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NAVIGATION
Republic of El Salvador
Republica de El Salvador
INTRODUCTION
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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. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Middle 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
water: 320 sq km land: 20,720 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: 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: 27.27%
permanent crops: 12.11% other: 60.62% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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360 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very 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, Nuclear Test Ban, 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 |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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6,353,681 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 37.4% (male 1,211,156; female 1,162,317)
15-64 years: 57.5% (male 1,735,744; female 1,922,395) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 144,864; female 177,205) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.83% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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28.3 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-3.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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27.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 70.32 years
female: 74.11 years (2002 est.) male: 66.72 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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3.29 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.6% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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25,000 (2000 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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1,300 (1999 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%, Amerindian 1%, white 9% |
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Religions:
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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 |
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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: 71.5% male: 73.5% female: 69.8% (1995 est.) |