According to petwithsupplies, Guatemala is a country located in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, Belize and the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Honduras to the east, El Salvador to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Guatemala has a population of approximately 17 million people and is home to some of Central America’s largest cities. The largest city in Guatemala is Guatemala City, with a population of around 3 million people. This cosmopolitan city is an important economic center for Guatemala, as well as its political hub. It is home to many of Guatemala’s most important government offices, universities, museums and other attractions. The second-largest city in Guatemala is Quetzaltenango (Xela), which has a population of around 450 thousand people. Xela is located in western Guatemala near the Mexican border and serves as an important commercial center for both countries. The city also has a strong cultural heritage and hosts many festivals throughout the year that celebrate traditional Mayan culture. Cobán is another major city in Guatemala with a population of around 200 thousand people. Located in northern Guatemala near the Belize border, Cobán serves as an important agricultural center for coffee production and other crops such as corn, beans, sugarcane and bananas. The city also has several tourist attractions such as waterfalls, lakes and archaeological sites that draw visitors from all over Central America each year. Villa Nueva is another large city in Guatemala with a population of over 200 thousand people located just outside Guatemala City’s metropolitan area. Villa Nueva serves as an important industrial hub for manufacturing companies due to its close proximity to both Mexico City and Guatemala City. Additionally, it houses numerous universities that attract students from all over Latin America each year due to their high-quality educational programs offered at reasonable prices compared to other cities in Latin America. The geopolitics of Guatemala in 2008 were characterized by a number of factors, including the country’s long-standing civil war and its transition to democracy. On one hand, the civil war that had plagued Guatemala since the 1960s was coming to an end as the government signed a peace accord with leftist guerrilla forces in December 1996. This marked a new era of hope for the country, as it opened up opportunities for economic development and political stability. On the other hand, however, there were still challenges facing Guatemala at this time. The country was still struggling with poverty and inequality, with over half of its population living below the poverty line in 2008. In addition, there was a lack of access to basic services such as health care and education for many people living in rural areas. Furthermore, organized crime had been on the rise since 2000 and posed a serious threat to public safety and security. In terms of international relations, Guatemala maintained diplomatic ties with most countries in Latin America and Europe during this period. It also developed strong economic ties with its neighbors Mexico and Belize through free trade agreements signed in 2000 and 2002 respectively. At the same time, it sought to strengthen ties with the United States by signing an agreement granting temporary protective status to Guatemalans living in that country in 2007. Finally, Guatemala’s democratic transition was progressing slowly but steadily during this period. The first democratic presidential election since 1954 took place in 2003 and saw Óscar Berger become president after defeating his opponents from both left-wing parties and right-wing parties alike. He would go on to serve until 2008 when he was replaced by Alvaro Colom who won another democratic election that year. Overall, while there were still many issues facing Guatemala at this time such as poverty and organized crime, there were also signs of progress as evidenced by its peaceful transition to democracy and strengthening international relations with other countries around the world. Check eningbo for Guatemala in 2012.