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macrohistory & world report

Republic of El Salvador

Map of El Salvador

El Salvador (capital San Salvador) and neighboring states

Wealth and National Well-Being

Country Comparisons:
2010: see chart

World Factbook: "The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third largest economy, but growth has been modest in recent years. Economic growth will decelerate in 2009 due to the global slowdown and to El Salvador's dependence on exports to the US and remittances from the US."

Labor force in agriculture
2006: 19%

Imports/exports
2010: exports only 54% of imports in cash value.

Exports "offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity."

Public debt
2010: 55% of GDP

People

Living in an urban area
2010: 64%
2008: 61%

Density estimated in 2005: 323 per square kilometer.

Migration
2011: More leaving than arriving. A net loss of 8.95 per 1,000 population.
2009: More leaving than arriving. A net loss of 3.7 per 1,000 population.

Religion
Roman Catholic 83%.

Geography

South of Honduras and Guatemala. 307 kilometers of coastline along the Pacific Ocean. 90 kilometers wide. Tropical.

Government

Presidents elected by popular vote for five-year terms. A unicameral legislature with members elected by popular vote for three year-terms. Capital: San Salvador.

Recent History

Wikipedia 2011: "Violent crime including armed robbery, banditry, assault, kidnapping, sexual assault, and carjacking is common, including in the capital, San Salvador. Downtown San Salvador is dangerous, particularly at night."

Wikipedia 2011: "In the past years El Salvador has experienced high crime rates including gang-related crimes and juvenile delinquency. Some say that this was a result of the deportation of thousands of Salvadorans from the U.S, the majority of whom were members of MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha, MS, or La Mara), in the mid-90s. The gangs in which Salvadorans had been involved in the United States began to show up in El Salvador."

SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/

Copyright © 2009-2011 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.