El Salvador Facts, El Salvador Flag -- National Geographic

Fast Facts

Population:: 6,881,000
Capital:: San Salvador; 1,424,000
Area:: 21,041 square kilometers (8,124 square miles)
Language:: Spanish, Nahua
Religion:: Roman Catholic, Evangelical
Currency:: U.S. dollar
Life Expectancy:: 70
GDP per Capita:: U.S. $4,600
Literacy Percent:: 80

The smallest and most densely populated country in Central America, El Salvador adjoins the Pacific in a narrow coastal plain, backed by a volcanic mountain chain, and a fertile plateau. About 90 percent of Salvadorans are mestizo; 9 percent claim Spanish descent. The rich volcanic soils brought coffee plantations—with a few, rich landowners and a subjugated peasant population. Economic inequality led to the 1980-1992 civil war; many Salvadorans, rich and poor, fled to the United States. El Salvador's democratic government shows success in adding manufacturing jobs—but faces the challenges of poverty, crime, and natural disasters.

ECONOMY

Industry: Food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals
Agriculture: Coffee, sugar, corn, rice; shrimp; beef
Exports: Offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity

—Text From National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition

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