El Salvador is located in Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras.
El Salvador has borders with Guatemala for 203km and Honduras for 342km.
Land in El Salvador is mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau.
Salvadoran land covers an area of 21040 square kilometers which is slightly smaller than Massachusetts
As for the Salvadoran climate; tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands.
Salvadoran(s) speak Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians).
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Ahuachapán Cabañas Chalatenango Cuscatlán El Salvador (general) La Libertad La Paz La Unión | Morazán San Miguel San Salvador Santa Ana San Vicente Sonsonate Usulután |
El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.
The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third largest economy, but growth has been minimal in recent years. Hoping to stimulate the sluggish economy, the government is striving to open new export markets, encourage foreign investment, and modernize the tax and healthcare systems. Implementation in 2006 of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, which El Salvador was the first to ratify, is viewed as a key policy to help achieve these objectives. The trade deficit has been offset by annual remittances from Salvadorans living abroad - 16.6% of GDP in 2005 - and external aid. With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency in 2001, El Salvador has lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy.
Salvadoran natural resources include hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land
smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
Salvadoran religion is Roman Catholic 83%, other 17%.
Natural hazards in El Salvador include known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes.