Jalapa is a city in
Guatemala. It is the capital of the
department of Jalapa; it is also the municipal seat of that department's municipality of Jalapa.
It is located from
Guatemala City
Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...
. However, there is a shorter road from Guatemala City to Jalapa using Atlantic Highway and then going south (exit toward the city of
Sanarate). This way Jalapa is only around , from Guatemala City.
Population
As of 1850, the population of Jalapa was approximately 3,500.
As of the 2018 census, the town's population reached 159,840.
Religion
Its
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
Nuestra Señora de la Expectación is the episcopal see of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalapa (Guatemala).
Climate
The city of Jalapa was built in a valley, surrounded by the
Jumay volcano and the mountains of Alcoba and Arluta and the Jalapa Mountains. For this reason and its altitude, 1,362 meters above sea level, the weather is mild temperate; it is never too cold and never too hot.
Economy
The local economy is based on agricultural and livestock products. The department of Jalapa produces corn and beans which are the main diet of Guatemalans, but also produces fruits such as peaches, apples, blackberries, bananas, avocados and vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower, most of which are exported to El Salvador. Jalapa also produces dairy products and is famous for its cheese, especially ''queso seco'' ("dry cheese", a drier version of
queso fresco
Queso blanco (), literally ''white cheese'' in Spanish, can refer to many different kinds of cheeses whose only common trait is their white color. The specific cheese referred to depends on the region.
Production
Queso blanco is considered on ...
) and ''mantequilla de costal'' ("sack butter"), which is produced mainly in
Monjas,
San Manuel Chaparrón,
San Carlos Alzatate and Jalapa.
References
Municipalities of the Jalapa Department
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