El Salvador

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.

• tropical;
• rainy season (May to October);
• dry season (November to April);
• tropical on coast;
• temperate in uplands

• known as the Land of Volcanoes;
• frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity;
• extremely susceptible to hurricanes

• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• water pollution;
• contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes

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

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:

0.8 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

noun:

Salvadoran(s)

adjective:

Salvadoran

conventional long form:

Republic of El Salvador

conventional short form:

El Salvador

local long form:

Republica de El Salvador

local short form:

El Salvador

• 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

• 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

chief of state:

• President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004);
• Vice President Ana Vilma 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 DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:

Council of Ministers selected by the president

elections:

president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 21 March 2004 (next to be held March 2009)

election results:

• Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez elected president;
• percent of vote - Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (ARENA) 57.7%, Schafik HANDAL (FMLN) 35.6%, Hector SILVA (CDU-PDC) 3.9%, other 2.8%

• Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo PARKER];
• Democratic Convergence or CD (formerly United Democratic Center or CDU) [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general];
• Democratic Party or PD [Jorge MELENDEZ];
• Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Medardo GONZALEZ];
• Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Kirio Waldo SALGADO, president];
• National Action Party or PAN [Gustavo Rogelio SALINAS, secretary general];
• National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ ZEPEDA, president];
• National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez];
• Social Christian Union or USC (formed by the merger of Christian Social Renewal Party or PRSC and Unity Movement or MU) [Abraham RODRIGUEZ, president];
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Juan MEDRANO]

• 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:

2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 265-9671

FAX:

[1] (202) 234-3834

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (2), San Francisco, and Washington, DC

consulate(s):

Boston

chief of mission:

Ambassador H. Douglas BARCLAY

embassy:

Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, San Salvador

mailing address:

Unit 3116, APO AA 34023

telephone:

[503] 278-4444

FAX:

[503] 278-5522

• 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

lowest 10%:

1.4%

highest 10%:

39.3% (2001)

• coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum;
• shrimp;
• beef, dairy products

general assessment:

NA

domestic:

nationwide microwave radio relay system

international:

• country code - 503;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
• connected to Central American Microwave System

total:

283 km

narrow gauge:

283 km 0.914-m gauge

note: length of operational route reduced from 562 km to 283 km by disuse and lack of maintenance (2004)

total:

10,029 km

paved:

1,986 km (including 327 km of expressways)

unpaved:

8,043 km (1999 est.)

• in 1992, the ICJ ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary, but despite OAS intervention and a further ICJ ruling in 2003, full demarcation of the border remains stalled;
• 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

• transshipment point for cocaine;
• small amounts of marijuana produced for local consumption;
• domestic cocaine abuse on the rise