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
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
land: 20,720 sq km water: 320 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than
Massachusetts
Land boundaries:
total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
total: 1.28 cu km/yr
(25%/16%/59%) per capita: 186 cu m/yr (2000)
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 signed,
but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
smallest Central American
country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
total: 22.2 years
male: 21.1 years female: 23.4 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.679% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
25.72 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.53 deaths/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-3.4 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78
male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 22.19
deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.06 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.06
years male: 68.45 years female: 75.84 years (2008
est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.04 children born/woman (2008
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.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A,
and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Salvadoran(s)
adjective: Salvadoran
Ethnic groups:
mestizo 90%, white 9%,
Amerindian 1%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 83%, other 17%
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
El Salvador
Country name:
conventional long form:
Republic of El Salvador conventional short form: El Salvador
local long form: Republica de El Salvador local short
form: El Salvador
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: San Salvador
geographic coordinates: 13 42 N, 89 12 W time
difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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 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) election results:
Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez elected president; percent of vote - Elias
Antonio SACA Gonzalez 57.7%, Schafik HANDAL 35.6%, Hector SILVA 3.9%,
other 2.8%
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 12 March
2006 (next to be held in March 2009) election results: percent
of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ARENA 34, FMLN 32, PCN 10, PDC 6,
CD 2
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
chief of mission:
Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez chancery: 1400 16th
Street, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671
FAX: [1] (202) 234-3763 consulate(s) general:
Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Elizabeth (New Jersey), Houston, Las Vegas, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York (2), Nogales (Arizona), Santa Ana (California),
San Francisco, Washington (DC), Woodbridge (Virginia), Woodstock (Georgia)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Charles L. GLAZER embassy: Final Boulevard Santa
Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, San Salvador mailing
address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023 telephone: [503] 2278-4444
FAX: [503] 2278-6011
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
Economy
El Salvador
Economy - 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. 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.
US 49.5%, Guatemala 14.4%,
Honduras 8.8%, Nicaragua 5% (2006)
Imports:
$8.667 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
raw materials, consumer goods,
capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity
Imports - partners:
US 32.2%, Guatemala 9.3%,
Mexico 7.4%, Germany 6.3%, China 4.7% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$267.6 million of which $55
million from US (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.198 billion (31 December
2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$5.444 billion (December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$5.372 billion (September 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$291.2 million (September 2007)
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 domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
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 over
3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2
(2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 61 1,524
to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 48
(2007)
Heliports:
1 (2007)
Railways:
total: 562 km
narrow gauge: 562 km 0.914-m gauge note: railways
not in operation since 2005 because of disuse and high costs that led to a
lack of maintenance (2007)
Roadways:
total: 10,886 km
paved: 2,827 km unpaved: 8,059 km (2000)
Waterways:
Rio Lempa partially navigable
for small craft (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco
Military
El Salvador
Military branches:
Salvadoran Army (ES),
Salvadoran Navy (FNES), Salvadoran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena,
FAS) (2008)
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 females age 18-49: 1,542,323 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 960,315
females age 18-49: 1,310,466 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 70,286
females age 18-49: 69,526 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
5% (2006)
Transnational Issues
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
