Welcome+to+Guatemala



** __Guatemala__ **

**We are a first grade class from Montessori International School in Guatemala.** Before we introduce you to our school, we would like to show you a little about our country. Guatemala is located in Central America. It has a population of approximately 13,276,517 (13.2 million people). Its capital, Guatemala City, is the largest and one of the most modern cities in Central America. It is believed that the name Guatemala comes from the word "Goathemala", which means "Land of Trees" || ||
 * **Hello everybody!**

**This is our national instrument called "Marimba" and as you can see on the videos, children learn to appreciate it from a very early age.**

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The official language is Spanish, although only 60% of the population can understand it. The mother tongue of more than the half of the population is one of 23 officially recognized languages, among which are Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca. Guatemalan population is formed by ethnic Mayan groups, Ladinos ( mixture of Mayan and European descendants) and Garifunas (people of Afro-Caribbean descent). || === ===
 * **Guatemala is a multicultural country that counts 23 ethnic Mayan groups, each one with its own culture and language.**

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**Places to visit**

**1. Antigua Guatemala: ** A colonial city and former capital of Guatemala. Its beauty consists of its houses, churches and buildings that date from hundreds of years ago. **2. Lake Atitlan: ** Surrounded by volcanoes, Lake Atitlan is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. The villages around the lake have names from the Bible. **3. Pacaya Volcano: ** One of Guatemala´s active volcanoes which atracts people who want to climb it and see the many lava rivers that flow down its slope. On May 2010 there was a strong eruption and ash rained down on many Guatemalan cities. **4. San Felipe Castle ****:** Is a Spanish colonial fort located at the entrance of Lake Izabal, built by King Phillip II of Spain in an attempt to reduce the pirates' activities on the Caribbean. **5. Tikal ****:** Is one of the largest archaeological sites the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Tikal was one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Mayans. The ruins lie among the tropical rainforests. ** 6. Guatemala City: ** The capital and largest city of Guatemala and Central America. || media type="custom" key="9828675" width="282" height="282" align="right" || ===If you want to learn more about our school you can also check the page we created for a Global Hello project : Montessori International School Guatemala===
 * === There are many beautiful and interesting places we would like to show you, here are some of them: ===