Official name:
Republic of El Salvador
Capital:
San Salvador
Territorial extension:
It occupies 21.041 km², being the smallest country in Central America
Location:
It limits to the North and East with Honduras, to the South with the Pacific Ocean and to the Northwest with Guatemala
Language:
The official language is the Spanish, but also in some places spoken English, nahuatl and lenca
Population:
The total population calculated for the year 2000 was 6,122,515 inhabitants, which results in a population density of 29.1 inhabitants per km². Most of the population is mestizo (90%). There is also a presence of Europeans (6%), African (3%), and a small percentage of indigenous (1%).
Political Division:
The country is divided into 14 departments. These are: Ahuachapán, Sonsonate, Santa Ana, Chalatenango, La Libertad, San Salvador, La Paz, Cuscatlán, Cabañas, San Vicente, Usulután, San Miguel, La Unión and Morazán.
Geography:
The country is divided into five geographic regions. 1. the Pacific coastline, 2 – mountain chain in the South, 3 – the valleys between the Lempa and San Miguel Grande rivers, 4 – central highlands, 5 – the mountainous region of the North.
Economy:
The official currency is the dollar of United States, although only the latter is that of freedom of movement. The main economic activity is agriculture, and the main export products are maquila, coffee, paper and its derivatives, working in textiles, pharmaceuticals and sugar.
National symbols:
The flag, adopted in 1912, is the same used by the Central American Federation since 1832. The coat of arms was designed in 1912 by Rafael Barraza: triangle symbolizes the freedom, equality and fraternity, the seas and volcanoes represent the Central American region, the CAP symbolizes the liberation the flags represent the heritage of the founding fathers and the bouquets of laurel to the fourteen departments. The national anthem was composed by the Italian composer Juan Aberle and general Juan José Cañas.
