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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
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Geographic coordinates:
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13 50 N, 88 55 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total: 21,040 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km
water: 320 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Massachusetts
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Land boundaries:
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total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
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Coastline:
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307 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
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tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
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Terrain:
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mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
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Natural resources:
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hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land
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Land use:
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arable land: 31.37%
permanent crops: 11.88%
other: 56.75% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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450 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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25.2 cu km (2001)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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Total: 1.28 cu km/yr (25%/16%/59%)
Per capita: 186 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive
earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
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Geography - note:
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smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
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Population:
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6,948,073 (July 2007 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 36.1% (male 1,281,889/female 1,228,478)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 1,942,674/female 2,134,154)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 158,276/female 202,602) (2007 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 22 years
male: 20.9 years
female: 23.2 years (2007 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.699% (2007 est.)
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Birth rate:
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26.13 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Death rate:
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5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-3.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.043 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.781 male(s)/female
total population: 0.949 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 22.88 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 25.76 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 71.78 years
male: 68.18 years
female: 75.57 years (2007 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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3.08 children born/woman (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.7% (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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29,000 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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2,200 (2003 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Salvadoran(s)
adjective: Salvadoran
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Ethnic groups:
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mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1%
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Religions:
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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 |
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Languages:
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Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 80.2%
male: 82.8%
female: 77.7% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador
conventional short form: El Salvador
local long form: Republica de El Salvador
local short form: El Salvador
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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name: San Salvador
geographic coordinates: 13 42 N, 89 12 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions:
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14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Ahuachapan,
Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union,
Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, San Vicente, Santa Ana, Sonsonate,
Usulutan |
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Independence:
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15 September 1821 (from Spain)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
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Constitution:
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20 December 1983
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Legal system:
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based on civil and Roman law with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state:
President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004); Vice
President Ana Vilma Albanez 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 Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma Albanez DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president
elections:
president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote
for a single five-year term; election last held 21 March 2004 (next to
be held in March 2009)
election results: Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez elected
president; percent of vote - Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez 57.7%, Schafik
HANDAL 35.6%, Hector SILVA 3.9%, other 2.8% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats;
members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ARENA 34, FMLN 32, PCN 10, PDC 6, CD 2
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (15 judges are selected by the
Legislative Assembly; the 15 judges are assigned to four Supreme Court
chambers - constitutional, civil, penal, and administrative conflict) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo PARKER]; Democratic
Convergence or CD [Ruben ZAMORA] (formerly United Democratic Center or
CDU); Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Medardo
GONZALEZ]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ ZEPEDA];
National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez];
Popular Social Christian Party or PPSC [Rene AGUILUZ]; Revolutionary
Democratic Front or FDR [Julio Cesar HERNANDEZ Carcamo] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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labor organizations - Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador or SIES;
Federation of the Construction Industry, Similar Transport and other
activities, or FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of Salvadoran
Workers or CNTS; National Union of Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port
Industry Union of El Salvador or SIPES; Salvadoran Union of
Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers or USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers
Central or CTS; Workers Union of Electrical Corporation or STCEL;
business organizations - National Association of Small Enterprise or
ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran
Industrial Association or ASI |
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International organization participation:
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BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO
(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS,
OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL,
UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez
chancery: 1400 16th Street, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671
FAX: [1] (202) 234-3834
consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Dallas, Elizabeth (New Jersey), Houston, Las Vegas, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York (2), Nogales (Arizona), Santa Ana
(California), San Francisco, Washington, DC
consulate(s): Boston
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Charles L. GLAZER
embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, San Salvador
mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023
telephone: [503] 2278-4444
FAX: [503] 2278-5522
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third
largest economy, but growth has been modest in recent years. Robust
growth in non-traditional exports have offset declines in the maquila
exports, while remittances and external aid offset the trade deficit
from high oil prices and strong import demand for consumer and
intermediate goods.. El Salvador leads the region in remittances per
capita with inflows equivalent to nearly all export income.
Implementation in 2006 of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free
Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which El Salvador was the first to ratify, has
strengthened an already positive export trend. With the adoption of the
US dollar as its currency in 2001, El Salvador lost control over
monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined
fiscal policy. The current government has pursued economic
diversification, with some success in promoting textile production,
international port services, and tourism through tax incentives. It is
committed to opening the economy to trade and investment, and has
embarked on a wave of privatizations extending to telecom, electricity
distribution, banking, and pension funds. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$35.97 billion (2007 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$16.06 billion (2007 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.4% (2007 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$5,200 (2007 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 10.2%
industry: 29.3%
services: 60.5% (2007 est.)
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Labor force:
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2.913 million (2007 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 19%
industry: 23%
services: 58% (2006 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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6.2% official rate; but the economy has much underemployment (2007 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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35.2% (2005 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 38.8% (2002)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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52.4 (2002)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4.3% (2007 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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17% of GDP (2007 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $3.464 billion
expenditures: $3.605 billion (2007 est.)
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Public debt:
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38.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; beef, dairy products; shrimp
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Industries:
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food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals
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Industrial production growth rate:
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2% (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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5.293 billion kWh (2006)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 44%
hydro: 30.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 25.1% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption:
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5.204 billion kWh (2006)
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Electricity - exports:
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95.5 million kWh (2006)
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Electricity - imports:
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322 million kWh (2005)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - consumption:
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43,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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5,194 bbl/day (2004)
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Oil - imports:
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47,310 bbl/day (2004)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2005)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Current account balance:
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-$929 million (2007 est.)
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Exports:
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$3.96 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity
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Exports - partners:
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US 49.6%, Guatemala 14.4%, Honduras 8.8%, Nicaragua 5% (2006)
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Imports:
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$8.099 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity
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Imports - partners:
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US 32.2%, Guatemala 9.3%, Mexico 7.4%, Germany 6.3%, China 4.7% (2006)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$199.4 million of which $55 million from US (2005)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$2.314 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$9.991 billion (30 June 2007)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
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$4.377 billion (2006 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
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$293 million (2006 est.)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$3.623 billion (2005)
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Currency (code):
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US dollar (USD)
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Currency code:
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USD
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Exchange rates:
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the US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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1.037 million (2006)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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3.852 million (2006)
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Telephone system:
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general assessment:
the four mobile-cellular service providers are expanding services
rapidly and in 2006 mobile-cellular density stood at roughly 55 per 100
persons; growth in fixed-line services has slowed in the face of
mobile-cellular competition
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system
international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 52, FM 144, shortwave 0 (2005)
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Radios:
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2.75 million (1997)
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Television broadcast stations:
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5 (1997)
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Televisions:
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600,000 (1990)
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Internet country code:
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.sv
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Internet hosts:
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12,519 (2007)
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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4 (2000)
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Internet users:
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637,000 (2005)
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Airports:
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65 (2007)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 61
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 48 (2007)
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Heliports:
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1 (2007)
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Railways:
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total: 562 km
narrow gauge: 562 km 0.914-m gauge
note: railways not in operation since 2005 because of disuse and lack of maintenance due to high costs (2007)
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Roadways:
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total: 10,886 km
paved: 2,827 km
unpaved: 8,059 km (2000)
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Waterways:
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Rio Lempa partially navigable for small craft (2007)
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Ports and terminals:
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Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco
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Military branches:
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Salvadoran Army (ES), Salvadoran Navy (FNES), Salvadoran Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena, FAS) (2008)
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 16 years of
age for voluntary service; 12-month service obligation (2006) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 18-49: 1,391,278
females age 18-49: 1,542,323 (2005 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 18-49: 960,315
females age 18-49: 1,310,466 (2005 est.)
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males age 18-49: 70,286
females age 18-49: 69,526 (2005 est.)
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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5% (2006)
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Disputes - international:
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International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of
"bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary, in
1992, with final agreement by the parties in 2006 after an Organization
of American States (OAS) survey and a further ICJ ruling in 2003; the
1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary
in the Gulf of Fonseca advocating Honduran access to the Pacific; El
Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not identified in the
ICJ decision, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca |
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Illicit drugs:
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transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana produced for local consumption; significant use of cocaine
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This page was last updated on 12 February, 2008
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