LOCATION:

Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras

AREA:

total: 21,040 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km
water: 320 sq km
Area - comparative:
  
slightly smaller than Massachusetts

POPULATION

6,704,932
(July 2005 est.)

AGE STRUCTURE:

0-14 years: 36.5%
(male 1,250,901/female 1,198,589)
15-64 years: 58.3%
(male 1,860,084/female 2,051,140)
65 years and over: 5.1%
(male 153,133/female 191,085)

 (2005 est.)

MEDIAN AGE:

total: 21.57 years
male: 20.44 years
female: 22.69 years

 (2005 est.)

POPULATION GROWTH:

1.75%

(2005 est.)

INFANT MORTALITY RATE:

total: 25.1 deaths/1,000 live births
 
male: 27.98 deaths/1,000 live births
 
female: 22.08 deaths/1,000 live births

(2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS-ADULT PREVALENCE RATE:

0.6%

HIV/AIDS- PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS :

28,000

low estimate:
14,000

high estimate:
46,000

HIV/AIDS-DEATH

2,200

low estimate:
2,200

high estimate:
4,100

ETHNIC GROUPS:

mestizo 90%,
white 9%,
Amerindian 1%

RELIGIONS

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

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 TYPE:

republic

CAPITAL:

San Salvador

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:

14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento);
 Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa Ana, San Vicente, Sonsonate, Usulutan

INDEPENDENCE:

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

ECONOMY:

GDP per capita is roughly half that of Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, and the distribution of income is highly unequal. The government is striving to open new export markets, encourage foreign investment, modernize the tax and healthcare systems, and stimulate the sluggish economy. Implementation of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, ratified by El Salvador in 2004, is viewed as a key policy to help achieve these objectives. The trade deficit has been offset by annual remittances from Salvadorans living abroad - 16% of GDP in 2004 - and external aid. With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency, El Salvador has lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy. 

GDP:

purchasing power parity - $32.35 billion (2004 est.)

POPULATION BELOW POVERT LINE:

36.1%

(2003 est.)

INFLATION RATE:

5.4%

(2004 est.)

UNEMPLOYMENT:

6.3% - but the economy has much underemployment

(2004 est.)

EXCHANGE RATES:

the US dollar is the legal tender

Illicit Drugs:

transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana produced for local consumption; domestic cocaine abuse on the rise