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Compare El Salvador (2002) - European Union (2006)

Compare El Salvador (2002) z European Union (2006)

 El Salvador (2002)European Union (2006)
 El SalvadorEuropean Union
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 -
Age structure 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.)
0-14 years: 16.03% (male 37,608,010/female 35,632,351)


15-64 years: 67.17% (male 154,439,536/female 152,479,619)


65 years and over: 16.81% (male 31,515,921/female 45,277,821) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; shrimp; beef, dairy products wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes; dairy products, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry; fish
Airports 83 (2001) 3,115 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
1,863 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 78


914 to 1,523 m: 17


under 914 m: 61 (2002)
1,252 (2006)
Area total: 21,040 sq km


land: 20,720 sq km


water: 320 sq km
total: 3,976,372 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Massachusetts less than one-half the size of the US
Background 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. Following the two devastating World Wars of the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris.

The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since.

In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union - including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, raising the membership total to 15.

A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1 January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU states except the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using the euro banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - bringing the current membership to 25. In order to ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an expanded membership, the 2003 Treaty of Nice set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU institutions. An EU Constitutional Treaty, signed in Rome on 29 October 2004, gave member states two years to ratify the document before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006. Referenda held in France and the Netherlands in May-June 2005 rejected the proposed constitution. This development suspended the ratification effort and left the longer-term political integration of the EU in limbo.
Birth rate 28.3 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 10 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $2.1 billion


expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) (2001 est.)
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Capital San Salvador name: Brussels (Belgium)


geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October


note: the Council of the European Union meets in Brussels, the European Parliament meets in Strasbourg, France, and the Court of Justice of the European Communities meets in Luxembourg
Climate tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south
Coastline 307 km 65,413.9 km
Constitution 23 December 1983 based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in 2001; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in French and Dutch referenda in May-June 2005 caused a suspension of the ratification process
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
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Currency Salvadoran colon (SVC); US dollar (USD) -
Death rate 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 10.1 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $4.9 billion (2001 est.) -
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Rose M. LIKINS


embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Urbanizacion Santa Elena, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, San Salvador


mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023


telephone: [503] 278-4444


FAX: [503] 278-6011
chief of mission: Ambassador C. Boyden GRAY


embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat/Rue Zinner, B-1000 Brussels


mailing address: same as above


telephone: [32] (2) 508-2222


FAX: [32] (2) 512-5720
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez


chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco
chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON


chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037


telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500


FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766
Disputes - international El Salvador claims tiny Conejo Island off Honduras in the Golfo de Fonseca; many of the "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary remain undemarcated despite ICJ adjudication in 1992; with respect to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ referred to the line determined by the 1900 Honduras-Nicaragua Mixed Boundary Commission and advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua likely would be required as a political union, the EU has no border disputes with neighboring countries, but Estonia and Latvia have no land boundary agreements with Russia, Slovenia disputes its land and maritime boundaries with Croatia, and Spain has territorial and maritime disputes with Morocco; the EU has set up a Schengen area - consisting of 13 EU member states that have signed the convention implementing the Schengen agreements (1985 and 1990) on the free movement of persons and the harmonization of border controls in Europe; the Schengen agreements ("acquis") became incorporated into EU law with the implementation of the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam on 1 May 1999; member states are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden; in addition, non-EU states Iceland and Norway (as part of the Nordic Union) have been included in the Schengen area since 1996 (full members in 2001), bringing the total current membership to 15; the UK (since 2000) and Ireland (since 2002) take part in some aspects of the Schengen area, especially with respect to police and criminal matters; the 10 new member states that joined the EU in 2004 eventually are expected to participate in Schengen, following a transition period to upgrade their border controls and procedures
Economic aid - recipient total $252 million; $57 million from US (1999 est.) -
Economy - overview El Salvador is a struggling Central American economy which has been suffering from a weak tax collection system, factory closings, the aftermaths of Hurricane Mitch of 1998 and the devastating earthquakes of early 2001, and weak world coffee prices. On the bright side, in recent years inflation has fallen to single digit levels, and total exports have grown substantially. The trade deficit has been offset by remittances (an estimated $1.6 billion in 2000) from Salvadorans living abroad and by external aid. As of 1 January 2001, the US dollar was made legal tender alongside the colon. Growth in 2002 will depend largely on the speed of recovery in the US. Domestically, the European Union attempts to lower trade barriers, adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the great differences in per capita income (from $15,000 to $56,000) and historic national animosities, the European Community faces difficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example, since 2003 Germany and France have flouted the member states' treaty obligation to prevent their national budgets from running more than a 3% deficit. In 2004, the EU admitted 10 central and eastern European countries that are, in general, less advanced technologically and economically than the other 15. Twelve EU member states introduced the euro as their common currency on 1 January 1999, but the UK, Sweden, and Denmark do not participate. The 10 new member states may choose to adopt the euro when they meet the EU's fiscal and monetary criteria and the other euro states so agree.
Electricity - consumption 4.07 billion kWh (2000) 2.711 trillion kWh (2002 est.)
Electricity - exports 112 million kWh (2000) 282.6 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 750 million kWh (2000) 281.2 billion kWh (2002 est.)
Electricity - production 3.69 billion kWh (2000) 2.925 trillion kWh (2002 est.)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 42%


hydro: 36%


nuclear: 0%


other: 22% (2000)
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Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands -7 m


highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m; note - situated on the border between France and Italy
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes NA
Environment - international agreements 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
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical Timber 94


signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds
Ethnic groups mestizo 90%, Amerindian 1%, white 9% -
Exchange rates Salvadoran colones per US dollar - 8.750 (fixed since January 2001), 8.755 (fixed rate since 1993)


note: since January 2001 the US dollar has also become legal tender; the exchange rate has been fixed at 8.75 colones per US dollar
euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June 1999); Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June 1999); Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2004)


election results: Francisco FLORES Perez elected president; percent of vote - Francisco FLORES (ARENA) 52%, Facundo GUARDADO (FMLN) 29%, Ruben ZAMORA (CD) 7.5%, other (no individual above 3%) 11.5%
chief of union: President of the European Commission Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004)


cabinet: European Commission (composed of 25 members, one from each member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy areas)


elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by member governments; the president-designate then chooses the other Commission members; the European Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; election last held 18 November 2004 (next to be held 2009)


election results: European Parliament approved the European Commission by an approval vote of 449 to 149 with 82 abstentions


note: the European Council brings together heads of state and government and the president of the European Commission and meets at least twice a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the major political issues relating to European integration and to issue general policy guidelines
Exports $2.9 billion (2001) 5.322 million bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulp and paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholic beverages.
Exports - partners US 65%, Guatemala 11%, Honduras 8%, EU 5% (2000) US 24.2%, Switzerland 7.7%, China 5%, Russia 4.7% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year NA
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 on a blue field, 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle, representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the number of stars is fixed
GDP purchasing power parity - $28.4 billion (2001 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 10%


industry: 30%


services: 60% (2000) (2000)
agriculture: 2.2%


industry: 27.3%


services: 70.5% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $4,600 (2001 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 1.4% (2001 est.) 1.7% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 13 50 N, 88 55 W -
Geography - note smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea -
Heliports 1 (2002) 93 (2006)
Highways total: 10,029 km


paved: 1,986 km (including 327 km of expressways)


unpaved: 8,043 km (1997)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1%


highest 10%: 39% (2001) (2001)
lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 25.5% (1995 est.)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana produced for local consumption; domestic cocaine abuse on the rise -
Imports $5 billion (2001) 15.69 million bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil, chemicals, textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing
Imports - partners US 50%, Guatemala 10%, EU 7%, Mexico 5%, (2000) US 15.3%, China 12.4%, Russia 7.8%, Japan 7.2% (2004)
Independence 15 September 1821 (from Spain) 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force)
Industrial production growth rate 3% (2001 est.) 1.3% (2005 est.)
Industries food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals among the world's largest and most technologically advanced, the European Union industrial base includes: ferrous and non-ferrous metal production and processing, metal products, petroleum, coal, cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, construction equipment, industrial equipment, shipbuilding, electrical power equipment, machine tools and automated manufacturing systems, electronics and telecommunications equipment, fishing, food and beverage processing, furniture, paper, textiles, tourism
Infant mortality rate 27.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 5.1 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.8% (2001 est.) 2.2% (2005 est.)
International organization participation BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO European Union: ASEAN (dialogue member), ARF (dialogue member), IDA, OAS (observer), UN (observer), WTO


European Commission: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, EBRD, G-10, NSG (observer), OECD, UNRWA, ZC (observer)


European Central Bank: BIS


European Investment Bank: EBRD, WADB (nonregional member)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 4 (2000) -
Irrigated land 360 sq km (1998 est.) 131,250 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are selected by the Legislative Assembly) Court of Justice of the European Communities (ensures that the treaties are interpreted and applied correctly) - 25 justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 11 justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 25 justices appointed for a six-year term
Labor force 2.35 million (1999) (1999) 218.5 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 30%, industry 15%, services 55% (1999 est.) agriculture: 4.4%


industry: 27.2%


services: 67.2%


note: the remainder is in miscellaneous public and private sector industries and services (2005 est.)
Land boundaries total: 545 km


border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
total: 11,214.8 km


border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km, Macedonia 246 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km, Romania 443 km, Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia 151 km, Switzerland 1,811 km, Turkey 206 km, Ukraine 726 km


note: data for European Continent only
Land use arable land: 27.27%


permanent crops: 12.11%


other: 60.62% (1998 est.)
arable land: NA


permanent crops: NA


other: NA
Languages Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians) Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish; note - only official languages are listed; Irish (Gaelic) will become the 21st language on 1 January 2007
Legal system based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations -
Legislative branch unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve three-year terms)


elections: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2006)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FMLN 31, ARENA 27, PCN 16, PDC 5, CD 5
Council of the European Union (25 member-state ministers having 321 votes; the number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states' population); note - the Council is the main decision-making body of the EU; European Parliament (732 seats; seats allocated among member states by proportion to population); members elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term


elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPP-ED 268, PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN 27, independents 28
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.32 years


male: 66.72 years


female: 74.11 years (2002 est.)
total population: 78.3 years


male: 75.1 years


female: 81.6 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 10 and over can read and write


total population: 71.5%


male: 73.5%


female: 69.8% (1995 est.)
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Location Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras Europe between Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, southeastern Europe, and the North Atlantic Ocean
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 NM NA
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) -
Military - note - In November 2004, the European Union heads of government signed a "Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe" that offers possibilities - with some limits - for increased defense and security cooperation. If ratified, in a process that may take some two years, this treaty will in effect make operational the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) approved in the 2000 Nice Treaty. Despite limits of cooperation for some EU members, development of a European military planning unit is likely to continue. So is creation of a rapid-reaction military force and a humanitarian aid system, which the planning unit will support. France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy continue to press for wider coordination. The five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has already deployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo and assumed command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in August 2004. Eurocorps directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, the Multinational Command Support Brigade, and EUFOR, which took over from SFOR in Bosnia in December 2004. Other troop contributions are under national command - commitments to provide 67,100 troops were made at the Helsinki EU session in 2000. Some 56,000 EU troops were actually deployed in 2003. In August 2004, the new European Defense Agency, tasked with promoting cooperative European defense capabilities, began operations. In November 2004, the EU Council of Ministers formally committed to creating thirteen 1,500-man "battle groups" by the end of 2007, to respond to international crises on a rotating basis. Twenty-two of the EU's 25 nations have agreed to supply troops. France, Italy, and the UK are to form the first three battle groups in 2005, with Spain to follow. In May 2005, Norway, Sweden, and Finland agreed to establish one of the battle groups, possibly to include Estonian forces. The remaining groups are to be formed by 2007.
(2005)
Military branches Army, Navy (FNES), Air Force -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $112 million (FY99) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.7% (FY99) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 1,500,712 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 951,715 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 68,103 (2002 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day that Robert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of an organized Europe
Nationality noun: Salvadoran(s)


adjective: Salvadoran
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Natural hazards known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic
Natural resources hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land iron ore, arable land, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, hydropower, uranium, potash, fish
Net migration rate -3.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo PARKER]; Democratic Convergence or CD [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general] (includes Social Democratic Party or PSD [Juan MEDRANO, leader); Democratic Party or PD [Jorge MELENDEZ]; Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Fabio CASTILLO]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Kirio Waldo SALGADO, president]; National Action Party or PAN [Gustavo Rogelio SALINAS, secretary general]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ Zepeda, president]; National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Walter ARAUJO]; Social Christian Union or USC (formed by the merger of Christian Social Renewal Party or PRSC and Unity Movement or MU) [Abraham RODRIGUEZ, president] Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left or EUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's Party-European Democrats or EPP-ED [Hans-Gert POETTERING]; Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R. WATSON]; Group of Greens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI and Daniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM [Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Socialist Group in the European Parliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Union for Europe of the Nations Group or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana MUSCARDINI]
Political pressure groups and leaders labor organizations - Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador or SIES; Federation of the Construction Industry, Similar Transport and other activities, or FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of Salvadoran Workers or CNTS; National Union of Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of El Salvador or SIPES; Salvadoran Union of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers or USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union of Electrical Corporation or STCEL; business organizations - National Association of Small Enterprise or ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran Industrial Association or ASI -
Population 6,353,681 (July 2002 est.) 456,953,258 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 48% (1999 est.) see individual country listings
Population growth rate 1.83% (2002 est.) 0.15% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco, La Libertad, La Union, Puerto El Triunfo -
Radio broadcast stations AM 61 (plus 24 repeaters), FM 30, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 866, FM 13,396, shortwave 73 (1998); note - sum of individual country radio broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Euroradio)
Radios 2.75 million (1997) -
Railways total: 562 km


narrow gauge: 562 km 0.914-m gauge


note: length of operational route is reduced to 283 km by disuse and lack of maintenance (2001 est.)
total: 222,293 km


broad gauge: 28,438 km


standard gauge: 186,405 km


narrow gauge: 7,427 km


other: 23 km (2003)
Religions 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
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish
Sex ratio 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.)
at birth: NA


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and older: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
note - see individual country entries of member states
Telephones - main lines in use 380,000 (1998) 238,763,162 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 40,163 (1997) 314,644,700 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 5 (1997) 2,791 (1995); note - does not include repeaters; sum of individual country television broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Eurovision)
Terrain mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas
Total fertility rate 3.29 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.47 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 10% (2001 est.) 9.4% (2005 est.)
Waterways Rio Lempa partially navigable 53,512 km
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