Generic Information
El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a sovereign country in Central America located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean with a territorial extension of 21,041 km². In January 2023, the country registered an estimated population of 6,348,987 people. Its climate is warm tropical, but due to the geographical contrast the climate can vary. El Salvador borders Guatemala to the west and Honduras to the north and east, to the southeast the Gulf of Fonseca separates it from Nicaragua and is flanked to the south by the Pacific Ocean. Its territory is organized into 14 departments, 35 districts and 262 municipalities. The city of San Salvador is the capital of the country; its metropolitan area includes 14 nearby municipalities and concentrates the political and economic activity of the republic. The cities of San Miguel and Santa Ana are other important centres of the country.
In 1986, an earthquake destroyed a large part of the city of San Salvador with a total of 3,500 deaths and 200,000 victims. On January 13, 2001, another earthquake caused great destruction throughout the country. One of the most important human tragedies that occurred as a result of the earthquake was a landslide in the so-called Bálsamo mountain range, in the city of Santa Tecla (La Libertad), which caused the death of 700 people and in total the earthquake killed 944 people and left several thousand homeless. In 2001, exactly one month later, another earthquake killed 315 people, leaving hundreds of families without their homes, especially in the interior of the republic, where most of the poor people live.
On February 3, 2019, the politician, businessman and former mayor of San Salvador, Nayib Bukele, of the Gran Alliance for National Unity (GANA) party and in alliance with Nuevas Ideas, won the presidential election, period will end on May 31, 2024.
The coronavirus pandemic spread to El Salvador on March 18, 2020. As of April 12, 2022, the Government of El Salvador reported 162,089 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, 162,089 confirmed cases, 4,122 deaths and 157,967 recovered.
The Salvadoran economy has experienced a mixture of results during the successive governments of the ARENA party in the initiatives of the free market and the fiscal management model that include the privatization of the banking system, telecommunications, public pensions, electricity distribution, and a part of electricity generation, reduction of tariffs, elimination of price controls and an improved enforcement of intellectual property rights.
Since 2001, the country adopted, by legislative decree, the dollar as its official currency and the old colón was replaced. Since the change was made, interest rates have fallen and Salvadorans with access to credit have obtained it at the lowest rates in three decades.
Remittances from Salvadorans who work in the United States and send their family members are an important source of income from abroad and make up for the substantial trade deficit of around $ 4,000,000,000. Remittances have increased steadily over the past decade and have reached an absolute high of $ 3,780,000,000 in 2008 — roughly 17.1% of gross domestic product (GDP).
In April 2004, international reserves were estimated at $ 1.9 billion. In recent years, inflation has fallen to single-digit levels and total exports have grown substantially.
For a generic country overview, please consult the following sources:
EL SALVADOR: Pirámide de población de El Salvador en 2023 - Pirámides de población (population-pyramid.net)
EL SALVADOR Wikipedia Country Information https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador
EL SALVADOR IMF Country Information https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/SLV
EL SALVADOR Economist Intelligence Unit Information* http://country.eiu.com/el-salvador
(*note - this is a paid service)
Humanitarian Info
EL SALVADOR World Food Programme Information https://www.wfp.org/countries/el-salvador
EL SALVADOR UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Information https://www.unocha.org/sites/unocha
Facts and Figures
EL SALVADOR Wolfram Alpha Information https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=el+salvador
EL SALVADOR World Bank Information https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/elsalvador
EL SALVADOR Population Information https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/el-salvador-population
EL SALVADOR General Directorate of Statistics and Censuses https://www.digestyc.com.sv
