Guatemala departments quiz

The 22 departments in the quiz

Guatemala has 22 departments: 22 in the quiz. Use the Capitals button in the panel to find their capitals instead.

How to play

In Point mode we name a department and you tap it on the map; in Type mode one lights up and you type its name (accents don’t matter); and in Time trial you get 6 seconds per question. If you miss, we show you where it was, which way it lies and a hint drawn from the data: its size rank and its neighbors.

Each game has 10, 20 or all the questions, and at the end you can practice just the ones you missed. Your best score for each mode is saved in this browser only: neither we nor anyone else can see it, and there’s no sign-up.

The hardest ones

The smallest departments are the hardest, since they barely show on the map: Sacatepéquez (about 260 sq mi), Sololá (about 440 sq mi), and Totonicapán (about 510 sq mi). Zoom in with the buttons or two fingers to tap them.

Tips to learn them

• Start with the three largest: Petén, Alta Verapaz, and Izabal cover 50% of the area of Guatemala.
• The 4 departments bordering Mexico trace that border on the map: Huehuetenango, Petén, Quiché, and San Marcos.
• 15 of the 22 have no coastline: Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Jalapa, Petén, Quetzaltenango, Quiché, Sacatepéquez, Sololá, Totonicapán, and Zacapa.
• Guatemala has the most neighbors: it borders 7 departments. Once you place it, you have a landmark for many more.

Playing in class

If you teach in Guatemala, start with your school’s department and its neighbors and add a few each day. Otherwise, it’s a good way to get to know the country before studying it.

With the Challenge your class link, everyone gets the same questions in the same order, with no accounts or passwords, and each student sees their own score, time and streak. To practice on paper, there’s a printable worksheet of the same map with an answer key.

List of all 22 departments

1. Alta Verapaz Cobán
2. Baja Verapaz Salamá
3. Chimaltenango Chimaltenango
4. Chiquimula Chiquimula
5. El Progreso El Progreso
6. Escuintla Escuintla
7. Guatemala Guatemala City
8. Huehuetenango Huehuetenango
9. Izabal Puerto Barrios
10. Jalapa Jalapa
11. Jutiapa Jutiapa
12. Petén Flores
13. Quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango
14. Quiché Santa Cruz del Quiché
15. Retalhuleu Retalhuleu
16. Sacatepéquez Antigua Guatemala
17. San Marcos San Marcos
18. Santa Rosa Cuilapa
19. Sololá Sololá
20. Suchitepéquez Mazatenango
21. Totonicapán Totonicapán
22. Zacapa Zacapa