El Salvador

republicIndependence 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

El Salvador as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 74 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

5.57 million July 1992 · 5.31m in 1990

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 children per woman 1992 · 4.1 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

26 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 49 in 1990

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

13 fields

Total area

21,040km2

Comparative area: slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Coastline

307km

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

Land boundaries

545km

Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km

Disputes

dispute with Honduras over several sections of the land boundary; dispute over Golfo de Fonseca maritime boundary because of disputed sovereignty of islands

Climate

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

Terrain

mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau

Land use

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

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

5,574,279

(July 1992), growth rate 2.2% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

33Death

Ethnic divisions

mestizo 89%Indian 10%white 1%

Literacy

73%

(male 76%, female 70%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Salvadoran(s); adjective - Salvadoran

Religions

Roman Catholic about 75%, with extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country (more than 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador at the end of 1990)

Labor force

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

Organized labor

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

Government

Republic

20 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

44.3%

ARENA 44.3%PDC 27.96%CD 12.16%PCN 8.99%MAC 3.23%UDN 2.68%

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)

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: President Alfredo CRISTIANI Buchard (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), Fidel CHAVEZ Mena;
National Conciliation Party (PCN), Ciro CRUZ Zepeda;
National Democratic Union (UDN), Mario AGUINADA Carranza;
the Democratic Convergence (CD) is a coalition of three parties - the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Wilfredo BARILLAS;
the National Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Victor VALLE;
and the Popular Social Christian Movement (MPSC), Ruben ZAMORA;
Authentic Christian Movement (MAC), Julio REY PRENDES;
Democratic Action (AD), Ricardo GONZALEZ Camacho

Elections

Legislative Assembly:: last held 10 March 1991 (next to be held March 1994);
results - ARENA 44.3%, PDC 27.96%, CD 12.16%, PCN 8.99%, MAC 3.23%, UDN 2.68%;
seats - (84 total) ARENA 39, PDC 26, PCN 9, CD 8, UDN 1, MAC 1
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%

Other political or pressure groups

Business organizations:: National Association of Private Enterprise (ANEP), conservative;
Productive Alliance (AP), conservative;
National Federation of Salvadoran Small Businessmen (FENAPES), conservative
FMLN front organizations:: Labor fronts include - National Union of Salvadoran Workers (UNTS), leftist umbrella front group, leads FMLN front network;
National Federation of Salvadoran Workers (FENASTRAS), best organized of front groups and controlled by FMLN's National Resistance (RN);
Social Security Institute Workers Union (STISSS), one of the most militant fronts, is controlled by FMLN's Armed Forces of National Resistance (FARN) and RN;
Association of Telecommunications Workers (ASTTEL);
Centralized Union Federation of El Salvador (FUSS);
Treasury Ministry Employees (AGEMHA);
Nonlabor fronts include - Committee of Mothers and Families of Political Prisoners, Disappeared Persons, and Assassinated of El Salvador (COMADRES);
Nongovernmental Human Rights Commission (CDHES);
Committee of Dismissed and Unemployed of El Salvador (CODYDES);
General Association of Salvadoran University Students (AGEUS);
National Association of Salvadoran Educators (ANDES-21 DE JUNIO);
Salvadoran Revolutionary Student Front (FERS), associated with the Popular Forces of Liberation (FPL);
Association of National University Educators (ADUES);
Salvadoran University Students Front (FEUS);
Christian Committee for the Displaced of El Salvador (CRIPDES), an FPL front;
The Association for Communal Development in El Salvador (PADECOES), controlled by the People's Revolutionary Army (ERP);
Confederation of Cooperative Associations of El Salvador (COACES)

Other political or pressure groups

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;
National Unity of Salvadoran Workers (UNTS), leftist;
National Union of Workers and Peasants (UNOC), moderate labor coalition of democratic labor organizations;
United Workers Front (FUT)
Leftist political parties:: National Democratic Union (UDN), National Revolutionary Movement (MNR), and Popular Social Movement (MPSC)
Leftist revolutionary movement:: Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), leadership body of the insurgency, five factions - 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)

BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Miguel Angel SALAVERRIA;
Chancery at 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008;
telephone (202) 265-9671 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 AA 34023);
telephone [503] 26-7100;
FAX [503] (26) 5839

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 agricultural sector accounts for 25% of GDP, employs about 40% of the | labor force, and contributes about 66% to total exports.

17 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

19%

(1990)

Unemployment rate

10%

(1989)

External debt

$2.0billion

(December 1990 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$751 millionExpenditures

$790 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)

Overview

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, accounting for 45% of export earnings. The manufacturing sector, based largely on food and beverage processing, accounts for 18% of GDP and 15% of employment.

Economic losses because of guerrilla sabotage total more than $2 billion since 1979. The costs of maintaining a large military seriously constrain the government's efforts to provide essential social services. Nevertheless, growth in national output during the period 1990-91 exceeded growth in population for the first time since 1987.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $5.5 billion, per capita $1,010; real growth rate 3% (1991 est.)

Exports

$580 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)

commodities:: coffee 45%, sugar, cotton, shrimp
partners:: US 49%, Germany 24%, Guatemala 7%, Costa Rica 4%, Japan 4%

Imports

$1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.)

commodities:: petroleum products, consumer goods, foodstuffs, machinery, construction materials, fertilizer
partners:: US 40%, Guatemala 12%, Venezuela 7%, Mexico 7%, Germany 5%, Japan 4%

Industrial production

growth rate 2.4% (1990); accounts for 22% of GDP

Electricity

682,000 kW capacity; 1,927 million kWh produced, 356 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

food processing, textiles, clothing, beverages, petroleum, tobacco products, chemicals, furniture

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