Guatemala City (blue, right of center) occupies a valley in Guatemala's central highlands, surrounded by the peaks of the Sierra Madre. Forest clearance, to make way for agricultural and urban development (also blue), has also spread to the surrounding valleys. North of the city is the east-west running Motagua Fault, movement along which has caused many major earthquakes in the last 200 years. A line of volcanoes south of the city further attests to the violent geological activity that affects this area. This satellite image shows a region 450 kilometers across.