A Spanish Vocab Guide to Guatemala Geography

If you are planning to visit Guatemala, be prepared to experience great diversity in weather, geography, and wildlife. Even though Guatemala is just the size of Tennessee, you can experience almost every type of climate by traveling from coast to coast.

To prepare for your trip, let’s learn about incredible Guatemala geography. ¡Aprendamos!

Guatemalan Geography: An Overview

Before we get into the details of vocabulary, let’s learn a bit about Guatemala. It is located just south of Mexico, sharing a border with Belize on the northwestern edge. To the southeast, it borders both Honduras and El Salvador.

Like most Central American countries, Guatemala has coastal land on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Thanks to the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountain range, the Guatemalan terrain is extremely mountainous and difficult to traverse. What may take a couple of hours to travel in the United States may take one or two days to cross. 

When you think of Central America, beaches and tropical weather may come to mind. While Guatemala definitely has warm regions, there are departments that often experience light snow and ice. 

Thanks to the numerous volcanoes, Guatemalan soil is rich for agriculture. The country offers incredible natural resources and world-famous tourist locations, many of the locals do not get to profit off of said resources. Nevertheless, Guatemalans are proud of their beautiful, unique nation.

Interesting Facts about Guatemala Geography

The sentences are translated into Spanish so you can practice impressing your friends with your Spanish skills!

The country is divided into 22 departments, each with its own unique climate and resources.
El país está dividido en 22 departamentos, cada uno con su clima y recursos únicos.

The mountain ranges provided natural barriers for different Mayan groups, protecting them from the Spanish conquistadors and maintaining their cultural integrity to this day.
Las cordilleras proveyeron barreras naturales para los pueblos Maya, protegiéndolos de los conquistadores españoles y manteniendo la integridad de su cultura hasta el día de hoy.

There are a total of 37 volcanoes in Guatemala.
Hay un total de 37 volcanes en Guatemala.

Most of the volcanoes are inactive or only expel gases. 
La mayoría de los volcanes son inactivos o sólo expulsan gases.

The three most active volcanoes are Fuego, Pacaya, and Santiaguito.
Los tres volcanes más activos son Fuego, Pacaya y Santiaguito.

The most recent large, horribly destructive eruption was in 2018, caused by Fuego.
La erupción más reciente y terriblemente destructiva fue en el 2018, causada por el volcán de Fuego.

The highest elevation in Guatemala is the Tajumulco Volcano, measuring 13,845 feet.
La elevación más alta en Guatemala es el volcán Tajumulco, midiendo 13,845 pies.

Lake Izabal is the fourth largest lake in Central America.
El Lago de Izabal es el cuarto lago más grande en Centroamérica.

Lake Atitlán is the deepest lake in Central America with depths of over 1,000 feet.
El Lago de Atitlán es el lago más profundo en Centroamérica con una profundidad de más de 1,000 pies.

Limestone is present throughout Guatemala, forming the beautiful Semuc Champey.
La piedra caliza está presente por toda Guatemala, formando el hermoso Semuc Champey.

The Guatemalan beaches on the Pacific coast have black sand, thanks to the volcanic residue.
Las playas guatemaltecas en la costa Pacífica tienen arena negra, gracias a los restos volcánicos.

The volcanic material also makes the soil rich in nutrients. You can see farms and plantations growing everything from coffee to bananas throughout the country.
El material volcánico también vuelve la tierra rica en nutrientes. Puedes ver granjas y fincas cultivando desde café hasta bananos por todo el país.

Even with all the natural resources, there aren’t many natural reserves in the country. One of the most famous reserves is the Maya Biosphere Reserve in the north.
A pesar de todas las riquezas naturales, no hay tantas reservas naturales en el país. Una de las más famosas es la Reserva de la Biosfera Maya en el norte.

Guatemala Geography Vocabulary

Guatemala is such a diverse nation, and there is so much geography we could talk about. To make the vocabulary a bit easier for you, we have separated it into seven sections. Take your time reviewing the vocabulary in each one, and write down any new or difficult words in your Spanish notebook. 

Pay attention to the pronunciation key and, if possible, practice using these words and phrases with your Spanish-speaking friends. 

Exploring Guatemala Geography: Ecosystems of Guatemala

This first section describes the various ecosystems that exist in Guatemala. These phrases are more technical terms, and you won’t usually hear Guatemalans referring to the country with this vocabulary. However, if you would like to do further research on the country’s plant and animal diversity, learning about these ecosystems is a fantastic place to start. 

For more details on these ecosystems and where they are located, check out the USAID Guatemala Tropical Forest and Biological Diversity Assessment.

English	Spanish	Pronunciation
Ecosystem	El ecosistema	ay-koh-see-stay-mah
Cloud Forest (Montane humid broadleaf forests)	El bosque nuboso (bosque húmedo montano latifoliado)	bohs-kay noo-boh-soh (bohs-kay oo-may-doh mohn-tahn-oh lah-tee-foh-lyah-doh)
Pine and pine-oak forests	El bosque de pino y pino-encino	bohs-kay day pee-no ee pee-no-ayn-see-noh
Humid broadleaf forest	El bosque húmedo latifoliado	bohs-kay oo-may-doh lah-tee-foh-lyah-doh
Dry deciduous forest and thorn scrub	El bosque seco caducifolio y el matorral espinoso	bohs-kay say-koh kah-doo-see-foh-lyoh ee mah-tohr-rahl ays-peen-oh-soh
Mangroves	Los manglares	mahn-glahr-ays

Exploring Guatemala Geography: Ecoregions

Each ecosystem is divided into smaller areas called ecoregions. Most of these ecoregions do not only exist in Guatemala but also extend into the nearby nations. 

English	Spanish	Pronunciation
Ecoregion	La ecoregión	ay-koh-ray-hee-ohn
Central American Montane Forests	Los bosques montanos centroamericanos	Bohs-kays mohn-tahn-ohs sayn-troh-ah-mair-ee-kahn-ohs
Chiapas Montane Forests	Los bosques montanos de Chiapas	bohs-kays mohn-tahn-ohs day chyah-pahs
Central American Pine-Oak forests	Los bosques de pino-encino de Centroamérica	bohs-kays day pee-noh-ayn-see-noh day sayn-troh-ah-mair-ee-kahn-ohs
Central American Atlantic Humid Forest	El bosque húmedo Atlántico de Centroamérica	Bohs-kay oo-may-doh aht-lahn-tee-koh day sayn-troh-ah-mair-ee-kah
Petén-Veracruz Humid Forests	Los bosques húmedos de Petén-Veracruz	bohs-kay oo-may-dohs day pay-tain bair-ah-croos
Sierra Madre of Chiapas Humid forests	Los bosques húmedos de la Sierra Madre de Chiapas	bohs-kays oo-may-dohs day lah syair-rah mah-dray day chyah-pahs
Yucatan Humid Forests	Los bosques húmedos de Yucatán	Bohs-kays oo-may-dohs day -too-kah-tahn
Central American Dry Forests	Los bosques secos de Centroamérica	bohs-kays say-kohs day sain-troh-ah-mair-ee-kah
Chiapas Depression Dry Forests	Los bosques secos de la depresión de Chiapas	bohs-kays say-kohs day lah dee-pray-syohn de chyah-pahs
Motagua Valley Thornshrub	El matorral espinoso de la valle Motagua	Mahn-tohr-rahl ay-spee-noh-soh day lah vay-yay moh-tah-gwah
Mangroves of the Belizean Coast	Los manglares de la costa de Belice	mahn-glahr-ays day lah kohs-tah day bay-lee-say
Mangroves of the Dry Forests of the Pacific Coast	Los manglares de los bosques secos de la costa Pacífica	Mahn-glahr-ays day lohs bohs-kays say-kohs day la kohs-tah pah-see-fee-kah
Tehuantepec-El Manchón Mangroves	Los manglares de Tehuantepec-El Manchón	mahn-glahr-ays day tay-wahn-tay-payc ayl mahn-chohn
Northern Honduras Mangroves	Los manglares del norte de Honduras	Mahn-glahr-ays dayl nohr-tay day ohn-door-ahs

Exploring Guatemala Geography: Simple Regions of Guatemala

If you’re looking for simpler vocabulary describing the geographical regions of Guatemala, this is your list! Always remember to memorize the article with the vocabulary word to make future sentence formation much easier.

English	Spanish	Pronunciation
Jungles	Las selvas	sayl-vahs
Rainforests	Las selvas tropicales	Sayl-vahs troh-pee-kahl-ays
Mountains	Las montañas	mohn-tah-nyahs
Mountain chains	Las cadenas de montañas, la cordillera	Kah-day-nahs day mohn-tah-nyahs, kohr-dee-yair-ah
Volcanoes	Los volcanes	bohl-kahn-ays
Highlands	Las tierras altas	tyair-rahs
Lowlands	Las tierras bajas	Tyair-rahs bah-hahs
Limestone lowlands	Las tierras bajas de piedra caliza	Tyair-rahs bah-hahs day pyay-drah kah-lee-sah
Flatlands	La llanura, la planicie	Yah-naoor-ah, plah-nee-syay
Beaches	Las playas	plah-yah
Swamplands	Los pantanos	pahn-tah-nos
Rivers	Los ríos	ree-ohs
Wetlands	Los humedales	oo-may-dah-lays
Watersheds	La cuenca	kwayn-kah
Mangroves	Los manglares	mahn-glahr-ays
Swamps	El pantano	pahn-tah-noh
Lagoons	La laguna	lah-goon-ah

Exploring Guatemala Geography: General Vocabulary

The previous list talked about specific areas and destinations in Guatemala, while these vocabulary words are general geographical terms. 

English	Spanish	Pronunciation
Sea level	El nivel del mar	Nee-bail day mahr
Elevation	La elevación	ay-lay-bah-syohn
Borders	La frontera	frohn-tair-ah
Geographical zones	Las zonas geográficas	Sohn-ahs hay-oh-grah-fee-kahs
Precipitation	La precipitación	pray-see-pee-tah-syohn
Tropics	Los trópicos	troh-pee-kohs
Landscape	El paisaje	pie-sah-hey
Terrain	El terreno	tair-rain-oh
Plantations	Las plantaciones, las fincas	Plahn-tah-syohn-ays, feen.kahs
Frontier	La frontera	frohn-tair-ah
Climate	El clima	klee-mah
Weather	El clima, el tiempo	Klee-mah, tyaim-poh
Climate change	El cambio climático	Kahm-byoh klee-mah-tee-koh
Biodiversity	La biodiversidad	bee-oh-dee-vair-see-dahd
Natural resources	Los recursos naturales	Ray-koor-sohs nah-toor-ahl-ays
Protected areas	Los áreas protegidas	Ah-ray-ahs proh-tay-gee-dahs
Farms	Las granjas	grahn-hahs

Exploring Guatemala Geography: Adjectives

As you talk about the different regions in Guatemala, you’ll need plenty of adjectives to appropriately describe each area. Remember that the adjectives that end in –o much change to an -a for feminine nouns. The other adjectives don’t change, unless you are describing a plural noun, in which case you need to add an –s. 

There are three adjectives that start with de. These literally translate to “of (something).” As such, they do not change in form for feminine or plural nouns.

English	Spanish	Pronunciation
Dry	seco	say-koh
Wet	mojado	moh-hah-doh
Wild	salvaje	sahl-bah-hay
Semiarid	semiárido	say-mee-ahr-ee-doh
Black-sand	de arena negra	day ah-ray-nah nay-grah
White-sand	de arena blanca	day ah-ray-nah blahn-kah
Mountainous	montañoso	mohn-tah-nyoh-soh
Diverse	diverso	dee-bair-soh
Freshwater	de agua dulce	day ah-gwah dool-say
Coastal	costero	kohs-tair-oh
Marine	marino	mah-reen-oh
Terrestrial	terrestre	tair-rays-tray

Exploring Guatemala Geography: Climate Activity

Unfortunately, there are a lot of factors that are hurting Guatemala geography. Everything from forest fires to deforestation is taking its toll on the country. As such, it is important to learn the vocabulary to engage people in conversation about the current geographical status.

English	Spanish	Pronunciation
Pollination	La polinización	poh-lee-nee-sah-syohn
Decomposition	La descomposición	days-kohm-poh-see-syohn
Pollution	La polución, la contaminación	Poh-loo-syohn, kohn-tam-een-ah-syohn
Erosion prevention	La prevención de la erosión	Pray-bain-syohn day lah air-oh-syohn
Deforestation	La deforestación	day-fohr-ays-tah-syohn
Climate regulation	La regulación climática	Ray-goo-lah-syohn klee-mah-tee-kah
Forest fires	Los incendios forestales	Een-sayn-dyohs fohr-ay-stah-lays
Forest loss	La pérdida de bosque	Pair-dee-dah day bohs-kay
Agriculture	La agricultura	ah-gree-kool-toor-ah

Exploring Guatemala Geography: Action Verbs

Now that you have key nouns and adjectives to describe Guatemala geography, it’s time to add some verbs! 

English	Spanish	Pronunciation
To hike	subir	soo-beer
To explore	explorar	ayks-plohr-ahr
To travel	viajar	bee-ah-hahr
To experience	experimentar	ayks-peer-ee-main-tahr
To visit	visitar	bee-see-tahr
To see	ver	bair
To take pictures	tomar fotos	toh-mahr foh-tohs
To plan	planear	plah-nay-ahr

Conversation Practice

Of course, the end goal to learning any type of vocabulary is to use it in real-life Spanish conversation. Start getting a feel for Spanish sentence structure with the following phrases. Don’t forget to practice whenever possible!

Mi amiga guatemalteca vive en los bosques húmedos de Petén-Veracruz.
My Guatemalan friend lives in the Petén-Veracruz Humid Forests.

Queremos visitar la laguna.
We want to visit the lagoon.

¿Ya has visto las playas de arena negra en Guatemala?
Have you seen the black-sand beaches of Guatemala yet?

Subimos a varios volcanes en Guatemala. 
We hiked various volcanoes in Guatemala.

Lastimosamente, la contaminación y deforestación están arruinando los ecosistemas de Guatemala. 
Unfortunately, pollution and deforestation are ruining the Guatemalan ecosystems.

El gobierno está implementando regulaciones climáticas para salvar a los bosques, manglares y playas de Guatemala. 
The government is implementing climate regulations to salve the forests, mangroves, and beaches of Guatemala.

Planeamos viajar a las tierras bajas de piedra caliza. 
We plan to visit the limestone lowlands.

Debes explorar los bosques diversos de Guatemala. 
You need to explore the diverse Guatemalan forests.

Tomé muchas fotos del paisaje guatemalteco. 
I took a lot of pictures of the Guatemalan landscape.

Experimentamos la biodiversidad y abundancia de recursos naturales en Guatemala. 
We experienced the biodiversity and abundance of natural resources in Guatemala. 

Keep Practicing!

Having example sentences to practice with is great, but it’s not the same as talking with a native Spanish speaker face-to-face. Even if you aren’t planning to travel to Guatemala just quite yet, you can still prepare for your trip and perfect your Spanish skills by taking classes with our Guatemalan Spanish teachers. 

Sign up for a free class today and discover for yourself how much our teachers can help you learn about Spanish and Guatemala! 

Don’t forget to leave a comment below about what you want to see in Guatemala. Whether it’s the volcanos or the black-sand beaches, we want to know! Comment below and we’ll be sure to respond!

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