EL SALVADOR 

 The Republic of El Salvador 

Area: 21,040 sq km
Population: 6.7 million (UN 2005 est)
Capital City: San Salvador (1.8 million)
People: Mestizo 90%, Caucasian 9%, Indigenous 1%
Languages: The official language is Spanish.
Religion(s): Predominantly Roman Catholic (86%)
Basic Economic Facts:
Currency: The American Dollar is the official currency in El Salvador. Although some prices are still quoted in the Salvadorean Colon, payment is expected in Dollars. The exchange rate is fixed at US$1.00 = 8.75 Salvadorean Colón.
Nominal GDP: 15.4 billion US dollars (2004 est)
Nominal GDP per head: 2,000 US dollars (2004 est)
Annual growth: 2.1% (2004 est).
Inflation: 3.5% (2004 est)
Major industries: Offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp
Export partners: US 63%, Guatemala 12%, Honduras 7%, EU 3% (2002)
Import partners: US 53%, Guatemala 10%, EU 10%, Mexico 7% (2002)

 Major Political Parties: Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), National Conciliation Party (PCN), Christian Democratic Party (PDC).
Government: El Salvador has a republican system of government consisting of three separate and independent branches: the Executive Branch, headed by the President; the Legislative Branch; and the Judicial Branch headed by the Supreme Court.
Head of State: Elias Antonio Saca.

Foreign Minister: Francisco Laínez Rivas.
Membership of International Groups/Organisations:
El Salvador is a member of the United Nations and several of its specialised agencies; the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Central American Common Market (CACM), The Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) and the Central American Integration System (SICA) whose General Secretariat is based in El Salvador. El Salvador has also been chosen as for the Headquarters of the Puebla-Panama Plan (PPP). It actively participates in the Central American Security Commission (CASC) which seeks to promote regional arms control. El Salvador is a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and is pursuing regional free trade agreements. El Salvador has joined its six Central American neighbours in signing the Alliance for Sustainable Development known as the Conjunta Centro-America – USA or CONCAUSA to promote sustainable economic development in the region. El Salvador was the first Central American country to ratify the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the USA on 18 December 2004. The Agreement has now been ratified by all participants with the exception of Costa Rica. Together with its neighbours, El Salvador has successfully negotiated a Political Dialogue and Co-operation Agreement with the EU, which was signed in Rome on 15 December 2004. El Salvador was one of the first members to join the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1957.

DID YOU KNOW? 

• Did you know that El Salvador is the smallest Republic of Central America.
• Did you know that there are lots of volcanoes in El Salvador and they affect the capital of San Salvador.

MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS:

-  El Diario de Hoy

-  La Prensa Grafica