very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed,
but not ratified - Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Note: smallest Central American country and only one without a
coastline on Caribbean Sea

@El Salvador:People

Population: 5,870,481 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (female 1,165,152; male 1,200,759)
15-64 years: 56% (female 1,677,958; male 1,602,230)
65 years and over: 4% (female 122,368; male 102,014) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.02% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 32.39 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 6.19 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 38.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.5 years
male: 64.89 years
female: 70.23 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.69 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Salvadoran(s)
adjective: Salvadoran

Ethnic divisions: mestizo 94%, Indian 5%, white 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 75%
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

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 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)

National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (182