Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer the triangular areas
that extend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the
22nd Parallel, but have withdrawn their military presence - Egypt is
economically developing the "Hala'ib triangle" north of the Treaty
line
Illicit drugs:
transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast Asian heroin and
opium moving to Europe, Africa, and the US; transit stop for
Nigerian couriers; concern as money-laundering site due to lax
banking regulations
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
======================================================================
@El Salvador
Introduction El Salvador
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.
Geography El Salvador
Location:
Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between
Guatemala and Honduras
Geographic coordinates:
13 50 N, 88 55 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 21,040 sq km
water: 320 sq km
land: 20,720 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
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: 27.27%
permanent crops: 12.11%
other: 60.62% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
360 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very
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,
Nuclear Test Ban, 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
People El Salvador
Population:
6,470,379 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 37.1% (male 1,224,024; female 1,173,667)
15–64 years: 57.9% (male 1,777,522; female 1,966,064)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 147,482; female 181,620) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.1 years
male: 20 years
female: 22.2 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
1.81% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
27.9 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
6.01 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
−3.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 26.75 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 29.59 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.62 years
male: 67.02 years
female: 74.4 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
24,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,100 (2001 est.)
Nationality: noun: Salvadoran(s) adjective: Salvadoran
Ethnic groups:
mestizo 90%, Amerindian 1%, white 9%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 83%
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.)
Government El Salvador
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador