El Salvador
|
| Basic Facts |
| 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 |
| Gevernment 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) |
| Flag description | 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 |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) |
| Internet country code | .sv |
| Ports and terminals | Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco |
| Agriculture products | coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; beef, dairy products; shrimp |
| Industries | food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals |
| Geography |
| Location | Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras |
| Coordinates | 13 50 N, 88 55 W |
| Continent | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area |
total: 21,040 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km water: 320 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km |
| Coastline | 307 km |
| 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 |
| Natural resources | hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land |
| Natural hazards | known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes |
| People |
| Population | 6,822,378 (July 2006 est.) |
| 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) |
