Natural hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes; Hurricane Mitch damage
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
Geography - note: smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
@El Salvador:People
Population: 6,122,515 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 38% (male 1,186,328; female 1,141,245) 15-64 years: 57% (male 1,652,083; female 1,833,998) 65 years and over: 5% (male 139,919; female 168,942) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.87% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 29.02 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 6.27 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)