El Salvador
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| National motto: Dios, Unión, Libertad (God, Union, Liberty) | |||||
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| Official language | Spanish | ||||
| Capital | San Salvador | ||||
| Capital's coordinates | 13ð 40' N, 89ð 10' W | ||||
| Largest City | San Salvador | ||||
| President | Antonio Saca | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 148th 21,040 km² 1.5% | ||||
| Population
- Total (Year) - Density | Ranked 97th
6,470,379 307.5/km² | ||||
| GDP (PPP)
- Total (Year) - GDP/head | Ranked 84th
29.41 billion $ $4,600 | ||||
| Currency | US dollar ($) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC -6 | ||||
| Independence | From Spain: September 15,1821 From the Central American Federation: 1842 | ||||
| National anthem | Saludemos la Patria orgullosos | ||||
| Internet TLD | .SV | ||||
| Calling Code | 503 | ||||
| Table of contents |
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2 Politics 3 Geography 4 Political Division 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 External links |
El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1842. A 12-year civil war, which cost the lives of some 75,000 people, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.
The current president is Elías Antonio Saca González. He was elected president on 21 March 2004 and took office on 1 June 2004. His presidential term ends on 1 June 2009.
The most important cities are
The country is divided in 14 departments.
See Departments of El Salvador.
El Salvador's poor economy suffers from a weak tax collection system, factory closings, the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, and low world coffee prices. On the bright side, in recent years inflation has fallen to single digit levels, and total exports have grown substantially. The substantial trade deficit has been offset by remittances from the large number of Salvadorans living abroad and from external aid.
History
Main article: History of El SalvadorPolitics
Main article: Politics of El SalvadorGeography
Main article: Geography of El SalvadorPolitical Division
Economy
Main article: Economy of El SalvadorDemographics
Main article: Demographics of El SalvadorCulture
Main articles: Culture of El Salvador, Music of El SalvadorMiscellaneous topics
External links
| Countries in North America | ||
| Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Canada | Costa Rica | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | El Salvador | Grenada | Guatemala | Haiti | Honduras | Jamaica | Mexico | Nicaragua | Panama | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago | United States | ||
| Dependencies: Anguilla | Aruba | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | Greenland | Guadeloupe | Martinique | Montserrat | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Saint-Pierre and Miquelon | Turks and Caicos Islands | U.S. Virgin Islands | British Virgin Islands | ||
 | Organization of American States (OAS) |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Argentina | Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Bolivia | Brazil | Canada | Chile | Colombia | Costa Rica | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Ecuador | El Salvador | Grenada | Guatemala | Guyana | Haiti | Honduras | Jamaica | Mexico | Nicaragua | Panama | Paraguay | Peru | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | St. Kitts and Nevis | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago | United States | Uruguay | Venezuela |