|
Background:
|
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.
|
|
Location:
|
Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
|
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
13 50 N, 88 55 W
|
|
Map references:
|
|
|
Area:
|
total: 21,040 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km
water: 320 sq km
|
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than Massachusetts
|
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
|
|
Coastline:
|
307 km
|
|
Maritime claims:
|
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
|
|
Climate:
|
tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
|
|
Terrain:
|
mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
|
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
|
|
Natural resources:
|
hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land
|
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 31.37%
permanent crops: 11.88%
other: 56.75% (2005)
|
|
Irrigated land:
|
450 sq km (2003)
|
|
Total renewable water resources:
|
25.2 cu km (2001)
|
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
|
Total: 1.28 cu km/yr (25%/16%/59%)
Per capita: 186 cu m/yr (2000)
|
|
Natural hazards:
|
known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
|
|
Environment - current issues:
|
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
|
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
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
|
|
Geography - note:
|
smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
|
|
Population:
|
6,948,073 (July 2007 est.)
|
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 36.1% (male 1,281,889/female 1,228,478)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 1,942,674/female 2,134,154)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 158,276/female 202,602) (2007 est.)
|
|
Median age:
|
total: 22 years
male: 20.9 years
female: 23.2 years (2007 est.)
|
|
Population growth rate:
|
1.699% (2007 est.)
|
|
Birth rate:
|
26.13 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
|
|
Death rate:
|
5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
|
|
Net migration rate:
|
-3.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
|
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.043 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.781 male(s)/female
total population: 0.949 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 22.88 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 25.76 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 71.78 years
male: 68.18 years
female: 75.57 years (2007 est.)
|
|
Total fertility rate:
|
3.08 children born/woman (2007 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
0.7% (2003 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
29,000 (2003 est.)
|
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
2,200 (2003 est.)
|
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Salvadoran(s)
adjective: Salvadoran
|
|
Ethnic groups:
|
mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1%
|
|
Religions:
|
Roman Catholic 83%, other 17%
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 Amerindians)
|
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 80.2%
male: 82.8%
female: 77.7% (2003 est.)
|
This page was last updated on 24 January, 2008
- The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook - |
