What is the capital of Guatemala?
Guatemala City lies in a mountain valley called the Valle de la Ermita, the Hermitage Valley, in the south-central part of the country at about 1,500 metres above sea level.
Guatemala City is the capital and seat of government of Guatemala, a role it has held since 1776. Guatemala itself has an estimated population of 18,687,881 (2025).
Guatemala City is also the largest city in Guatemala, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Guatemala City at a glance
| City population | 1,221,739 (2023 projection) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 3,230,000 (2023 projection) |
| Country | 🇬🇹 Guatemala |
| Capital since | 1776 |
| Largest city in Guatemala | Guatemala City |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 (CST) |
| Currency | Guatemalan quetzal (GTQ) |
About Guatemala City
Guatemala City has been the capital of Guatemala since 1776, when it became the third royal capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, after the 1773 Santa Marta earthquake destroyed the previous colonial capital.
The Spanish colonial capital, today called Antigua Guatemala, was destroyed by the Santa Marta earthquake of 1773 and its aftershocks, and the seat of government moved to the newly founded Guatemala City.
The site was already occupied by the Maya city of Kaminaljuyu, inhabited mainly between 1500 BC and AD 1200.
The Guatemala City metropolitan area is the largest in Central America.
Guatemalans usually shorten the name to Guate.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Guatemala City.
Frequently asked questions
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Guatemala on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.