The 2008 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Guatemala and Honduras

      Geographic coordinates:

      13 50 N, 88 55 W

      Map references:

      Central America and the Caribbean

      Area:

      total: 21,040 sq km land: 20,720 sq km water: 320 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: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 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: 31.37% permanent crops: 11.88% other: 56.75% (2005)

      Irrigated land:

      450 sq km (2003)

      Total renewable water resources:

      25.2 cu km (2001)

      Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

      total: 1.28 cu km/yr (25%/16%/59%) per capita: 186 cu m/yr (2000)

      Natural hazards:

      known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes 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, 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:

      7,066,403 (July 2008 est.)

      Age structure:

      0–14 years: 35.8% (male 1,291,147/female 1,237,453) 15–64 years: 59% (male 1,987,671/female 2,179,620) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 162,100/female 208,412) (2008 est.)

      Median age:

      total: 22.2 years male: 21.1 years female: 23.4 years (2008 est.)

      Population growth rate:

      1.679% (2008 est.)

      Birth rate:

      25.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Death rate:

      5.53 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Net migration rate:

      −3.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

      Sex ratio:

      at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15–64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

      Infant mortality rate:

      total: 22.19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth:

      total population: 72.06 years male: 68.45 years female: 75.84 years (2008 est.)

      Total fertility rate:

      3.04 children born/woman (2008 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

      0.7% (2003 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

      29,000 (2003 est.)

      HIV/AIDS - deaths:

      2,200 (2003 est.)

      Major infectious diseases:

      degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

      Nationality:

      noun: Salvadoran(s) adjective: Salvadoran

      Ethnic groups:

      mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1%

      Religions:

      Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 21.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.9%,

       Mormon 0.7%, other religions 2.3%, none 16.8% (2003 est.)

      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.)

      School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

      total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2006)

      Education expenditures:

      3.1% of GDP (2006)

      Government

       El Salvador

      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:

      name: San Salvador geographic coordinates: 13 42 N, 89 12 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

      Administrative divisions:

      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

      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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

      Suffrage: