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EL SALVADOR

@El Salvador:Geography

 Location: Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between
 Guatemala and Honduras

 Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
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EL SALVADOR - MAJOR CITIES 
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                                        Latitude,      Internat'l     Time   
                        Population      Longitude      Phone Code     Zone   
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
SAN SALVADOR               460,000    13.40N, 89.10W     503-        GMT-6   
Santa Ana                  138,000    14.00N, 89.31W     503-        GMT-6   
San Miguel                  87,000    13.28N, 88.10W     503-        GMT-6   
Nueva San Salvador          52,000    13.40N, 89.18W     503-        GMT-6   
Sonsonate                   47,000    13.43N, 89.44W     503-        GMT-6   
Cojutepeque                 31,000    13.42N, 88.58W     503-        GMT-6   
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 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

 International disputes: land boundary dispute with Honduras mostly
 resolved by 11 September 1992 International Court of Justice (ICJ)
 decision; with respect to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de
 Fonseca, ICJ referred 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; frequent and
 sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
 international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species,
 Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed,
 but not ratified - Climate Change, Law of the Sea

 Note: smallest Central American country and only one without a
 coastline on Caribbean Sea

@El Salvador:People

 Population: 5,870,481 (July 1995 est.)

 Age structure:
 0-14 years: 40% (female 1,165,152; male 1,200,759)
 15-64 years: 56% (female 1,677,958; male 1,602,230)
 65 years and over: 4% (female 122,368; male 102,014) (July 1995 est.)

 Population growth rate: 2.02% (1995 est.)

 Birth rate: 32.39 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Death rate: 6.19 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Net migration rate: -5.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Infant mortality rate: 38.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

 Life expectancy at birth:
 total population: 67.5 years
 male: 64.89 years
 female: 70.23 years (1995 est.)

 Total fertility rate: 3.69 children born/woman (1995 est.)

 Nationality:
 noun: Salvadoran(s)
 adjective: Salvadoran

 Ethnic divisions: mestizo 94%, Indian 5%, white 1%

 Religions: Roman Catholic 75%
 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 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 training programs improving situation (1984 est.)

@El Salvador:Government

 Names:
 conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador
 conventional short form: El Salvador
 local long form: Republica de El Salvador
 local short form: El Salvador

 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, a 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),
 Juan Jose DOMENECH, president; Farabundo Marti National Liberation
 Front (FMLN), Salvador SANCHEZ Ceren (aka Leonel GONZALEZ), general
 coordinator; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Ronal UMANA, secretary
 general; National Conciliation Party (PCN), Ciro CRUZ Zepeda,
 secretary general; Democratic Convergence (CD), Juan Jose MARTEL,
 secretary general; Unity Movement, Jorge MARTINEZ Menendez, president
 note: newly formed parties not yet officially recognized by the
 Supreme Electoral Tribunal: Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), Kirio
 Waldo SALGADO, founder; Social Democratic Party (breakaway from FMLN),
 Joaquin VILLALOBOS, founder; Social Christian Renovation Movement
 (MRSC) (breakaway from PDC), Abraham RODRIGUEZ, founder

 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, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
 IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL,
 PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

 Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission: Ambassador Ana Cristina SOL
 chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671, 9672
 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, 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 Antiguo 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
 1992-94 the government made substantial progress toward privatization
 and deregulation of the economy. Growth in national output in 1991-94
 nearly averaged 5%, exceeding growth in population for the first time
 since 1987; and inflation in 1994 of 10% was down from 19% in 1993.

 National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $9.8 billion (1994
 est.)

 National product real growth rate: 5% (1994 est.)

 National product per capita: $1,710 (1994 est.)

 Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1994 est.)

 Unemployment rate: 6.7% (1993)

 Budget:
 revenues: $846 million
 expenditures: $890 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
 (1992 est.)

 Exports: $823 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
 commodities: coffee, sugarcane, shrimp
 partners: US, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Germany

 Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
 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: 750,000 kW
 production: 2.4 billion kWh
 consumption per capita: 408 kWh (1993)

 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 - 8.760 (January
 1995), 8.750 (1994), 8.670 (1993), 8.4500 (1992), 8.080 (1991), 8.0300
 (1990)

 Fiscal year: calendar year

@El Salvador:Transportation

 Railroads:
 total: 602 km (single track; note - some sections abandoned, unusable,
 or operating at reduced capacity)
 narrow gauge: 602 km 0.914-m gauge

 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, Puerto Cutuco, La Libertad, La Union, Puerto El
 Triunfo

 Merchant marine: none

 Airports:
 total: 106
 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2
 with paved runways under 914 m: 78
 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 23

@El Salvador:Communications

 Telephone system: 116,000 telephones; 21 telephones/1,000 persons
 local: NA
 intercity: nationwide microwave radio relay system
 international: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station; connected to
 Central American Microwave System

 Radio:
 broadcast stations: AM 77, FM 0, shortwave 2
 radios: NA

 Television:
 broadcast stations: 5
 televisions: NA

@El Salvador:Defense Forces

 Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force

 Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,393,480; males fit for
 military service 892,958; males reach military age (18) annually
 77,562 (1995 est.)

 Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $103 million, 0.7% of
 GDP (1994); $91.9 million, less than 1% of GDP (1995 est.)


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