El Salvador
Republic of El Salvador
República de El Salvador
Flag
Coat of arms
Motto: "Dios, Unión, Libertad" (Spanish)
"God, Union, Liberty"
Anthem: Himno Nacional de El Salvador
Capital
(and largest
city)
San Salvador
13°40′N 89°10′W / 13.667°N
89.167°W / 13.667; -89.167
Official
languages
Spanish
Ethnic groups
90% Mestizo, 9% White
(Spanish, Italian, French,
others), 1% Amerindian
(Pipil, Lenca)
Demonym
Salvadoran[1]
Government
Presidential republic
-
President
Antonio Saca
-
President-
elect
Mauricio Funes
Independence
-
from Spain
September 15, 1821
-
from the
Central
American
Federation
1842
Area
-
Total
21,040 km2
8,124 sq mi
- Water (%)
1.4
Population
-
estimate
7.1 million (98th)
-
2008 census 6,948,073
-
Density
318.7/km2 (34th)
823.6/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2008 estimate
-
Total
$43.676 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$7,551[2]
GDP (nominal)
2008 estimate
-
Total
$22.115 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$3,823[2]
Gini (2002)
52.4 (high)
HDI (2007)
▲ 0.735 (medium) (103rd)
Currency
U.S. dollar 2 (USD)
Time zone
(UTC-6)
Drives on the
right
Internet TLD
.sv
Calling code
+5031
1
Telephone companies (market share): Tigo
(45%), Claro (25%), Movistar (24%), Digicel
(5.5%), Red (0.5%).
2
The United States dollar is the currency in
use. Financial information can be expressed
in U.S. Dollars and in Salvadoran colón, but
it is out of circulation.
http://www.bcr.gob.sv/ingles/integracion/
ley.html
El Salvador (República de El Salvador, Span-
ish pronunciation: [reˈpuβlika ðe el salbaˈðoɾ]) is
the smallest and most densely populated
country in Central America. It borders the
Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Hon-
duras. It lies on the Gulf of Fonseca, as does
Nicaragua further south. It has a population
of approximately 7 million people (July 2008
Census) on 21,000 km2. The capital city of
San Salvador is the most important metropol-
is of the republic. El Salvador eliminated its
currency, the colón, and adopted the U.S.
dollar in 2001.
History
Pedro de Alvarado sent an expedition into El
Salvador from Guatemala in 1524, but the Pi-
pil