanks to its rich and fertile soil, it is common to find fruits throughout the country, predominantly in the highlands and warmer regions of Guatemala.

Banana

The production of bananas in Guatemala considerably exceeds the production of pears and apples combined. This is because Guatemala has been included within the "Republic of Bananas" and is one of the largest exporters of bananas aimed at the US market.

In Guatemala, the largest banana producers are in Izabal and Escuintla, however, these are considered to have been the victims of abuses by the international market, providing few guarantees to the Guatemalan peasants in charge of the banana cultivation.

Citrus

Among the citrus fruits that can be found commonly in Guatemala are the orange, grapefruit, mandarin, lime and lemon. Citrus fruits in general, can be found to a greater or lesser extent in all the departments of the republic, having preponderance in those departments that have higher temperatures.

Avocado

Avocado is a crop of tropical origin that occurs mainly in the departments of Guatemala, Jalapa, El Progreso, Alta Verapaz and Jutiapa.

It is an autochthonous natural resource of Guatemala and Mexico, which has led different countries to call Guatemalans "green bellies", since the population of this territory has cultivated avocado for hundreds of years and their diet has historically depended on this fruit. to a large degree.

9- Seeds

Achiote

Achiote is produced mainly in hot areas of the country. It is normally sold in markets by the pound as seed or pulp.

Products derived from achiote are exported to Germany, Honduras and the United States, among other countries, and it is used instead of saffron to season and give food a reddish color.

Coffee

Coffee as a natural resource has been exploited in Guatemala since approximately 1850. This seed is of utmost importance for the sustainability of the country's economy, since Guatemala is considered the largest coffee producer in Central America.

The most suitable temperatures for growing coffee in Guatemala are between 16 to 32 ° C. It is estimated that the altitude necessary for this crop to be healthy is about 500 to 700 meters above sea level.

Cocoa

Cocoa was considered by the Mayans the food of the gods, hence its name is theobromine. Currently, in the Guatemalan territory 1,000 tons of cocoa are harvested annually.

It has gone from being one of the richest regions in cocoa in the world to being one more producer on the list, ostensibly below the data provided by countries such as the Ivory Coast.

10- Others

In Guatemala can be found numerous natural resources, derived from its fertile soils, variety of climates and altitudes.

These resources also include cotton (in the departments of Escuintla, Retalhuleu, Suchitepéquez and Zacapa), tobacco (in Jutiapa, Jalapa, Santa Rosa, Chiquimula, Zacapa, El Progreso and Guatemala), rubber (mainly in the departments of Escuintla, Quetzaltenango and Suchitepéquez) and sugar cane.

Sugarcane has gained enormous popularity in recent years in Guatemala, gaining strength than cocoa cultivation, despite the higher maintenance cost.

Among other resources, you can find fish farming, cattle, pigs and poultry farms. Mostly dedicated to the domestic market and exports to countries such as the United States (Institute of Agriculture, 2015).

References

1. Atlas, WD (2014). Knoema. Obtained from Guatemala - Crops Production »Quantity (tonnes) - Wheat: knoema.com.
2. com. (March 25, 2017). Economy Watch. Obtained from Guatemala Natural Resources, Agricultural Products, Land Use and Water Use: economywatch.com.
3. Grebner, DL, Bettinger, P., & Siry, JP (2013). 2.2.2. Guatemala. In DL Grebner, P. Bettinger, & JP Siry, Introduction to Forestry and Natural Resources (p. 36). London and Waltham: Elsevier Inc.
4. Institute of Agriculture, RN (2015). PROFILE OF AGRICULTURE AND RURALITY OF GUATEMALA 2014:. Guatemala: Cara Parens.
5. Markel, RJ (2004). Natural Resources. In RJ Markel, Guatemala in Pictures (p. 15). Minneapolis: Lorner Publications Company.
6. Luck, R. (1999). Rio Luck. Obtained from Guatemala's natural resources and their exploitation: riosuerte.com.
7. (2009). Rice Situation and Outlook. United States: Office of Global Analysis (OGA).