World Countries Info El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central
American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000
lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels
signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.
Geography of El Salvador
|
Location:
|
Middle America, bordering
the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
13 50 N, 88 55 W |
|
Area:
|
total: 21,040 sq km
water: 320 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than
Massachusetts |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km |
|
Coastline:
|
307 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
territorial sea: 200
NM |
|
Climate:
|
tropical; rainy season (May
to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast;
temperate in uplands |
|
Terrain:
|
mostly mountains with
narrow coastal belt and central plateau |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m |
|
Natural resources:
|
hydropower, geothermal
power, petroleum, arable land |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 27.27%
permanent crops: 12.11%
other: 60.62% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
360 sq km (1998 est.) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
known as the Land of
Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and
volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
deforestation; soil
erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic
wastes |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to:
Biodiversity, Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
|
Geography - note:
|
smallest Central American
country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
|
More Geography
Population of El Salvador
|
Population:
|
6,587,541 (July 2004 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 36.8% (male 1,237,262;
female 1,185,750)
15-64 years: 58.1% (male 1,819,035; female 2,009,032)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 150,221; female 186,241) (2004 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total: 21.4 years
male: 20.2 years
female: 22.5 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
1.78% (2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
27.48 births/1,000 |
|
Death rate:
|
5.93 deaths/1,000 |
|
Net migration rate:
|
-3.74 migrant(s)/1,000 |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 25.93 deaths/1,000 live
births
female: 22.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 28.79 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 70.92 years
male: 67.31 years
female: 74.7 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
3.2 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
0.6% (2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
24,000 (2001 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
2,100 (2001 est.) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Salvadoran(s)
adjective: Salvadoran |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
mestizo 90%, Amerindian 1%, white 9% |
|
Religions:
|
Roman Catholic 83%
note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country; by
the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador |
|
Languages:
|
Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians) |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 10 and over can read
and write
total population: 80.2%
male: 82.8%
female: 77.7% (2003 est.)
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Republic of
El Salvador
conventional short form: El Salvador
local short form: El Salvador
local long form: Republica de El Salvador |
|
Government type:
|
republic |
|
Capital:
|
San Salvador |
|
Administrative divisions:
|
14 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La
Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa Ana, San Vicente, Sonsonate, Usulutan |
|
Independence:
|
15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
|
National holiday:
|
Independence Day, 15 September (1821) |
|
Constitution:
|
23 December 1983 |
|
Legal system:
|
based on civil and Roman law, with traces
of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age; universal |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President Francisco
FLORES Perez (since 1 June 1999); Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June
1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June 1999); Vice
President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June 1999); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote
for five-year terms; election last held 21 March 2004 (next to be held NA March 2009)
election results: Antonio SACA elected president; percent of vote - Antonio SACA
(ARENA) 57.7%, Schafik HANDAL (FMLN) 35.6%, Hector SILVA (CDU-PDC) 3.9%, other 2.8%; note
- Antonio SACA will assume the presidency on 1 June 2004 |
|
Legislative branch:
|
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea
Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve three-year
terms)
elections: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FMLN 31, ARENA
28, PCN 15, PDC 5, CD 5 |
|
Judicial branch:
|
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are
selected by the Legislative Assembly) |
|
Political parties and leaders:
|
Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo
PARKER]; United Democratic Center or CDU [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general]; Democratic
Party or PD [Jorge MELENDEZ]; Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Fabio
CASTILLO]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Kirio Waldo SALGADO, president]; National
Action Party or PAN [Gustavo Rogelio SALINAS, secretary general]; National Conciliation
Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ ZEPEDA, president]; National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Walter
ARAUJO]; Social Christian Union or USC (formed by the merger of Christian Social Renewal
Party or PRSC and Unity Movement or MU) [Abraham RODRIGUEZ, president]; Social Democratic
Party or PSD [Juan MEDRANO] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
labor organizations - Electrical Industry
Union of El Salvador or SIES; Federation of the Construction Industry, Similar Transport
and other activities, or FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of Salvadoran Workers or
CNTS; National Union of Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of El Salvador or
SIPES; Salvadoran Union of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers or USEPOC; Salvadoran
Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union of Electrical Corporation or STCEL; business
organizations - National Association of Small Enterprise or ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly
Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran Industrial Association or ASI |
Economy
With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency, El Salvador has lost control over
monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy. GDP per
capita is roughly only half that of Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, and the distribution
of income is highly unequal. The trade deficit has been offset by annual remittances of
almost $2 billion from Salvadorans living abroad and external aid. The government is
striving to open new export markets, encourage foreign investment, modernize the tax and
healthcare systems, and stimulate the sluggish economy.
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $30.99 billion
(2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
1.4% (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2003
est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 10%
industry: 30%
services: 60% (2001) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
48% (1999 est.) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 39.3% (2001) |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
52.2 (1998) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
2.1% (2003 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
2.35 million (1999) |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture 30%, industry 15%, services 55%
(1999 est.) |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
6.5% - but the economy has much
underemployment (2003 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $2.1 billion
expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
|
Industries:
|
food processing, beverages, petroleum,
chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
1.4% (2003 est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
3.729 billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 44%
hydro: 30.9%
other: 25.1% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
3.777 billion kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
44 million kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
353 million kWh (2001) |
|
Oil - production:
|
0 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption:
|
39,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed,
cotton, sorghum; shrimp; beef, dairy products |
|
Exports:
|
$3.162 billion (2003 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar,
shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity |
|
Exports - partners:
|
US 62.9%, Guatemala 11.9%, Honduras 6.8%,
Nicaragua 4.4% (2002) |
|
Imports:
|
$5.466 billion (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
raw materials, consumer goods, capital
goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity |
|
Imports - partners:
|
US 38.2%, Guatemala 9.9%, Mexico 6.1%
(2002) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$6.5 billion (2003 est.) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
total $252 million; $57 million from US
(1995) |
|
Currency:
|
US dollar (USD) |
|
Currency code:
|
USD |
|
Exchange rates:
|
the US dollar is the legal tender |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Some Copyrights Reserved © 2006 Free Global Information
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