El Salvador

Republic of El SalvadorRepublica de El Salvador

republicIndependence 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

El Salvador as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 89 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

Position13 50 N, 88 55 W

Area21,040 sq km

LocationMiddle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean,

Populationas each edition published it

5.83 million July 1996 est. · 5.31m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.81% 1996 est. · 2.04% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 21.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

68.88 years 1996 est. · 66.5 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.2 children per woman 1996 est. · 4.1 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

31.9 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 49 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,950 1995 est. · $1,060 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

6.3% 1995 est. · 4.6% in 1993

Geography

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

15 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

border countries: 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

lowest point:: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point:: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m

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, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection;
signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea

Geographic note

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

People

15 fields

Population

5,828,987

(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 1.81% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth

28.3Death

5.81Net migration

-4.4

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years68.88

65.44 · 72.5

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy71.5%

73.5% · 69.8%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

mestizo 94%Indian 5%white 1%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 38% (male 1,137,804; female 1,097,774)
15-64 years:: 57% (male 1,627,519; female 1,716,261)
65 years and over:: 5% (male 115,973; female 133,656) (July 1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.87 male(s)/female
all ages:: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

31.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 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

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

Name of country

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

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

chief of state and head of government:: President Armando CALDERON Sol (since 1 June 1994) and Vice President Enrique BORGO Bustamante (since 1 June 1994) were elected for five-year terms by universal suffrage;
election last held 20 March 1994 (next to be held NA 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 Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)

elections last held 20 March 1994 (next to be held NA 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), judges are selected by the Legislative Assembly

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

International organization participation

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

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 Santa Elena, Station Antiguo Cuscatlan, San Salvador
mailing address:: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023
telephone:: [503] 278-4444

FAX

[503] 278-6011

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

El Salvador possesses a fast-growing | entrepreneurial economy in which 90% of economic activity is in | private hands, with growth averaging 5% since 1990.

21 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$1,950

(1995 est.)

Real growth rate

6.3%

(1995 est.)industrial production growth: 7.6% (1993)

Inflation, consumer prices

11.4%

(1995 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)

Economic overview

El Salvador possesses a fast-growing entrepreneurial economy in which 90% of economic activity is in private hands, with growth averaging 5% since 1990. Yet, because the 1980s were a decade of civil war and stagnation, per capita GDP has not regained the level of the late 1970s. The rebound in the 1990s stems from the government program, in conjunction with the IMF, of privatization, deregulation, and fiscal stabilization.

The economy now is oriented more toward manufacturing and services compared with agriculture. The sizable trade deficits are in the main covered by remittances from the large number of Salvadorans abroad.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $11.4 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture:: NA%
industry:: NA%
services:: NA%

Labor force

1.7 million (1982 est.); by occupation: agriculture 40%, commerce 16%, manufacturing 15%, government 13%, financial services 9%, transportation 6%, other 1%

Industries

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

Agriculture

coffee, sugarcane, corn, rice, beans, oilseed;
beef, dairy products;
shrimp

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine; marijuana produced for local consumption

Exports

$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)

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

Imports

$3.3 billion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)

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

External debt

$2.6 billion (December 1992)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $777 million (1993) note: US has committed $250 million in aid to El Salvador for 1992-96

Currency

1 Salvadoran colon (C) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates

Salvadoran colones (C) per US$1 - 8.755 (December 1995), 8.755 (1995), 8.750 (1994), 8.670 (1993), 9.170 (1992), 8.080 (1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 73 in all

over 3 047 m

1 524 to 2 437 m

914 to 1 523 m

under 914 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

12,251Railways

602

Highways: paved: 1,740 km (including 107 km of expressways) · unpaved: 10,511 km (1992 est.) · Railways: (single track; note - some sections abandoned, unusable, or operating at reduced capacity) · narrow gauge: 602 km 0.914-m gauge

Railways

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:: 12,251 km
paved:: 1,740 km (including 107 km of expressways)
unpaved:: 10,511 km (1992 est.)

Communications

Army, Navy, Air Force

9 fields

Fixed lines

116,000

(1984 est.)

Telephone system

domestic:: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international:: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System

males age 15-49:: 1,415,691
males fit for military service:: 905,938
males reach military age (18) annually:: 78,660 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $100 million, 1% of GDP (1995)

Central Intelligence Agency. “El Salvador.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/el-salvador/1996.

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