land:
27%
permanent crops:
8%
meadows and pastures:
29%
forest and woodland:
6%
other:
30%
Irrigated land:
1,200 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils
from disposal of toxic wastes
natural hazards:
known as the Land of Volcanoes, subject to frequent and sometimes very
destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on
Caribbean Sea

@El Salvador, People

Population:
5,752,511 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.04% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
32.81 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
6.36 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
-6.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
40.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
66.99 years
male:
64.41 years
female:
69.71 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.78 children born/woman (1994 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 est.)
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,
Caba