Statistical information El Salvador 1996El%20Salvador

Map of El Salvador | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year:  | More stats

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El Salvador in the World

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El Salvador - Introduction 1996
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Background: El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war which cost the lives of some 75,000 people was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.


El Salvador - Geography 1996
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Location: Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 21,040 km²
Land: 20,720 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries: Total 545 km, 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)

Terrain: Mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m

Natural resources:
Hydropower
Geothermal power
Petroleum

Land use

Land use
Arable land: 27%
Permanent crops: 8%
Permanent pastures: 29%
Forests and woodland: 6%
Other: 30%

Irrigated land: 1,200 km² (1989)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


El Salvador - People 1996
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Population:
5,828,987 (July 1996 est.)
5,870,481 (July 1995 est.)

Growth rate:
1.81% (1996 est.)
2.02% (1995 est.)


Nationality
Noun: Salvadoran(s)
Adjective: Salvadoran

Ethnic groups:
Mestizo 94%
Indian 5%
White 1%


Languages: Spanish, Nahua (among some Indians)

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

Demographic profile
Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years:
38% (male 1,137,804; female 1,097,774) (July 1996 est.)
40% (male 1,200,759; female 1,165,152) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 years:
57% (male 1,627,519; female 1,716,261) (July 1996 est.)
56% (male 1,602,230; female 1,677,958) (July 1995 est.)

65 years and over:
5% (male 115,973; female 133,656) (July 1996 est.)
4% (male 102,014; female 122,368) (July 1995 est.)


Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate:
1.81% (1996 est.)
2.02% (1995 est.)


Birth rate:
28.3 births/1000 population (1996 est.)
32.39 births/1000 population (1995 est.)


Death rate:
5.81 deaths/1000 population (1996 est.)
6.19 deaths/1000 population (1995 est.)


Net migration rate:
-4.4 migrant(s)/1000 population (1996 est.)
-5.96 migrant(s)/1000 population (1995 est.)


Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
Current issues Natural hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
International agreements: party to_Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified_Law of the Sea
International agreements note: Smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
All ages:
0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.) Infant Mortality Rate:31.9 deaths/1000 live births (1996 est.)
38.9 deaths/1000 live births (1995 est.)


Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 68.88 years (1996 est.); 67.5 years (1995 est.)
Male: 65.44 years (1996 est.); 64.89 years (1995 est.)
Female: 72.5 years (1996 est.); 70.23 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.2 children born/woman (1996 est.)
3.69 children born/woman (1995 est.)


Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)
Total population: 71.5%
Male: 73.5%
Female: 69.8%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


El Salvador - Government 1996
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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

Government 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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

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

International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation

Flag descriptionflag of El%20Salvador: 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


El Salvador - Economy 1996
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Economy overview: El Salvador possesses a fast-growing entrepreneurial economy in which 90% of economic activity is in private hands, with growth averaging 5% since 1990. Yet, because the 1980s were a decade of civil war and stagnation, per capita GDP has not regained the level of the late 1970s. The rebound in the 1990s stems from the government program, in conjunction with the IMF, of privatization, deregulation, and fiscal stabilization. The economy now is oriented more toward manufacturing and services compared with agriculture. The sizable trade deficits are in the main covered by remittances from the large number of Salvadorans abroad.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate:
6.3% (1995 est.)
5% (1994 est.)


Real gdp per capita:
purchasing power parity_ $1,950 (1995 est.)
$1,710 (1994 est.)


Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: 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

Industries:
Food processing
Beverages
Petroleum
Nonmetallic products
Tobacco
Chemicals
Textiles
Furniture


Industrial production growth rate: Growth rate 7.6% (1993)

Labor force: 1.7 million (1982 est.)
By occupation Agriculture: 40%
By occupation Commerce: 16%
By occupation Manufacturing: 15%
By occupation Government: 13%
By occupation Financial services: 9%
By occupation Transportation: 6%
By occupation Other: 1%
Labor force

Unemployment rate: 6.7% (1993)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

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

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: Calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports:
total value. $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$823 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

Commodities:
Coffee
Sugarcane
Shrimp

Partners:
U.S.
Guatemala
Costa Rica
Germany


Imports
Total value:
$3.3 billion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
$2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

Commodities:
Raw materials
Consumer goods
Capital goods

Partners:
U.S.
Guatemala
Mexico
Venezuela
Germany


Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $2.6 billion (December 1992)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Salvadoran colones (C) per US$1_8.755 (December 1995), 8.755 (1995), 8.750 (1994), 8.670 (1993), 9.170 (1992), 8.080 (1991), 8.0300 (1990)


El Salvador - Energy 1996
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Electricity
Capacity: 750,000 kW
Production: 2.4 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 408 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


El Salvador - Communication 1996
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Telephones

Telephone system: 116,000 telephones (1984 est.)
Local: NA
Intercity: nationwide microwave radio relay system
International: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station; connected to Central American Microwave System

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


El Salvador - Military 1996
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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $100 million, 1% of GDP (1995; $103 million, 0.7% of GDP (1994)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


El Salvador - Transportation 1996
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 73
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 21 (1995 est.)
With paved runways under 914 m: 48

Heliports: 1 (1995 est.)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: Rio Lempa partially navigable

Merchant marine: None

Ports and terminals


El Salvador - Transnational issues 1996
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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: Transshipment point for cocaine; marijuana produced for local consumption


Direct Ferries


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