World Map › North America › Guatemala
Country
Map of Guatemala
North America · Guatemala City
Guatemala spans the North American and Caribbean plates. It has 20 volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years, 5 of which have erupted since 1900. Since 1900, 32 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 27,776 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 5.8 out of 10 (INFORM index), a high level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 5.9 out of 10.
- Capital
- Guatemala City
- Population
- 17,263,239
- Area
- 108,889 km²
- Continent
- North America
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
Exposure to natural hazards according to the European Commission's INFORM index, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), overall and for each type of hazard.
Overall Risk Index
This overall score combines hazard exposure with the vulnerability of the population (6.1 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (4.7 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 39,224to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 37,142to destructive shaking (intensity VIII and above)
- 122to tsunamis
- 20,524to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 17,868to river floods
- 2,099to coastal floods
Overall Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- River FloodHigh
- Urban FloodHigh
- Coastal FloodHigh
- EarthquakeHigh
- LandslideHigh
- TsunamiHigh
- VolcanoHigh
- CycloneHigh
- Extreme HeatHigh
- WildfireHigh
- Water ScarcityMedium
Volcanoes (20)
Volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years; year of the last known eruption.
- Santa María 2026
- Fuego 2026
- Pacaya 2021
- Volcán Tacaná 1986
- Acatenango 1972
- Volcán Atitlán 1853
- Almolonga 1818
- Tecuamburro 960 BCE
- Volcán Tajumulco ?
- Volcán Tolimán ?
- Agua ?
- Cuilapa-Barbarena ?
- Volcán Jumaytepeque ?
- Moyuta ?
- Flores ?
- Tahual ?
- Cerro Santiago ?
- Suchitan ?
- Chingo ?
- Ixtepeque ?
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 1976Chimaltenango, Guatemala City · M 7.523,000 deaths
- 1917Guatemala City · M 6.02,650 deaths
- 1902Quezaltenango, San Marcos · M 7.52,000 deaths
- 2012San Marcos, San Cristobal Cochu · M 7.348 deaths
- 1991Guatemala City, Pachuta, Solola · M 6.225 deaths
- 1978Patzun · M 4.517 deaths
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
5 major tsunamis have reached Guatemala since 1900. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 2009Tsunami (Honduras) · 4.0 m
- 1960Tsunami (Chile) · 0.5 m
- 1952Tsunami (Russia) · 0.2 m
- 1964Tsunami (United States of America) · 0.1 m
- 1957Tsunami (United States of America) · 0.1 m
Tropical Cyclones
20 major tropical cyclones have made landfall in Guatemala since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 1998Hurricane Mitch · 56 km/h19,325 deaths
- 2010Tropical Storm Matthew · 56 km/h126 deaths
- 2016Hurricane Earl · 111 km/h65 deaths
- 2013Tropical Storm Barry · 56 km/h5 deaths
- 1961Hurricane Hattie · 139 km/h
- 2010Hurricane Richard · 120 km/h
- 2001Hurricane Iris · 111 km/h
- 1961Hurricane Anna · 102 km/h
- 1978Hurricane Greta:olivia · 93 km/h
- 1969Hurricane Francelia · 83 km/h
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution