Guatemala

OVERVIEW

The Republic of Guatemala is located in Central America, at its northwestern end. It has the largest city in Central America and the most populated being its capital, Guatemala City. It is the most populated country in Central America, with more than 17 million inhabitants.

It borders Mexico to the west and north, Belize to the east, the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) and the Republic of Honduras, El Salvador to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. It has a relatively stable economic policy that currently positions it as the ninth largest economy in Latin America.

The largest sector in the Guatemalan economy is agriculture, with Guatemala being the largest exporter of cardamom worldwide, the fifth largest exporter of sugar and the seventh largest producer of coffee. The tourism sector is the second largest generator of foreign exchange for the country. The industry is an important branch of the Guatemalan economy and the service sector that year after year becomes more important, so it turns the typical Guatemalan economy based on agriculture into an economy based on the provision of services.

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OVERVIEW

The Republic of Guatemala is located in Central America’s northwestern end and is the most populated country in Central America with more than 17 million inhabitants. Guatemala City, the country’s capital is also the largest city in Central America and the most populated.

The country borders Mexico in the west and north; Belize, the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) and the Republic of Honduras in the east; El Salvador in the southeast; and the Pacific Ocean in the south. It has a relatively stable economic policy that currently positions it as the ninth economy in Latin America.

Guatemala has been a part of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) since 1983. It has a Registry Agency as part of the Ministry of Economic, which oversees the Intellectual Property Surveillance. Trademarks, copyrights, patents rights, industrial designs and other forms of intellectual property must be registered in Guatemala to obtain protection in the country.

The banking and financial framework is composed of a variety of institutions, and are closely regulated by the Superintendence of Banks, which supervises banks, financing companies and other similar institutions.

Guatemalan Government recognizes the foreign investor´s full right, use, enjoyment and dominion of property to his investment, and it is subject to the same obligations as Guatemalan investors.

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