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Background Note: El Salvador
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Republic of El
Salvador
Geography
Area: 20,742. (8,008 sq. mi.); about the size of Massachusetts.
Cities: Capital--San Salvador (pop. 2.2 million).
Other cities--Santa Ana, San Miguel, Soyapango, and Apopa.
Terrain: Mountains separate country into three distinct
regions--southern coastal belt, central valleys and plateaus,
and northern mountains.
Climate: Semitropical, distinct wet and dry seasons.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Salvadoran(s).
Population (2005 est.): 6.9 million.
Annual growth rate (2005 est.): 1.7%.
Ethnic groups: Mestizo 90%, indigenous 1%, Caucasian 9%.
Religion: About 52% Roman Catholic, with significant and growing
numbers of Protestant groups.
Language: Spanish.
Education: Free through ninth grade. Attendance (grades
1-9)—90.4%. Literacy--84.5% nationally; 76.3% in rural
areas.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2003)--24.6/1,000. Life
expectancy at birth (2006)--71.8 years.
Work force (about 2.5 million, 2004):
Agriculture--19.1%; services--49.8%;
industry--16.8%; construction--6.4%; government--7.3%;
other--0.6%.
Government
Type: Republic.
Constitution: December 20, 1983.
Independence: September 15, 1821.
Branches: Executive--president and vice president.
Legislative--84-member Legislative Assembly. Judicial--independent
(Supreme Court).
Administrative subdivisions: 14 departments.
Political parties (represented in the legislature): Farabundo
Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), Nationalist Republican
Alliance (ARENA), National Conciliation Party (PCN), Christian
Democratic Party (PDC), and the United Democratic Center (CDU).
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Economy
GDP (2005): $16.97 billion, PPP GDP (2005): $34.15 billion.
GDP annual real growth rate (2005): 2.8%.
Per capita income (2005): $2,469, PPP per capita income $5,100.
Agriculture (11.8% of GDP, 2005): Products--coffee,
sugar, livestock, corn, poultry, and sorghum. Arable,
cultivated, or pasture land--68% (2005).
Industry (23.2% of GDP, 2005): Types--textiles and
apparel, food and beverage processing, footwear, chemical
products, petroleum products, electronics.
Trade (2005): Exports--$3.4 billion: textiles and
apparel, light manufacturing, coffee, medicines, sugar, and
shrimp. Major markets--U.S. 60.7%, Central American
Common Market (CACM) 27%. Imports--$6.8 billion: consumer
goods, foodstuffs, capital goods, raw industrial materials, and
petroleum. Major suppliers--U.S. 43.3%, CACM 15%, Mexico
7.8%.
PEOPLE
El Salvador's population numbers about 6.9 million. Almost 90%
is of mixed Indian and Spanish extraction. About 1% is
indigenous; very few Indians have retained their customs and
traditions. The country's people are largely Roman Catholic and
Protestant. Spanish is the language spoken by virtually all
inhabitants. The capital city of San Salvador has about 2.2
million people; an estimated 40.3% of El Salvador's population
lives in rural areas. |
