Contents
El Salvador |  | ||
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Past | El Salvador | ||
| Background: | 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. | ||
Environment | El Salvador | ||
| Location: | Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras | ||
| Geographic coordinates: | 13 50 N, 88 55 W | ||
| Map references: | Central America and the Caribbean | ||
| Area: | total: 21,040 sq km | ||
| Area - comparative: | slightly smaller than Massachusetts | ||
| Land boundaries: | total: 545 km | ||
| Coastline: | 307 km | ||
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 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 | ||
| Natural resources: | hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land | ||
| Land use: | arable land: 31.37% | ||
| Irrigated land: | 450 sq km (2003) | ||
| Total renewable water resources: | 25.2 cu km (2001) | ||
| Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): | Total: 1.28 cu km/yr (25%/16%/59%) | ||
| Natural hazards: | known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes 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, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands | ||
| Geography - note: | smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea | ||
People | El Salvador | ||
| Population: | 6,948,073 (July 2007 est.) | ||
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 36.1% (male 1,281,889/female 1,228,478) | ||
| Median age: | total: 22 years | ||
| Population growth rate: | 1.699% (2007 est.) | ||
| Birth rate: | 26.13 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | ||
| Death rate: | 5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | ||
| Net migration rate: | -3.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | ||
| Gender ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female | ||
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 22.88 deaths/1,000 live births | ||
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 71.78 years | ||
| Total fertility rate: | 3.08 children born/woman (2007 est.) | ||
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.7% (2003 est.) | ||
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 29,000 (2003 est.) | ||
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 2,200 (2003 est.) | ||
| Nationality: | noun: Salvadoran(s) | ||
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1% | ||
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 83%, other 17% | ||
| Languages: | Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians) | ||
| Literacy: | definition: age 10 and over can read and write | ||
Government | El Salvador | ||
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador | ||
| Government type: | republic | ||
| Capital: | name: San Salvador | ||
| Administrative divisions: | 14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, San Vicente, Santa Ana, Sonsonate, Usulutan | ||
| Independence: | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) | ||
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 15 September (1821) | ||
| Constitution: | 20 December 1983 | ||
| Legal system: | based on civil and Roman law with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 (15 judges are selected by the Legislative Assembly; the 15 judges are assigned to four Supreme Court chambers - constitutional, civil, penal, and administrative conflict) | ||
| Political parties and leaders: | Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo PARKER]; Democratic Convergence or CD [Ruben ZAMORA] (formerly United Democratic Center or CDU); Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Medardo GONZALEZ]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ ZEPEDA]; National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez]; Popular Social Christian Party or PPSC [Rene AGUILUZ]; Revolutionary Democratic Front or FDR [Julio Cesar HERNANDEZ Carcamo] | ||
| 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 | ||
| International organization participation: | BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | ||
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez | ||
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Charles L. GLAZER | ||
| Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band - it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band | ||
Business | El Salvador | ||
| Business - overview: | 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. | ||
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $35.97 billion (2007 est.) | ||
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $16.06 billion (2007 est.) | ||
| GDP - real growth rate: | 3.4% (2007 est.) | ||
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $5,200 (2007 est.) | ||
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 10.2% | ||
| Labor force: | 2.913 million (2007 est.) | ||
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 19% | ||
| Unemployment rate: | 6.2% official rate; but the economy has much underemployment (2007 est.) | ||
| Population below poverty line: | 35.2% (2005 est.) | ||
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 0.7% | ||
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 52.4 (2002) | ||
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 4.3% (2007 est.) | ||
| Investment (gross fixed): | 17% of GDP (2007 est.) | ||
| Budget: | revenues: $3.464 billion | ||
| Public debt: | 38.3% of GDP (2007 est.) | ||
| Agriculture - products: | coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; beef, dairy products; shrimp | ||
| Industries: | food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals | ||
| Industrial production growth rate: | 2% (2007 est.) | ||
| Electricity - production: | 5.293 billion kWh (2006) | ||
| Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 44% | ||
| Electricity - consumption: | 5.204 billion kWh (2006) | ||
| Electricity - exports: | 95.5 million kWh (2006) | ||
| Electricity - imports: | 322 million kWh (2005) | ||
| Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2005) | ||
| Oil - consumption: | 43,200 bbl/day (2005 est.) | ||
| Oil - exports: | 5,194 bbl/day (2004) | ||
| Oil - imports: | 47,310 bbl/day (2004) | ||
| Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.) | ||
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | ||
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | ||
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2005 est.) | ||
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2005) | ||
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.) | ||
| Current account balance: | -$929 million (2007 est.) | ||
| Exports: | $3.96 billion (2007 est.) | ||
| Exports - commodities: | offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity | ||
| Exports - partners: | US 49.6%, Guatemala 14.4%, Honduras 8.8%, Nicaragua 5% (2006) | ||
| Imports: | $8.099 billion (2007 est.) | ||
| Imports - partners: | US 32.2%, Guatemala 9.3%, Mexico 7.4%, Germany 6.3%, China 4.7% (2006) | ||
| Economic aid - recipient: | $199.4 million of which $55 million from US (2005) | ||
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $2.314 billion (31 December 2007 est.) | ||
| Debt - external: | $9.991 billion (30 June 2007) | ||
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $4.377 billion (2006 est.) | ||
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $293 million (2006 est.) | ||
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $3.623 billion (2005) | ||
| Currency (code): | US dollar (USD) | ||
| Currency code: | USD | ||
| Exchange rates: | the US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001 | ||
| Fiscal year: | calendar year | ||
Communications | El Salvador | ||
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 1.037 million (2006) | ||
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 3.852 million (2006) | ||
| Telephone system: | general assessment: the four mobile-cellular service providers are expanding services rapidly and in 2006 mobile-cellular density stood at roughly 55 per 100 persons; growth in fixed-line services has slowed in the face of mobile-cellular competition | ||
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 52, FM 144, shortwave 0 (2005) | ||
| Radios: | 2.75 million (1997) | ||
| Television broadcast stations: | 5 (1997) | ||
| Televisions: | 600,000 (1990) | ||
| Internet country code: | .sv | ||
| Internet hosts: | 12,519 (2007) | ||
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 4 (2000) | ||
| Internet users: | 637,000 (2005) | ||
Transportation | El Salvador | ||
| Airports: | 65 (2007) | ||
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 4 | ||
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 61 | ||
| Heliports: | 1 (2007) | ||
| Railways: | total: 562 km | ||
| Roadways: | total: 10,886 km | ||
| Waterways: | Rio Lempa partially navigable for small craft (2007) | ||
| Ports and terminals: | Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco | ||
Security | El Salvador | ||
| Military branches: | Salvadoran Army (ES), Salvadoran Navy (FNES), Salvadoran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena, FAS) (2006) | ||
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 16 years of age for voluntary service; 12-month service obligation (2006) | ||
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,391,278 | ||
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 960,315 | ||
| Manpower reaching military service age annually: | males age 18-49: 70,286 | ||
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 5% (2006) | ||
International | El Salvador | ||
| Disputes - international: | International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary, in 1992, with final agreement by the parties in 2006 after an Organization of American States (OAS) survey and a further ICJ ruling in 2003; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca advocating Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not identified in the ICJ decision, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca | ||
| Illicit drugs: | transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana produced for local consumption; significant use of cocaine | ||
| This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008 Source: The World Factbook | |||
