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Compare Western Sahara (2002) - El Salvador (2003)

Compare Western Sahara (2002) z El Salvador (2003)

 Western Sahara (2002)El Salvador (2003)
 Western SaharaEl Salvador
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 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: NA%


15-64 years: NA%


65 years and over: NA%
0-14 years: 37.1% (male 1,224,024; female 1,173,667)


15-64 years: 57.9% (male 1,777,522; female 1,966,064)


65 years and over: 5.1% (male 147,482; female 181,620) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; shrimp; beef, dairy products
Airports 11 (2001) 82 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2002)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (2002)
total: 78


914 to 1,523 m: 17


under 914 m: 61 (2002)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 21,040 sq km


land: 20,720 sq km


water: 320 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 cease-fire; a referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. 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.
Birth rate NA births/1,000 population 27.9 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
revenues: $2.1 billion


expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital none San Salvador
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
Coastline 1,110 km 307 km
Constitution - 23 December 1983
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador


conventional short form: El Salvador


local long form: Republica de El Salvador


local short form: El Salvador
Currency Moroccan dirham (MAD) US dollar (USD)
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 6.01 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $NA $5.6 billion (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Rose M. LIKINS


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


mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023


telephone: [503] 278-4444


FAX: [503] 278-6011
Diplomatic representation in the US none chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez


chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671


FAX: [1] (202) 234-3834


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties reject other proposals in 1992, the ICJ ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary, but they remain largely undemarcated; in 2002, El Salvador filed an application to the ICJ to revise the decision on a section of bolsones; the ICJ also advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca with consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador claims tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned by the ICJ, off Honduras in the Golfo de Fonseca
Economic aid - recipient $NA total $252 million; $57 million from US (1999 est.)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. In recent years, this Central American economy 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, inflation has fallen to single digit levels, and total exports have grown substantially. The trade deficit has been offset by annual remittances of almost $2 billion from Salvadorans living abroad and by external aid. The US dollar is now the legal tender. Because competitor countries have fluctuating exchange rates, El Salvador must face the challenge of raising productivity and lowering costs.
Electricity - consumption 83.7 million kWh (2000) 3.777 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 44 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000) 353 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 90 million kWh (2000) 3.729 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
fossil fuel: 44%


hydro: 30.9%


nuclear: 0%


other: 25.1% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
Environment - international agreements party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber mestizo 90%, Amerindian 1%, white 9%
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 11.584 (January 2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997) 8.75 the US dollar is the legal tender
Executive branch none 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%
Exports $NA NA (2001)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts US 63.3%, Guatemala 12%, Honduras 6.8%, Nicaragua 4.5% (2002)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
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
GDP purchasing power parity - $NA purchasing power parity - $29.41 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%-45% (1996 est.) (1996 est.)
agriculture: 10%


industry: 30%


services: 60% (2001)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $NA purchasing power parity - $4,600 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% 2.1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 13 50 N, 88 55 W
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
Heliports - 1 (2002)
Highways total: 6,200 km


paved: 1,350 km


unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est.)
total: 10,029 km


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


unpaved: 8,043 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 1.4%


highest 10%: 39.3% (2001)
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana produced for local consumption; domestic cocaine abuse on the rise
Imports $NA NA (2001)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts US 39%, Guatemala 10.1%, Mexico 7.2%, France 4% (2002)
Independence - 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 3% (2002 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals
Infant mortality rate NA deaths/1,000 live births total: 26.75 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 29.59 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 23.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% 3.8% (2001 est.)
International organization participation none BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) 4 (2000)
Irrigated land NA sq km 360 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are selected by the Legislative Assembly)
Labor force 12,000 2.35 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% agriculture 30%, industry 15%, services 55% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 545 km


border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
Land use arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (1998 est.)
arable land: 27.27%


permanent crops: 12.11%


other: 60.62% (1998 est.)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
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
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
total population: 70.62 years


male: 67.02 years


female: 74.4 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition: age 10 and over can read and write


total population: 80.2%


male: 82.8%


female: 77.7% (2003 est.)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue territorial sea: 200 NM
Merchant marine - none (2002 est.)
Military branches - Army, Navy (FNES), Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA $112 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 0.7% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 1,536,230 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 973,884 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 69,534 (2003 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Salvadoran(s)


adjective: Salvadoran
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land
Net migration rate - -3.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 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]
Political pressure groups and leaders none 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 256,177 (July 2002 est.) 6,470,379 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 48% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate NA (2002 est.) 1.81% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco, La Libertad, La Union, Puerto El Triunfo
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 61 (plus 24 repeaters), FM 30, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios 56,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km total: 283 km


narrow gauge: 283 km 0.914-m gauge


note: length of operational route reduced from 562 km to 283 km by disuse and lack of maintenance (2002)
Religions Muslim 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
Sex ratio NA 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: 0.81 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
general assessment: NA


domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 380,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 40,163 (1997)
Television broadcast stations NA 5 (1997)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
Total fertility rate NA children born/woman 3.25 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 10% - but the economy has much underemployment. (2001 est.)
Waterways none Rio Lempa partially navigable
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