GEOGRAPHY
Cities:
Capital--San Salvador (pop. 1.4 million). Other cities--Santa
Ana, San Miguel.
Terrain: Mountains separate country into three distinct
regions-- southern coastal belt; central valleys and plateaus;
and northern mountains.
Climate: Semitropical, distinct wet and dry seasons.
Location: Middle America,
bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
Map references: Central
America and the Caribbean
Area:
total area: 21,040 sq km
land area: 20,720 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: total
545 km, Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
Coastline: 307 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
International disputes:
land boundary dispute with Honduras mostly resolved by 11 September
1992 International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision; with respect
to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca, ICJ referred
to an earlier agreement in this century and advised that some
tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua
likely would be required
Climate: tropical;
rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April)
Terrain: mostly mountains
with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
Natural resources:
hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum
Land use:
arable land: 27%
permanent crops: 8%
meadows and pastures: 29%
forest and woodland: 6%
other: 30%
Irrigated land: 1,200
sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution;
contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
natural hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent
and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection;
signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note: smallest Central
American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean
Sea
