History of Latin America - El Salvador

FLAG One of the smallest, poorest, and most crowded nations in Central America, El Salvador is equal in area and population to the state of Massachusetts. Unlike its neighbors, it does not border on the Caribbean Sea, and it has no empty frontiers into which people may move.
Shaped like a rectangle, it extends 150 miles (241 kilometers) westward from the Gulf of Fonseca to the border with Guatemala. The mountainous Honduran frontier lies 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of El Salvador's southern Pacific shoreline. There are about 8,100 square miles (21,000 square kilometers) within its borders. Because it is such a small nation, El Salvador lacks a wide range of natural resources. But it has easy access to the markets of nearby nations.

Official Name. Republic of El Salvador.
Capital. San Salvador.
Area. 8,124 square miles (21,041 square kilometers).
Population (1983 estimate). 5,235,700; 644 persons per square mile (249 persons per square kilometer); 50 percent urban, 50 percent rural.
Major Language. Spanish (official).
Major Religion. Roman Catholicism.
Literacy. 64.2 percent.

Highest Peak. Santa Ana.
Major River. Lempa.

Form of Government. Republic.
Chief of State and Head of Government. President.
Legislature. Legislative Assembly.
Voting Qualification. 18 years of age.
Political Divisions. 14 departments.
Major Cities (1983 estimate). San Salvador (445,100), Santa Ana (132,200), Mejicanos (86,500), San Miguel (86,500), Delgado (64,600).
Chief Manufactured and Mined Products. Clothing, food products, pharmaceuticals, shoes, silver, textiles.
Chief Agricultural Products. Crops beans, coffee, corn, cotton, rice, sugarcane. Livestock cattle, chickens, pigs.
Monetary Unit. 1 colon = 100 centavos.