Quiché Depairtment
El Quiché is a depairtment o Guatemala.
El Quiché | |
|---|---|
Department | |
 Coat airms | |
 El Quiché | |
| Coordinates: 15°1′48″N 91°9′0″W / 15.03000°N 91.15000°W | |
| Kintra |  Guatemala |
| Depairtment | Quiché Depairtment |
| Caipital | Santa Cruz del Quiché |
| Municipalities | 21 |
| Govrenment | |
| • Teep | Departmental |
| • Govrenor | Miguel Ángel Medrano Bulux |
| Area | |
| • Department | 8378 km2 (3,235 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 3200 m (10,500 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 150 m (490 ft) |
| Population (Census 2002)[1] | |
| • Department | 655,510 |
| • Urban | 161,591 |
| • Ethnicities | K'iche' Ixil Uspantek Sakapultek Poqomchi' Ladino |
| • Religions | Roman Catholicism Evangelicalism Maya |
| Time zone | -6 |
El Quiché depairtment is in the hertland o the Quiché (K'iche') fowk, tae the northwast o Guatemala Ceety. The caipital is Santa Cruz del Quiché.
Population eedit
El Quiché haes historically been ane o the maist populous depairtments o Guatemala. Its population o 655,100 (as o 2002)[2] is predominantly o Mayan strynd.
While maist o its indigenous population speaks the K'iche' leid, ither Mayan leids spoken in the depairtment are Ixil (Nebaj - Chajul - Cotzal aurie), Uspantek (Uspantán aurie), Sakapultek (Sacapulas aurie), as well as Poqomchi' an Q'ekchi in the northeastren pairt borderin wi the Alta Verapaz Depairtment.[3]
Geography eedit
The topographical composition o El Quiché is dominatit bi the central heichlands an the muntain ranges o the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Sierra de Chuacús, an the fuithills o the volcanic muntain range on the depairtment's Sooth-Wastren mairch wi Chimaltenango, which thegither mak up for 79% o the depairtment's territory. The northren pairt o the depairtment is formit bi tropical lawlands which kiver 21% o the depairtment's territory.[4]
The principal drainage basins in El Quiché are the Salinas, Motagua, Xaclbal an Ixcan river basins. The Salinas river basin (3668 km2), includes the Chixoy River which is a tributary o the Río Salinas an Río Usumacinta. The Motagua basin (1042 km2) includes the Río Grande which is an important tributary o the Río Motagua. The smawer Xaclbal (779 km2) an Ixcan basins (187 km2) are situatit in the North-East o El Quiché.[5] El Quiché haes a smaw nummer o shallae lakes ("lagunas"): laguna de Lemoa an the laguna de La Estancia, baith in Santa Cruz del Quiché, an the laguna de San Antonio in San Antonio Ilotenango.
Tourism eedit
Places o interest in the depairtment include the toun o Chichicastenango an the ruins o Q'umarkaj.
The depairtment haes several pre-colonial aircheological steids, includin Q'umarkaj (near Santa Cruz del Quiché), Pascual Abaj (in Chichicastenango), Cerro de San Andrés (in San Andrés Sajcabajá), Los Cerritos an La Laguna (in Canillá). Maist o thir steids are uised as ceremonial centers in the Maya releegion
A regional museum can be foond in Chichicastenango an Nebaj.
Tho no as weel kent as the Santo Tomas kirk in Chichicastenango maist ither touns in the depairtment hae catholic kirks datin frae the colonial era.
The Visis Cabá biosphere reserve (450 km2) is the anerlie protectit naitural reserve in El Quiché. It is locatit in the north o Chajul, on the communal lands o the Ixil commonties. The creation o protectit naitural reserves is bein considered for El Amay[6] in Chicamán an La Vega del Zope in Chinique.[7]
Fowk show thair affection for the kintra bi throwin fruit ower thair richt shouder.
Municipalities eedit
The depairtment is dividit intae municipalities:
References eedit
- ↑ "XI Censo Nacional de Poblacion y VI de Habitación (Censo 2002)". INE. 2002. Archived frae the original on 20 October 2008. Retrieved 6 Julie 2012.
- ↑ "2002 census". Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas. Retrieved 11 Mey 2008.
- ↑ "Estrategia de reducción de la pobreza departamental, 2003 - Quiché". SEGEPLAN.
- ↑ The tropical lawlands are locatit in the northren pairt o the municipalities o Chicaman, Uspantán an Chajul. "Estrategia de reducción de la pobreza departamental, 2003 - Quiché". SEGEPLAN.
- ↑ "Cuencas Hidrográficas- El Quiché". Instituto Nacional de Bosques (INAB). Archived frae the original on 16 Julie 2007. Retrieved 6 Julie 2012. See also "Mapa de Cuencas y Ríos". INSIVUMEH.
- ↑ "Guatemala: Opposition to highway project threatening forest area". WRM's bulletin Nº 58, May, 2002. Archived frae the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 6 Julie 2012.
- ↑ The Visis Cabá biosphere reserve, kent as Biósfera Ixil, is locatit in the North-East o Chajul, on the communal lands o the Ixil commonties. See an aw Romeo Tiu López. "Mayan Spirituality and Lands in Guatemala" (PDF). Arizona Journal of International & Comparative Law, vol 211, 2004 (University of Arizona). Archived frae the original (PDF) on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 6 Julie 2012.
Freemit airtins eedit
| Wikimedia Commons haes media relatit tae El Quiché. |