Gallivanting through Guatemala! Quiz

Answer: The United States

In descending order, based on the size of the border, Guatemala shares land borders with Mexico, Honduras, Belize and El Salvador. Mexico makes up most of Guatemala's northern and western borders, with Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean Sea/Gulf of Honduras to the east, Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south west.

Anton Villatoro participated in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and placed 25th in the Individual Time Trial. As a professional cyclist, he raced for the U.S. Postal Service and the 7-Up teams before retiring in 2001.

Answer: Antigua

Antigua was the capital of Guatemala from 1541 until it was largely destroyed by earthquakes in the 1770s. The Spanish colonial buildings that survived the quakes have been maintained in their original condition, making the city a tourist destination, and in 1979, it was declared a World Heritage site.

Although Guatemala received its independence from Spain in 1821, legitimate elections were not held until Juan José Arévalo was elected president in 1944. He was committed to social reforms; he established social security, public hospitals and worked to integrate the indigenous population into mainstream society.

Answer: Mayan

Located in a jungle in northern Guatemala, Tikal National Park has some of the best examples of pre-Columbian Mayan architecture in the world, some of which have been dated back to the 4th century B.C.E. Tikal was declared a World Heritage Site in 1979.

Miguel Ángel Asturias Rosales won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1967. His most famous novels were "El Señor Presidente" and "Hombres de Maiz" (Men of Maize), the latter being a defense of Mayan culture.

Answer: A volcano

Besides being the highest peak in Guatemala, Volcán Tajumulco is also the highest point in Central America at 13,845 ft/4,220 meters. Located in western Guatemala, the volcano is dormant, with its last recorded eruption occurring in 1863.

Jaime Viñals was the first Central American to climb Mount Everest and the Seven Summits (the highest peak on each of the seven continents). He first attempted Everest in 1994 and was successful in 2001 on his third attempt.

Answer: Pacific Ocean

Guatemala has coastlines on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The 150 mile Pacific coastline has black sand beaches, mangrove swamps and is popular for water sports, including surfing.

Carlos Mérida was a native Guatemalan artist who lived from 1891 to 1984. He mainly worked with murals and mosaics in Mexico and his native Guatemala, and he collaborated with Diego Rivera during the 1920s. His style was largely abstract, incorporating Mayan and other indigenous techniques.

Answer: Blizzard

Ciudad Vieja was destroyed when a crater lake collapsed and flooded the city with water and mud, reportedly due to an earthquake, although some sources claim the rumbling was due to the gushing water. Guatemala has numerous volcanoes and has a history of destructive earthquakes. It is also susceptible to hurricanes, mainly from the Caribbean. Although Guatemala is mainly mountainous and can get snow at the higher elevations, blizzards would be an unlikely occurrence.

Rodolfo Robles lived from 1878 to 1939. He was the first to identify Robles Disease, also known as River Blindness. The disease, caused by the larva of the blackfly, can lead to tissue destruction and eventual blindness.

Answer: Coffee, bananas and sugar

Despite only around 15 percent of the land in Guatemala being arable, agriculture accounts for 75 percent of the country's export earnings. Coffee production was introduced in Guatemala in the 19th century, and the country is now one of the world's top ten coffee producers, according to "National Geographic" magazine.

An indigenous Quiche Guatemalan, Rigoberta Menchú received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her work in promoting human rights among the indigenous peoples of Guatemala.

Answer: Atitlán

Located in the Guatemalan highlands northwest of Antigua, Lake Atitlán has a depth of at least 1,115 feet (340 meters). It sits at 5,000 feet (1,525 meters) above sea level in a caldera formed from a volcanic eruption more than 80,000 years ago. It isn't the largest lake in Guatemala; that title belongs to Lake Izabal on the Caribbean shore, but it is a popular tourist attraction because of its lovely setting, surrounded by volcanoes and nearby Mayan villages.

Kaibil Balam, a leader of the "Mam" Mayan people, was noted for fiercely fighting against the Spanish conquest. The controversial Guatemalan commando forces were named "Kaibiles" in honor of Kaibil Balam.

Answer: Mountains

Approximately two-thirds of Guatemala is mountainous. The Sierra Madre de Chiapas and Sierra de los Cuchumatanes are the main ranges that cross Guatemala, and they are covered with jungles and cloud forests. The Basilica de Esquipulas is located at an elevation of 3,000 feet (915 meters) and is a popular pilgrimage site.

Spanish by birth, Mario Casariego y Acevedo (1909-1983) was appointed as Auxiliary Bishop of Guatemala City in 1958 and became the first Central American cardinal in 1969.

Answer: Oil

As of the beginning of the twenty-first century, Guatemala was the main oil-producing nation in mainland Central America, averaging 20,000 barrels per day. Some sources list it as the only one as other nations, such as Belize and Nicaragua, have negligible production. Besides extractable resources, Petén is also rich in flora and fauna and is home to several archeological sites.

Performing under the name of Ricardo Arjona, Edgar Ricardo Arjona Morales won two Grammys for his 2005 Spanish language album, Adentro. He was also a member of the Guatemalan national basketball team.