| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador
conventional short form: El Salvador
local long form: Republica de El Salvador
local short form: El Salvador |
| Capital: |
San Salvador |
| Location: |
Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
13 50 N, 88 55 W |
| 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: 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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
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: |
23 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: President Elias Antonio SACA (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 (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 elected president; percent of vote - Elias Antonio SACA (ARENA) 57.7%, Schafik HANDAL (FMLN) 35.6%, Hector SILVA (CDU-PDC) 3.9%, other 2.8% |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FMLN 31, ARENA 28, PCN 15, PDC 5, CD 5 |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are selected by the Legislative Assembly) |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
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]; 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] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
6,704,932 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 36.5% (male 1,250,901/female 1,198,589)
15-64 years: 58.3% (male 1,860,084/female 2,051,140)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 153,133/female 191,085) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 21.57 years
male: 20.44 years
female: 22.69 years (2005 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) |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
752,600 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
1,149,800 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
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 |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 61 (plus 24 repeaters), FM 30, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
5 (1997) |
| Internet country
code: |
.sv |
| Internet hosts: |
4,084 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
550,000 (2003) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
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 (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 10,029 km
paved: 1,986 km (including 327 km of expressways)
unpaved: 8,043 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
Rio Lempa partially navigable (2004) |
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco, La Libertad, La Union, Puerto El Triunfo |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
73 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 69
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 54 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
1 (2004 est.) |
