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Republic of El Salvador

Geography

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

Government

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

Economy

Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.

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. "

Estimated per capita GDP:
2008 $6,200
2007 $6,100
2006 $6,000

GDP annual growth rate:
2008: 3.2%
2007: 4.7%
2006: 4.2%

Estimated unemployment rate:
2008: 6.3%
2007: 6.2%

Labor force in agriculture: 17.1 percent.

Exports only 54 percent of imports in cash value. (2004)  Exports "offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity."

Deaths and Births per 1,000 persons, estimated for the year 2008

Deaths: 5.53. Births: 25.72, down from 27.04 in 2005

Population

Estimate for July 2008: 7.066 milion, up from 6.7 million in 2005. Growth rate estimated fro 2008: 1.679 percent per year. Density estimated in 2005: 323 per square kilometer.

Migration estimated for 2008

More leaving than arriving. A net loss of 3.4 per 1,000 population.

Health

Infant mortality for 2008: 22.19, down from 25.1 in 2005 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births)

Average life expectancy at birth estimated for 2008: 72.06, up from 71.22 in 2005

Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: 0.7 percent. (2003)

Religion

Roman Catholic 83 percent.

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

Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.