hy - note: smallest Central American country and only one
without a coastline on Caribbean Sea

@El Salvador:People

Population: 5,661,827 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 38% (male 1,084,198; female 1,038,248)
15-64 years: 57% (male 1,538,609; female 1,709,756)
65 years and over : 5% (male 133,038; female 157,978) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.6% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 27.22 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 6.44 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 30.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.27 years
male : 65.89 years
female: 72.81 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.13 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Salvadoran(s)
adjective: Salvadoran

Ethnic groups: mestizo 94%, Amerindian 5%, white 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 75%
note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the
country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million
Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador

Languages: Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 71.5%
male : 73.5%
female: 69.8% (1995 est.)

@El Salvador:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador
conventional short form: El Salvador
local long form: Republica de El Salvador
local short form: El Salvador

Data code: ES

Government type: republic

National capital: San Salvador

Administrative divisions: 14 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La
Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa
Ana, San Vicente, Sonsonate, Usulutan

Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution: 20 December 1983

Legal system: based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law;
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state : President Armando CALDERO