El Salvador General Country Information

Geography & Climate

El Salvador lies on the Pacific coast of Central America, bordering Honduras and Guatemala.  Six million people live in an area the size of Massachusetts, making it the most densely populated country in the region.  San Salvador, the capital, has a population of half a million.  El Salvador's terrain is diverse.  Mountains divide the country into three distinct regions:  the southern coastal belt, the central valleys and plateaus, and the northern mountains.  The climate is semitropical, and there are distinct wet and dry seasons.  The rainy season typically lasts from May to October.

Spanish is the official language and is spoken throughout the country.  Ninety-five percent of the population is classified as Mestizo, meaning of mixed Spanish and Indian descent.

Economy & Government

Agriculture continues to be the prominent economic activity.  Coffee and sugar cane are the main cash crops, and maize, sorghum, rice and beans are the principal food crops.

The rural population is significantly poorer than the urban:  close to two thirds of rural people live in poverty.  El Salvador is one of the most ecologically devastated countries in the western hemisphere, with more than 95 percent of its tropical deciduous forest destroyed and less than 12 percent forest coverage remaining, of which 5 percent is planted with coffee and accompanying shade trees.

One fifth of all Salvadorans live in the U.S., annually sending over one billion dollars to family members back home.

El Salvador is a democratic republic.  The president is elected by universal suffrage and serves for a five-year term by absolute majority vote.  Elections took place in March 2004.  The current president is Tony Saca.

Culture

Almost 90 perenct of  El Salvador's 6 million people are Mestizo, meaning they are of mixed Indian and Spanish origin.  About one percent is indigenous; and very few Indians have retained their customs and traditions.  The remaining nine percent are Caucasian.

About 75 percent of Salvadorans are Catholic.  Protestant groups are active and their membership is growing.  Spanish is the official language and it is spokent by virtually all inhabitants.

Men and women generally hold conservative ideas about society and family.  Women, especially in the rural areas, play traditional roles in food preparation and child rearing although they have some food production responsibilities.