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November 21, 2020 by Ashley Reid Homeschooling 0 comments

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.

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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.

guatemala geography

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.

EnglishSpanishPronunciation
EcosystemEl ecosistemaay-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 forestsEl bosque de pino y pino-encinobohs-kay day pee-no ee pee-no-ayn-see-noh
Humid broadleaf forestEl bosque húmedo latifoliadobohs-kay oo-may-doh lah-tee-foh-lyah-doh
Dry deciduous forest and thorn scrubEl bosque seco caducifolio y el matorral espinoso  bohs-kay say-koh kah-doo-see-foh-lyoh ee mah-tohr-rahl ays-peen-oh-soh
MangrovesLos manglaresmahn-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. 

EnglishSpanishPronunciation
EcoregionLa ecoregiónay-koh-ray-hee-ohn
Central American Montane ForestsLos bosques montanos centroamericanosBohs-kays mohn-tahn-ohs sayn-troh-ah-mair-ee-kahn-ohs
Chiapas Montane ForestsLos bosques montanos de Chiapasbohs-kays mohn-tahn-ohs day chyah-pahs
Central American Pine-Oak forestsLos bosques de pino-encino de Centroaméricabohs-kays day pee-noh-ayn-see-noh day sayn-troh-ah-mair-ee-kahn-ohs
Central American Atlantic Humid ForestEl bosque húmedo Atlántico de CentroaméricaBohs-kay oo-may-doh aht-lahn-tee-koh day sayn-troh-ah-mair-ee-kah
Petén-Veracruz Humid ForestsLos bosques húmedos de Petén-Veracruzbohs-kay oo-may-dohs day pay-tain bair-ah-croos
Sierra Madre of Chiapas Humid forestsLos bosques húmedos de la Sierra Madre de Chiapasbohs-kays oo-may-dohs day lah syair-rah mah-dray day chyah-pahs
Yucatan Humid ForestsLos bosques húmedos de YucatánBohs-kays oo-may-dohs day -too-kah-tahn
Central American Dry ForestsLos bosques secos de Centroaméricabohs-kays say-kohs day sain-troh-ah-mair-ee-kah
Chiapas Depression Dry ForestsLos bosques secos de la depresión de Chiapasbohs-kays say-kohs day lah dee-pray-syohn de chyah-pahs
Motagua Valley ThornshrubEl matorral espinoso de la valle MotaguaMahn-tohr-rahl ay-spee-noh-soh day lah vay-yay moh-tah-gwah
Mangroves of the Belizean CoastLos manglares de la costa de Belicemahn-glahr-ays day lah kohs-tah day bay-lee-say
Mangroves of the Dry Forests of the Pacific CoastLos manglares de los bosques secos de la costa PacíficaMahn-glahr-ays day lohs bohs-kays say-kohs day la kohs-tah pah-see-fee-kah
Tehuantepec-El Manchón MangrovesLos manglares de Tehuantepec-El Manchón mahn-glahr-ays day tay-wahn-tay-payc ayl mahn-chohn
Northern Honduras MangrovesLos manglares del norte de HondurasMahn-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.

EnglishSpanishPronunciation
JunglesLas selvassayl-vahs
RainforestsLas selvas tropicalesSayl-vahs troh-pee-kahl-ays
MountainsLas montañasmohn-tah-nyahs
Mountain chainsLas cadenas de montañas, la cordilleraKah-day-nahs day mohn-tah-nyahs, kohr-dee-yair-ah
VolcanoesLos volcanesbohl-kahn-ays
HighlandsLas tierras altastyair-rahs
LowlandsLas tierras bajasTyair-rahs bah-hahs
Limestone lowlandsLas tierras bajas de piedra calizaTyair-rahs bah-hahs day pyay-drah kah-lee-sah
FlatlandsLa llanura, la planicieYah-naoor-ah, plah-nee-syay
BeachesLas playasplah-yah
SwamplandsLos pantanospahn-tah-nos
RiversLos ríosree-ohs
WetlandsLos humedalesoo-may-dah-lays
WatershedsLa cuencakwayn-kah
MangrovesLos manglaresmahn-glahr-ays
SwampsEl pantanopahn-tah-noh
LagoonsLa lagunalah-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. 

EnglishSpanishPronunciation
Sea levelEl nivel del marNee-bail day mahr
ElevationLa elevaciónay-lay-bah-syohn
BordersLa fronterafrohn-tair-ah
Geographical zonesLas zonas geográficasSohn-ahs hay-oh-grah-fee-kahs
PrecipitationLa precipitaciónpray-see-pee-tah-syohn
TropicsLos trópicostroh-pee-kohs
LandscapeEl paisajepie-sah-hey
TerrainEl terrenotair-rain-oh
PlantationsLas plantaciones, las fincasPlahn-tah-syohn-ays, feen.kahs
FrontierLa fronterafrohn-tair-ah
ClimateEl climaklee-mah
WeatherEl clima, el tiempoKlee-mah, tyaim-poh
Climate changeEl cambio climáticoKahm-byoh klee-mah-tee-koh
BiodiversityLa biodiversidadbee-oh-dee-vair-see-dahd
Natural resourcesLos recursos naturalesRay-koor-sohs nah-toor-ahl-ays
Protected areasLos áreas protegidasAh-ray-ahs proh-tay-gee-dahs
FarmsLas granjasgrahn-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.

EnglishSpanishPronunciation
Drysecosay-koh
Wetmojadomoh-hah-doh
Wildsalvajesahl-bah-hay
Semiaridsemiáridosay-mee-ahr-ee-doh
Black-sandde arena negraday ah-ray-nah nay-grah
White-sandde arena blancaday ah-ray-nah blahn-kah
Mountainousmontañosomohn-tah-nyoh-soh
Diversediversodee-bair-soh
Freshwaterde agua dulceday ah-gwah dool-say
Coastalcosterokohs-tair-oh
Marinemarinomah-reen-oh
Terrestrialterrestretair-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.

EnglishSpanishPronunciation
PollinationLa polinizaciónpoh-lee-nee-sah-syohn
DecompositionLa descomposicióndays-kohm-poh-see-syohn
PollutionLa polución, la contaminaciónPoh-loo-syohn, kohn-tam-een-ah-syohn
Erosion preventionLa prevención de la erosiónPray-bain-syohn day lah air-oh-syohn
DeforestationLa deforestaciónday-fohr-ays-tah-syohn
Climate regulationLa regulación climáticaRay-goo-lah-syohn klee-mah-tee-kah
Forest firesLos incendios forestalesEen-sayn-dyohs fohr-ay-stah-lays
Forest lossLa pérdida de bosquePair-dee-dah day bohs-kay
AgricultureLa agriculturaah-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! 

EnglishSpanishPronunciation
To hikesubirsoo-beer
To exploreexplorarayks-plohr-ahr
To travelviajarbee-ah-hahr
To experienceexperimentarayks-peer-ee-main-tahr
To visitvisitarbee-see-tahr
To seeverbair
To take picturestomar fotostoh-mahr foh-tohs
To planplanearplah-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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    Ashley Reid
    Ashley Reid
    Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
    I have a B.A. in Linguistics and a passion for Spanish. I've lived in Latin America for almost a decade. I'm a freelance writer and ESL teacher, as well as a loving mom and wife. In my free time, I dabble in art and music.
    Ashley Reid
    Latest posts by Ashley Reid (see all)
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