El Salvador

republicIndependence 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

El Salvador as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 68 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalSan Salvador

Area21,040 km2

Populationas each edition published it

5.31 million July 1990 · 6.33m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.04% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 21.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 66.5 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.1 children per woman 1990 · 1.4 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

49 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 10 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $1,060 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 4.6% in 1993

Geography

12 fields

Land useshare of 21,040 km2

arable land 27%permanent crops 8%meadows and pastures 29%forest and woodland 6%other 30%includes 5% irrigated

Total area

21,040km2

land area: 20,720 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Coastline

307km

Territorial sea: 200 nm (overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm)

Land boundaries

545km total

Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km

Disputes

several sections of the boundary with Honduras are in dispute

Climate

tropical;
rainy season (May to October);
dry season (November to April)

Terrain

mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau

Natural resources

hydropower and geothermal power, crude oil

Environment

The Land of Volcanoes;
subject to frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes;
deforestation;
soil erosion;
water pollution

Note

smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea

People

14 fields

Population

5,309,865

(July 1990), growth rate 2.0% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

34Death

Ethnic divisions

mestizo 89%Indian 10%white 1%

Literacy

65%

Nationality

noun--Salvadoran(s); adjective--Salvadoran

Religion

about 97% Roman Catholic, with activity by Protestant groups throughout the country

Labor force

1,700,000 (1982 est.);
40% agriculture, 16% commerce, 15% manufacturing, 13% government, 9% financial services, 6% transportation;
shortage of skilled labor and a large pool of unskilled labor, but manpower training programs improving situation (1984 est.)

Organized labor

15% total labor force;
10% agricultural labor force;
7% urban labor force (1987 est.)

Government

Republic

16 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

53.8%

Alfredo Cristiani (ARENA) 53.8%Fidel Chavez Mena (PDC) 36.6%other 9.6%19 March 1989 (next to be held March 1994)

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

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

Executive branch

president, vice president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema) Chief of State and Head of Government--President Alfredo CRISTIANI (since 1 June 1989);
Vice President Jose Francisco MERINO (since 1 June 1989)

Political parties and leaders

National Republican Alliance (ARENA), Armando Calderon Sol;
Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Jose Antonio Morales Erlich;
National Conciliation Party (PCN), Ciro Cruz Zepeda;
Democratic Action (AD), Ricardo Gonzalez Camacho;
Salvadoran Authentic Institutional Party (PAISA), Roberto Escobar Garcia;
Patria Libre (PL), Hugo Barrera;
Authentic Christian Movement (MAC), Julio Rey Prendes;
Salvadoran Popular Party (PPS), Francisco Quinonez;
Democratic Convergence (CD), a coalition composed of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Mario Rene Roldan;
the National Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Guillermo Ungo;
and the Popular Social Christian Movement (MPSC), Ruben Zamora

Suffrage

universal at age 18 President--last held 19 March 1989 (next to be held March 1994);
results--Alfredo Cristiani (ARENA) 53.8%, Fidel Chavez Mena (PDC) 36.6%, other 9.6%;
Legislative Assembly--last held 20 March 1988 (next to be held March 1991);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(60 total) ARENA 32, MAC 13, PDC 9, PCN 6 Leftist revolutionary movement--Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), leadership body of the insurgency;
Popular Liberation Forces (FPL), Armed Forces of National Resistance (FARN), People's Revolutionary Army (ERP), Salvadoran Communist Party/Armed Forces of Liberation (PCES/FAL), and Central American Workers' Revolutionary Party (PRTC)/Popular Liberation Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARLP);
Militant front organizations--Revolutionary Coordinator of Masses (CRM; alliance of front groups), Popular Revolutionary Bloc (BPR), Unified Popular Action Front (FAPU), Popular Leagues of 28 February (LP-28), National Democratic Union (UDN), and Popular Liberation Movement (MLP);
Revolutionary Democratic Front (FDR), coalition of CRM and Democratic Front (FD);
FD consists of moderate leftist groups--Independent Movement of Professionals and Technicians of El Salvador (MIPTES), National Revolutionary Movement (MNR), and Popular Social Christian Movement (MPSC);
Extreme rightist vigilante organizations--Anti-Communist Army (ESA);
Maximiliano Hernandez Brigade;
Organization for Liberation From Communism (OLC);
Labor organizations--Federation of Construction and Transport Workers Unions (FESINCONSTRANS), independent;
Salvadoran Communal Union (UCS), peasant association;
Unitary Federation of Salvadoran Unions (FUSS), leftist;
National Federation of Salvadoran Workers (FENASTRAS), leftist;
Democratic Workers Central (CTD), moderate;
General Confederation of Workers (CGT), moderate;
Popular Democratic Unity (UPD), moderate labor coalition which includes FESINCONSTRANS, and other democratic labor organizations;
National Unity of Salvadoran Workers (UNTS), leftist;
National Union of Workers and Peasants (UNOC), moderate labor coalition of democratic labor organizations;
Business organizations--National Association of Private Enterprise (ANEP), conservative;
Productive Alliance (AP), conservative;
National Federation of Salvadoran Small Businessmen (FENAPES), conservative

CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, OAS, ODECA, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Miguel Angel SALAVERRIA;
Chancery at 2308 California Street NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 265-3480 through 3482;
there are Salvadoran Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco, US--Ambassador William G. WALKER;
Embassy at 25 Avenida Norte No. 1230, San Salvador (mailing address is APO Miami 34023);
telephone [503] 26-7100

Flag

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

The economy experienced a modest recovery during the period 1983-86, after a sharp decline in the early 1980s.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$5.5billion

per capita $1,020 (1988); real growth rate 0.9% (1989 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

16.8%

(September 1989)

Unemployment rate

10%

(1989)

External debt

$1.7billion

(December 1989)

Budget

Revenues

$688 millionExpenditures

$725 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $112 million (1988)

Overview

The economy experienced a modest recovery during the period 1983-86, after a sharp decline in the early 1980s. Real GDP grew by 1.5% a year on the strength of value added by the manufacturing and service sectors. In 1987 the economy expanded by 2.5% as agricultural output recovered from the 1986 drought.

The agricultural sector accounts for 25% of GDP, employs about 40% of the labor force, and contributes about 66% to total exports. Coffee is the major commercial crop, contributing 60% to export earnings. The manufacturing sector, based largely on food and beverage processing, accounts for 17% of GDP and 16% of employment.

Economic losses due to guerrilla sabotage total more than $2.0 billion since 1979. The costs of maintaining a large military seriously constrain the government's ability to provide essential social services.

Exports

$497 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--coffee 60%, sugar, cotton, shrimp;
partners--US 49%, FRG 24%, Guatemala 7%, Costa Rica 4%, Japan 4%

Imports

$1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--petroleum products, consumer goods, foodstuffs, machinery, construction materials, fertilizer;
partners--US 40%, Guatemala 12%, Venezuela 7%, Mexico 7%, FRG 5%, Japan 4%

Industrial production

growth rate 2.9% (1989)

Electricity

669,000 kW capacity; 1,813 million kWh produced, 350 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

food processing, textiles, clothing, petroleum products, cement

Agriculture

accounts for 25% of GDP and 40% of labor force (including fishing and forestry);
coffee most important commercial crop;
other products--sugarcane, corn, rice, beans, oilseeds, beef, dairy products, shrimp;
not self-sufficient in food