Country Profile El Salvador

Capital: San Salvador
Population: 7,185,218 (July 2009 est.)
Currency: US dollar (USD)                
Language: Spanish yNahua (among some Amerindians)
Time zone: UTC-6
Government: Republic
Chief of State: President Mauricio Funes

  • GDP real growth rate:
    • 3.2% (2008 est.)
    • 4.7% (2007 est.) 
    • 4.2% (2006 est.)
  • Exports: $4.55 billion (2008 est.)
  • Main Export Partners(2007):
  • Imports: $9.75 billion (2008 est.)
  • Main Import partners(2007): 
    • US 35.7%
    • Mexico 9.8%
    • Guatemala 8.5%
    • China 4.7%
  • Country Dialing Code: +503
  • Emergency numbers:  911 for all emergencies
  • National Airline: TACA airlines
  • Voltage:  115V

 

Detailed country profile

ECONOMY

GDP real growth rate:

  • 3.2% (2008 est.)
  • 4.7% (2007 est.) 
  • 4.2% (2006 est.)

GDP-Composition by sector (2008)

  • Agriculture: 11.2%
  • Industry: 24.7%
  • Services: 64.1%

Labor force by occupation(2006):

  • Agriculture: 19%
  • Industry: 23%
  • Services: 58%

Agriculture products:

  • Coffee
  • Sugar
  • Corn
  • Rice
  • Beans
  • Oilseed
  • Cotton
  • Sorghum
  • Beef
  • Dairy products
  • Shrimp

Industries:

  • Food processing
  • Beverages
  • Petroleum
  • Chemicals
  • Fertilizer
  • Textiles
  • Furniture
  • Light metals

Exports:$4.55 billion (2008 est.)

Export Commodities

  • Offshore assembly exports
  • Coffee
  • Sugar
  • Shrimp
  • Textiles &  Apparel
  • Gold
  • Ethanol
  • Chemicals
  • Electricity
  • Iron and Steel commodities

Main Export Partners(2007):

Imports:$9.75 billion (2008 est.)

Import commodities:

  • Raw materials
  • Consumer goods
  • Capital goods
  • Fuels
  • Foodstuffs
  • Petroleum
  • Electricity

Import partners:

Ports and Terminal:

  • Acajutla
  • Puerto Cutuco

Unemployment rate:6.3% official rate (2008 est.)

GOVERNMENT

Government Type:Republic

Executive Branch:

Chief of state: Mauricio Funes (since 1 June 2009)
Vice President Sanchez Ceren (since 1 June 2009)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; last elections held in March 2009

Legal system: Based on civil and Roman law with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

GEOGRAPHY

Land Boundaries:Total: 545 km

Border countries:

Climate:

  • Tropical; rainy season (May to October)
  • Dry season (November to April)
  • Tropical on coast
  • Temperate in uplands

Terrain:Mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau

Elevation Extremes:

  • Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
  • Highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m

Natural resources:

  • Hydropower
  • Geothermal power
  • Petroleum
  • Arable land

Environment and international agreement:

Party to:

  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change
  • Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
  • Desertification
  • Endangered Species
  • Hazardous Wastes
  • Ozone Layer Protection
  • Wetlands

Signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Environment and current issues:

  • Deforestation
  • Soil erosion
  • Water pollution
  • Contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes

PEOPLE

Ethnic groups:

  • Mestizo 90%
  • White 9%
  • Amerindian 1%

Languages:

  • Spanish
  • Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Religion:

  • Roman Catholic 57.1%
  • Protestant 21.2%
  • Jehovah's Witnesses 1.9%
  • Mormon 0.7%
  • Other religions 2.3%
  • None 16.8%

HISTORY

Express History

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.

Source: The world factbook  www.cia.gov

More resources about El Salvador is available on MercaTrade.com

>>Search for business opportunities in El Salvador, click here B2B Portal

>>Learn about etiquette in El Salvador, click here Etiquette El Salvador

>>Get the list of embassies and consulates in El Salvador, click here Embassy El Salvador

>>Find the latest Trade Agreements with El Salvador, click here Trade Agreement El Salvador

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