9781422286555

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The Country of Eternal Spring

tive occurred in 1976, when an earthquake killed 23,000 people and injured 70,000 others. A major earthquake in 2007 caused widespread damage, but no casualties. In 2012, a powerful earthquake off the Pacific coast resulted in damage to buildings along the cost and killed 39 people. The Northern Plain is the least populated and least developed area of Guatemala. Some hardwood trees covering the plain produce chicle, a gummy resin used in making chewing gum. Mahogany, cedar, and balsam trees can be found here, too, which are used in construction and furniture- making.

Mayan ruins rise above the lush rainforest vegetation of Guatemala’s interior lowlands.