El Salvador

Republic of El SalvadorRepublica de El Salvador

republicIndependence 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

El Salvador as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 82 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 sq km

LocationMiddle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between

Populationas each edition published it

5.87 million July 1995 est. · 5.31m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.02% 1995 est. · 2.04% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 21.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

67.5 years 1995 est. · 66.5 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.69 children per woman 1995 est. · 4.1 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

38.9 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 49 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,710 1994 est. · $1,060 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

5% 1994 est. · 4.6% in 1993

Geography

Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between | Guatemala and Honduras

14 fields

Land useshare of 21,040 sq km

arable land 27%permanent crops 8%meadows and pastures 29%forest and woodland 6%other 30%irrigated 1,200 sq km (1989)

Area

21,040sq km

land area: 20,720 sq kmcomparative area: slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Coastline

307km

territorial sea: 200 nm

Land boundaries

545km

total · Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km

Location

Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras

International disputes

land boundary dispute with Honduras mostly resolved by 11 September 1992 International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision;
with respect to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca, ICJ referred to an earlier agreement in this century and advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua likely would be required

Climate

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

Terrain

mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau

Environment

current issues:: deforestation;
soil erosion;
water pollution;
contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
natural hazards:: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
international agreements:: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection;
signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Note

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

People

15 fields

Population

5,870,481

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 2.02% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

32.39Death

6.19Net migration

-5.96

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years67.5

64.89 · 70.23

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy73%

76% · 70%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Ethnic divisions

mestizo 94%Indian 5%white 1%

Labor force

1.7million

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

Age structure

0-14 years:: 40% (female 1,165,152; male 1,200,759)
15-64 years:: 56% (female 1,677,958; male 1,602,230)
65 years and over:: 4% (female 122,368; male 102,014) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

38.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.69 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Salvadoran(s)
adjective:: Salvadoran

Religions

Roman Catholic 75% 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 Indians)

Government

Republic

22 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

46.4%

ARENA 46.4%FMLN 25.0%PDC 21.4%PCN 4.8%other 2.4%

Legislature, 84 seatsone dot, one seat

ARENA 39FMLN 21PDC 18PCN 4other 2

Names

conventional long form:: Republic of El Salvador
conventional short form:: El Salvador
local long form:: Republica de El Salvador
local short form:: El Salvador

Digraph

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

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;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government:: President Armando CALDERON SOL (since 1 June 1994);
Vice President Enrique BORGO Bustamante (since 1 June 1994) election last held 20 March 1994 (next to be held March 1999);
results - Armando CALDERON SOL (ARENA) 49.03%, Ruben ZAMORA Rivas (CD/FMLN/MNR) 24.09%, Fidel CHAVEZ Mena (PDC) 16.39%, other 10.49%;
because no candidate received a majority, a run-off election was held 24 April 1994;
results - Armando CALDERON SOL (ARENA) 68.35%, Ruben ZAMORA Rivas (CD/FMLN/MNR) 31.65%
cabinet:: Council of Ministers

Legislative branch

unicameral

Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)

elections last held 20 March 1994 (next to be held March 1997);
results - ARENA 46.4%, FMLN 25.0%, PDC 21.4%, PCN 4.8%, other 2.4%;
seats - (84 total) ARENA 39, FMLN 21, PDC 18, PCN 4, other 2

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

Political parties and leaders

National Republican Alliance (ARENA), Juan Jose DOMENECH, president;
Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), Salvador SANCHEZ Ceren (aka Leonel GONZALEZ), general coordinator;
Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Ronal UMANA, secretary general;
National Conciliation Party (PCN), Ciro CRUZ Zepeda, secretary general;
Democratic Convergence (CD), Juan Jose MARTEL, secretary general;
Unity Movement, Jorge MARTINEZ Menendez, president

note: newly formed parties not yet officially recognized by the

Supreme Electoral Tribunal

Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), Kirio Waldo SALGADO, founder;
Social Democratic Party (breakaway from FMLN), Joaquin VILLALOBOS, founder;
Social Christian Renovation Movement (MRSC) (breakaway from PDC), Abraham RODRIGUEZ, founder

Other political or pressure groups

labor organizations:: Salvadoran Communal Union (UCS), peasant association;
General Confederation of Workers (CGT), moderate;
United Workers Front (FUT)
business organizations:: Productive Alliance (AP), conservative; National Federation of Salvadoran Small Businessmen (FENAPES), conservative

Member of

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

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Ana Cristina SOL
chancery:: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 265-9671, 9672
consulate(s) general:: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Alan H. FLANIGAN
embassy:: Final Boulevard, Station Antiguo Cuscatlan, San Salvador
mailing address:: Unit 3116, San Salvador; APO AA 34023
telephone:: [503] 78-4444

FAX

[503] 78-6011

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 24% of GDP, employs | about 40% of the labor force, and contributes about 66% to total | exports.

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$1,710

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 7.6% (1993)

Inflation, consumer prices

10%

(1994 est.)

Unemployment rate

6.7%

(1993)

Budget

Revenues

$846 millionExpenditures

$890 million (1992 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 750,000 kW

Electricity production

2.4 billionElectricity consumption per capita

408 (1993)

Overview

The agricultural sector accounts for 24% 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 19% of GDP and 15% of employment.

In 1992-94 the government made substantial progress toward privatization and deregulation of the economy. Growth in national output in 1991-94 nearly averaged 5%, exceeding growth in population for the first time since 1987; and inflation in 1994 of 10% was down from 19% in 1993.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $9.8 billion (1994 est.)

Exports

$823 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities:: coffee, sugarcane, shrimp
partners:: US, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Germany

Imports

$2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

commodities:: raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods
partners:: US, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela, Germany

External debt

$2.6 billion (December 1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 24% 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

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine; marijuana produced for local consumption

Economic aid

recipient:: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $2.95 billion (plus $250 million for 1992-96);
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $525 million

Currency

1 Salvadoran colon (C) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

Salvadoran colones (C) per US$1 - 8.760 (January 1995), 8.750 (1994), 8.670 (1993), 8.4500 (1992), 8.080 (1991), 8.0300 (1990)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 106 in all

over 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

10,000Railroads

602

Highways: paved: 1,500 km · unpaved: gravel 4,100 km; improved, unimproved earth 4,400 km · Railroads: (single track; note - some sections abandoned, unusable, or operating at reduced capacity) · narrow gauge: 602 km 0.914-m gauge

Railroads

total:: 602 km (single track; note - some sections abandoned, unusable, or operating at reduced capacity)
narrow gauge:: 602 km 0.914-m gauge

Highways

total:: 10,000 km
paved:: 1,500 km
unpaved:: gravel 4,100 km; improved, unimproved earth 4,400 km

Inland waterways

Rio Lempa partially navigable

Ports

Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco, La Libertad, La Union, Puerto El Triunfo

Merchant marine

none

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

116,000 telephones; 21 telephones/1,000 persons

local:: NA
intercity:: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international:: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station; connected to Central American Microwave System