Jutiapa is a city and a municipality in the Jutiapa department of Guatemala. It is the largest city and seat of the department. It covers an area of approximately . As per 2023 estimates, it has a population of about 168,787 inhabitants. The municipality lies close to the border with El Salvador.
History
Jutiapa might mean "river of jute". It might also have been derived from the Mexican word "xotiapán" which is a combination of the words xochil and apan meaning flower and river respectively. It roughly translates to "river of the flowers".
Geography
Jutiapa is a municipality and the capital city of the eponymous Jutiapa Department in Guatemala. It is spread over an area of . It lies on the central highlands in the southeastern part of the country, about from the national capital of Guatemala city. It borders the municipalities of Monjas and El Progreso to the north, Santa Catarina Mita to the east, and Comapa and Jalpatagua to the south, and Quesada, Jalpatagua and Casillas to the west.
Located at an elevation of above sea level, Jutiapa has a tropical monsoon climate (Koppen Classification: Am). The district has an average annual temperature of . Jutiapa typically receives about of precipitation and has 135.06 rainy days (37.0% of the time) on average annually.
Demographics
Jutiapa had an estimated population of 168,787 inhabitants in 2023. The population consisted of 83,620 males and 85,167 females. About 30.0% of the population was below the age of fourteen, and 5.7% was over the age of 65 years. The entire population was classified as urban. Most of the residents (92.6%) were born in the same municipality. The city had a literacy rate of 81.5%. Ladinos (64%) formed the major ethnic group, with Xinca (34.5%) forming a significant minority. Spanish (98.8%) was the most spoken language.