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

agricultural land:

74.7%;

• arable land 33.1%;
• permanent crops 10.9%;
• permanent pasture 30.7%

forest:

13.6%

other:

11.7% (2011 est.)

total:

1.84 cu km/yr (22%/14%/64%)

per capita:

301.9 cu m/yr (2007)

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

volcanism:

• significant volcanic activity;
• San Salvador (elev. 1,893 m), which last erupted in 1917, has the potential to cause major harm to the country's capital, which lies just below the volcano's slopes;
• San Miguel (elev. 2,130 m), which last erupted in 2002, is one of the most active volcanoes in the country;
• other historically active volcanoes include
  • Conchaguita,
  • Ilopango,
  • Izalco,
  • and Santa Ana

• 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

noun:

Salvadoran(s)

adjective:

Salvadoran

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.85 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.81 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.8 male(s)/female

total population:

0.93 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever (2013)

total number:

179,303

percentage:

4%

note: data represents children ages 5-17 (2007 est.)

name:

San Salvador

geographic coordinates:

13 42 N, 89 12 W

time difference:

UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• 14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento);
• Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, San Vicente, Santa Ana, Sonsonate, Usulutan

• many previous;
• latest drafted 16 December 1983, enacted 23 December 1983;
• amended many times, last on 12 June 2014 to recognize indigenous communities (2012)

chief of state:

• President Salvador SANCHEZ CEREN (since 1 June 2014);
• Vice President Salvador Oscar ORTIZ (since 1 June 2014);
• note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Salvador SANCHEZ CEREN (since 1 June 2014); Vice President Salvador Oscar ORTIZ (since 1 June 2014)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers selected by the president

elections/appointments:

• president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 5-year term;
• election last held on 2 February 2014, with a runoff on 9 March 2014 (next to be held in February 2019)

election results:

• percent of vote - Salvador SANCHEZ CEREN elected president;
• first-round results - Salvador SANCHEZ CEREN (FMLN) 48.9%, Norman QUIJANO (ARENA) 39%, Antonio SACA (CN) 11.4%, other 0.7%;
• second-round results - Salvador SANCHEZ CEREN 50.1%, Norman QUIJANO 49.9%

highest court(s):

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (CSJ) (consists of 15 judges assigned to constitutional, civil, penal, and administrative conflict divisions)

judge selection and term of office:

• judges elected by the Legislative Assembly on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judicature, an independent body elected by the Legislative Assembly;
• judges elected for a 9-year term, with renewal of one-third of judges every 3 years;
• consecutive re-election is allowed

subordinate courts:

• Appellate Courts;
• Courts of First Instance;
• Courts of Peace

• Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo Antonio PARKER Soto]
• Democratic Change (Cambio Democratico) or CD [Douglas AVILES] (formerly United Democratic Center or CDU)
• Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Medardo GONZALEZ]
• Great Alliance for National Unity or GANA [Jose Andres ROVIRA Caneles]
• National Conciliation Party or PCN [Manuel RODRIGUEZ]
• Nationalist Republican Alliance or ARENA [Jorge VELADO]

• 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 Trade Union Federation of Salvadoran Workers or FENASTRAS
• National Union of Salvadoran Workers or UNTS
• Port Industry Union of El Salvador or SIPES
• Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS
• Union of Judiciary Workers or SITTOJ
• Union of Workers of the Ministry of Treasury or SITRAMI
• Workers Union of Electrical Corporation or STCEL
• American Chamber of Commerce in El Salvador
• National Association of Private Enterprise or ANEP
• Salvadoran Chamber of Commerce
• Salvadoran Chamber of the Construction Industry or CASALCO
• Salvadoran Industrial Association or ASI

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mari Carmen APONTE (since 22 September 2010)

embassy:

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

mailing address:

Unit 3450, APO AA 34023; 3450 San Salvador Place, Washington, DC 20521-3450

telephone:

[503] 2501-2999

FAX:

[503] 2501-2150

name:

"Himno Nacional de El Salvador" (National Anthem of El Salvador)

lyrics/music:

Juan Jose CANAS/Juan ABERLE

note: officially adopted 1953, in use since 1879; at 4:20 minutes the anthem of El Salvador is one of the world's longest

agriculture:

21%

industry:

20%

services:

58% (2011 est.)

lowest 10%:

1%

highest 10%:

37% (2009 est.)

general assessment:

• multiple mobile-cellular providers are expanding services rapidly and in 2011 teledensity exceeded 135 per 100 persons;
• growth in fixed-line services has slowed in the face of mobile-cellular competition

domestic:

nationwide microwave radio relay system

international:

• country code - 503;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
• connected to Central American Microwave System (2011)

• multiple privately owned national terrestrial TV networks, supplemented by cable TV networks that carry international channels;
• hundreds of commercial radio broadcast stations and 1 government-owned radio broadcast station (2007)

total:

12.5 km

narrow gauge:

12.5 km 0.914-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 122

total:

6,918 km

paved:

3,247 km (includes 341 km of expressways)

unpaved:

3,671 km (2010)

country comparison to the world: 148

major seaport(s):

Puerto Cutuco

oil terminal(s):

Acajutla offshore terminal

• 18 years of age for selective compulsory military service;
• 16-22 years of age for voluntary male or female service;
• service obligation is 12 months, with 11 months for officers and NCOs (2012)

males age 16-49:

1,449,214

females age 16-49:

1,611,248 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,079,038

females age 16-49:

1,373,368 (2010 est.)

male:

71,530

female:

68,971 (2010 est.)

• International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary, in 1992, with final agreement by the parties in 2006 after an Organization of American States survey and a further ICJ ruling in 2003;
• 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;
• significant use of cocaine