El Salvador




                                 Geography


Location:
     Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean between Guatemala
     and Honduras
Map references:
     Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones
     of the World
Area:
total area:
     21,040 sq km
land area:
     20,720 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries:
     total 545 km, Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
Coastline:
     307 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
     200 nm; overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm
International disputes:
     land boundary dispute with Honduras mostly resolved by 11 September
     1992 International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision; ICJ referred the
     maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca 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
Natural resources:
     hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum
Land use:
arable land:
     27%
permanent crops:
     8%
meadows and pastures:
     29%
forest and woodland:
     6%
other:
     30%
Irrigated land:
     1,200 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
     deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils
     from disposal of toxic wastes




natural hazards:
     known as the Land of Volcanoes, subject to frequent and sometimes very
     destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
international agreements:
     party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban,
     Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
     Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
     smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on
     Caribbean Sea


                                  People


Population:
     5,752,511 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     2.04% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     32.81 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     6.36 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -6.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     40.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     66.99 years
male:
     64.41 years
female:
     69.71 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     3.78 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Salvadoran(s)
adjective:
     Salvadoran
Ethnic divisions:
     mestizo 94%, Indian 5%, white 1%
Religions:
     Roman Catholic 75%
note:
     Roman Catholic about 75%; 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 Indians)
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     73%
male:
     76%




female:
     70%
Labor force:
     1.7 million (1982 est.)
by occupation:
     agriculture 40%, commerce 16%, manufacturing 15%, government 13%,
     financial services 9%, transportation 6%, other 1%
note:
     shortage of skilled labor and a large pool of unskilled labor, but
     manpower training programs improving situation (1984 est.)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of El Salvador
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republica de El Salvador
local short form:
Digraph:
     ES
Type:
     republic
Capital:
     San 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
Independence:
     15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday:
     Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution:
     20 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 and head of government:
     President Armando CALDERON SOL (since 1 June 1994); Vice President
     Enrique BORGO Bustamante (since 1 June 1994) election last held 20
     March 1994 (next to be held 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, 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 branch:
     unicameral
Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa):
     elections last held 20 March 1994 (next to be held 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)
Political parties and leaders:
     National Republican Alliance (ARENA); Farabundo Marti National
     Liberation Front (FMLN) has five factions - Popular Liberation Forces
     (FPL), Armed Forces of National Resistance (FARN), Popular Expression
     of Renewal (ERP), Salvadoran Communist Party (PCES), and
     Central American Workers' Revolutionary Party (PRTC); Christian
     Democratic Party (PDC); National Conciliation Party (PCN); Democratic
     Convergence (CD), a coalition of three parties - the Social Democratic
     Party (PSD), Democratic Nationalist Union (UDN), and the Popular
     Social Christian Movement (MPSC); Authentic Christian Movement (MAC)
note:
     new party leaders not yet designated at time of publication
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
Member of:
     BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
     IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA
     (observer), LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
     UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Ana Cristina SOL
chancery:
     2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 265-9671 or 9672
consulate(s) general:
     Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San
     Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Alan H. FLANIGAN
embassy:
     Final Boulevard, Station Antigua Cuscatlan, San Salvador
mailing address:
     Unit 3116, San Salvador; APO AA 34023
telephone:
     [503] 78-4444
FAX:
     [503] 78-6011




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


Overview:
     The agricultural sector accounts for 24% of GDP, employs about 40% of
     the labor force, and contributes about 66% to total exports. Coffee is
     the major commercial crop, accounting for 45% of export earnings. The
     manufacturing sector, based largely on food and beverage processing,
     accounts for 19% of GDP and 15% of employment. In 1992-93 the
     government made substantial progress toward privatization and
     deregulation of the economy. Growth in national output in 1990-93
     exceeded growth in population for the first time since 1987, and
     inflation in 1993 of 12% was down from 17% in 1992
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $14.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     5% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $2,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     12% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     6.7% (1993)
Budget:
revenues:
     $846 million
expenditures:
     $890 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)
Exports:
     $730 million (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
     coffee, sugarcane, shrimp
partners:
     US, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Germany
Imports:
     $1.9 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
     raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods
partners:
     US, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela, Germany
External debt:
     $2.6 billion (December 1992)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 7.6% (1993)




Electricity:
capacity:
     713,800 kW
production:
     2.19 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     390 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     food processing, beverages, petroleum, nonmetallic products, tobacco,
     chemicals, textiles, furniture
Agriculture:
     accounts for 24% of GDP and 40% of labor force (including fishing and
     forestry); coffee most important commercial crop; other products -
     sugarcane, corn, rice, beans, oilseeds, beef, dairy products, shrimp;
     not self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
     transshipment point for cocaine; marijuana produced for local
     consumption
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $2.95 billion (plus $250
     million for 1992-96); Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF
     bilateral commitments (1970-89), $525 million
Currency:
     1 Salvadoran colon (C) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
     Salvadoran colones (C) per US$1 - 8.720 (January 1994), 8.670 (1993),
     8.4500 (1992), 8.080 (1991), 8.0300 (1990), fixed rate of 5.000
     (1986-1989)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     602 km 0.914-meter gauge, single track; some sections abandoned,
     unusable, or operating at reduced capacity
Highways:
total:
     10,000 km
paved:
     1,500 km
unpaved:
     gravel 4,100 km; improved, unimproved earth 4,400 km
Inland waterways:
     Rio Lempa partially navigable
Ports:
     Acajutla, Cutuco
Airports:
total:
     107
usable:
     76
with permanent-surface runways:
     5




with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     6
Telecommunications:
     nationwide trunk microwave radio relay system; connection into Central
     American Microwave System; 116,000 telephones (21 telephones per 1,000
     persons); broadcast stations - 77 AM, no FM, 5 TV, 2 shortwave; 1
     Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     Army, Navy, Air Force
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 1,351,641; fit for military service 866,010; reach
     military age (18) annually 74,181 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $104 million, 1.1% of GDP (1994 est.)