The 1993 CIA World Factbook

by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

*El Salvador, Geography

Location:
Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and
Honduras
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones of the
World
Area:
total area:
21,040 km2
land area:
20,720 km2
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries:
total 545 km, Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
Coastline:
307 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
200 nm; overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm
International disputes:
land boundary dispute with Honduras mostly resolved by 11 September 1992
International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision; ICJ referred the maritime
boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca to an earlier agreement in this century and
advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras and
Nicaragua likely would be required
Climate:
tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April)
Terrain:
mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
Natural resources:
hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum
Land use:
arable land:
27%
permanent crops:
8%
meadows and pastures:
29%
forest and woodland:
6%
other:
30%
Irrigated land:
1,200 km2 (1989)
Environment:
the Land of Volcanoes; subject to frequent and sometimes very destructive
earthquakes; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
Note:
smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on
Caribbean Sea

*El Salvador, People

Population:
5,636,524 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.04% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
33.12 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.53 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-6.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
42.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
66.5 years
male:
63.93 years
female:
69.2 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.87 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Salvadoran(s)
adjective:
Salvadoran
Ethnic divisions:
mestizo 94%, Indian 5%, white 1%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 75%
note:
Roman Catholic about 75%; 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 Indians)
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
73%
male:
76%
female:
70%
Labor force:
1.7 million (1982 est.)
by occupation:
agriculture 40%, commerce 16%, manufacturing 15%, government 13%, financial
services 9%, transportation 6%, other 1%
note:
shortage of skilled labor and a large pool of unskilled labor, but manpower
training programs improving situation (1984 est.)

*El Salvador, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of El Salvador
conventional short form:
El Salvador
local long form:
Republica de El Salvador
local short form:
El Salvador
Digraph:
ES
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)
Constitution:
20 December 1983
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
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Political parties and leaders:
National Republican Alliance (Arena), Armando CALDERON Sol, president;
Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Fidel CHAVEZ Mena, secretary general;
National Conciliation Party (PCN), Ciro CRUZ Zepeda, president; Democratic
Convergence (CD) is a coalition of three parties - the Social Democratic
Party (PSD), Carlos Diaz BARRERA, secretary general; Democratic Nationalist
Union (UDN), Mario AGUINADA Carranza, secretary general; and the Popular
Social Christian Movement (MPSC), Dr. Ruben Ignacio ZAMORA Rivas; Authentic
Christian Movement (MAC), Guillermo Antonia GUEVARA Lacayo, president;
Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLM), Jorge Shafik HANDAL,
general coordinator, has five factions - Popular Liberation Forces (FPL),
Salvador SANCHEZ Ceren; Armed Forces of National Resistance (FARN), Ferman
CIENFUEGOS; People's Revolutionary Army (ERP), Joaquin VILLA LOBOS Huezo;
Salvadoran Communist Party/Armed Forces of Liberation (PCES/FAL), Jorge
Shafik HANDAL; and
Central American Workers' Revolutionary Party (PRTC)/Popular Liberation
Revolutionary Aermed Forces (FARLP), Francisco JOVEL
Other political or pressure groups:
FMLN labor front organizations:
National Union of Salvadoran Workers (UNTS), leftist umbrella front group,
leads FMLN front network; National Federation of Salvadoran Workers
(FENASTRAS), best organized of front groups and controlled by FMLN's
National Resistance (RN); Social Security Institute Workers Union (STISSS),
one of the most militant fronts, is controlled by FMLN's Armed Forces of
National Resistance (FARN) and RN; Association of Telecommunications Workers
(ASTTEL); Unitary Federation of Salvadoran Unions (FUSS), leftist; Treasury
Ministry Employees (AGEMHA)

*El Salvador, Government

FMLN nonlabor front organizations:
Committee of Mothers and Families of Political Prisoners, Disappeared
Persons, and Assassinated of El Salvador (COMADRES); Nongovernmental Human
Rights Commission (CDHES); Committee of Dismissed and Unemployed of El
Salvador (CODYDES); General Association of Salvadoran University Students
(AGEUS); National Association of Salvadoran Educators (ANDES-21 DE JUNIO);
Salvadoran Revolutionary Student Front (FERS), associated with the Popular
Forces of Liberation (FPL); Association of National University Educators
(ADUES); Salvadoran University Students Front (FEUS); Christian Committee
for the Displaced of El Salvador (CRIPDES), an FPL front; The Association
for Communal Development in El Salvador (PADECOES), controlled by the
People's Revolutionary Army (ERP); Confederation of Cooperative Associations
of El Salvador (COACES)
labor organizations:
Federation of Construction and Transport Workers Unions (FESINCONSTRANS),
independent; Salvadoran Communal Union (UCS), peasant association;
Democratic Workers Central (CTD), moderate; General Confederation of Workers
(CGT), moderate; National Union of Workers and Peasants (UNOC), moderate
labor coalition of democratic labor organizations; United Workers Front
(FUT)
business organizations:
National Association of Private Enterprise (ANEP), conservative; Productive
Alliance (AP), conservative; National Federation of Salvadoran Small
Businessmen (FENAPES), conservative
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
Legislative Assembly:
last held 10 March 1991 (next to be held March 1994); results - ARENA 44.3%,
PDC 27.96%, CD 12.16%, PCN 8.99%, MAC 3.23%, UDN 2.68%; seats - (84 total)
ARENA 39, PDC 26, PCN 9, CD 8, UDN 1, MAC 1
President:
last held 19 March 1989 (next to be held March 1994); results - Alfredo
CRISTIANI (ARENA) 53.8%, Fidel CHAVEZ Mena (PDC) 36.6%, other 9.6%
Executive branch:
president, vice president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President (Felix) Alfredo CRISTIANI Buchard (since 1 June 1989); Vice
President (Jose) Francisco MERINO Lopez (since 1 June 1989)
Member of:
BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer),
LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission:
Ambassador Miguel Angel SALAVERRIA
chancery:
2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 265-9671 through 3482
consulates general:
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco

*El Salvador, Government

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Charge d'Affaires Peter F. ROMERO
embassy:
Final Boulevard, Station Antigua Cuscatlan, San Salvador
mailing address:
APO AA 34023
telephone:
[503] 78-4444
FAX:
[503] 78-6011
Flag:
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