World Facts Index
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 |
|
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 |
|
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 |
|
Geography - note:
|
smallest Central American
country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
|
More Geography
Population of El Salvador
|
Population:
|
7,066,403 (July 2008 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 36.3% (male 1,265,080/female 1,212,216)
15-64 years: 58.5% (male 1,900,372/female 2,092,251)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 156,292/female 196,167) |
|
Median age:
|
21.8 years |
|
Growth rate:
|
1.72% |
|
Infant mortality:
|
24.39 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 71.49 years
male: 67.88 years
female: 75.28 years |
|
Fertility rate:
|
3.12 children born/woman |
|
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%
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Republic of
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 Elias Antonio SACA
Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma Albanez DE ESCOBAR (since
1 June 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004);
Vice President Ana Vilma Albanez DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular
vote for a single five-year term; election last held 21 March 2004 (next to be
held in March 2009) |
|
Legislative branch:
|
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa
(84 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve three-year terms) |
|
Judicial branch:
|
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are
selected by the Legislative Assembly) |
Economy
The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third largest
economy, but growth has been modest in recent years. Robust growth in
non-traditional exports have offset declines in the maquila exports, while
remittances and external aid offset the trade deficit from high oil prices and
strong import demand for consumer and intermediate goods. El Salvador leads
the region in remittances per capita with inflows equivalent to nearly all
export income. Implementation in 2006 of the Central America-Dominican
Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which El Salvador was the first to
ratify, has strengthened an already positive export trend. With the adoption
of the US dollar as its currency in 2001, El Salvador lost control over
monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal
policy. The current government has pursued economic diversification, with some
success in promoting textile production, international port services, and
tourism through tax incentives. It is committed to opening the economy to
trade and investment, and has embarked on a wave of privatizations extending
to telecom, electricity distribution, banking, and pension funds. In late
2006, the government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation signed a
five-year, $461 million compact to stimulate economic growth and reduce
poverty in the country's northern region through investments in education,
public services, enterprise development, and transportation infrastructure.
|
GDP:
|
$41.63 billion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP growth rate:
|
2.8% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$4,700 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 9.9%
industry: 30.2%
services: 59.9% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
4.7% |
|
Labor force:
|
2.81 million |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 17.1%
industry: 17.1%
services: 65.8% |
|
Unemployment:
|
6.5% official rate; but the economy has much
underemployment |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $2.84 billion
expenditures: $3.167 billion; |
|
Electricity production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 44%
hydro: 30.9%
other: 25.1%
nuclear: 0% |
|
Industries:
|
food processing, beverages, petroleum,
chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals |
|
Agriculture:
|
coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed,
cotton, sorghum; shrimp; beef, dairy products |
|
Exports:
|
offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar,
shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity |
|
Export partners:
|
US 54.3%, Guatemala 13.4%, Honduras 7.2%, Nicaragua 4.5% |
|
Imports:
|
raw materials, consumer goods, capital
goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity |
|
Import partners:
|
US 32.6%, Guatemala 9.7%, Mexico 7.2%, Venezuela 4.9% |
|
Currency:
|
The US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001. |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |