El Salvador

El Salvador

El Salvador / Ol Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital is San Salvador and is its largest city, while Santa Ana and San Miguel are also culturally and commercially important centers of the country and in Central America. El Salvador borders the Pacific Ocean to the west, Guatemala to the north, and Honduras to the east.

El Salvador is located in Central America. Its total area is 21,040 km2 (8,123 sq mi). It would be the smallest country in continental America. There are also 320 km2 (123.6 sq mi) of water within its borders

Several small rivers run across El Salvador to flow into the Pacific Ocean, including Guacquarán, Khébua, Torola, Paz, and Rio Grande de San Miguel. Only the largest rivers, the Limba River, which flows from Guatemala and Honduras through El Salvador to the ocean, can be crossed by commercial traffic

Some lakes are located within the volcanic craters, the most important of which are Lake Ilopango (70 km2 / 27 sq mi) and Lake Quatepeki (26 km2 / 10 sq mi). Lake Goega is the largest natural lake in Salvador (44 km2 / 17 sq mi). Several artificial lakes were formed as a result of the construction of dams on the Limba River, the largest of which is the Impulsion Seron Grande (135 km2)

El Salvador shares borders with Guatemala and Honduras. It is also the only country in Central America that does not have coasts on the Caribbean Sea. The highest point in the country is the Cerro Petal at 2,730 m (8,957 ft), border sharing with Honduras

The climate in El Salvador is tropical, with seasonal humidity and aridity. Temperatures vary with altitude, with slight seasonal variations. The Pacific lowlands are all hot, while the central plateau and mountain areas are milder. The rainy season runs from May to October. Nearly all the rain falls for the year during this period, and the annual amount, especially in the south of the country, reaches the mountain slopes

GDP in purchasing power parity in 2008 is estimated at $ 43.94 billion. The bottom of services is the largest component of GDP, 64.1%, followed by the industrial sector with 24.7% in (2008 estimates). Agriculture is limited to 11.2% of GDP (2008 estimates). The GDP growth rate since 1996 is estimated at an annual average of 3.2% as real growth. The government recently made commitments to convert to a free market, with the real GDP growth rate for 2007 being 4.7%

In December 1999, net international reserves reached the equivalent of US $ 1.8 billion, or nearly five months of imports. By possessing this stock of hard currency, the Salvadoran government developed a monetary integration plan beginning in 2001 that ruled that the US dollar be a legal currency along with the Salvadoran colón, and that the US dollar be used in all official accounts. In this way, the government lost its ability to impose free market monetary policies to influence short-term economic variables. As of September 2007, the net international reserves were $ 2.42 billion

In 2004, the use of the colon ceased completely and was never used in the country for any type of transaction

One of the challenges for the Salvadoran economy is the development of new, more diversified economic sectors. In the past, the country produced gold and silver. And like many other former colonies, I returned for many years with a single export economy (an economy that relies heavily on one type of export). During the colonial era, the Spaniards decided that El Salvador would produce and export the indigo pigment, but after the invention of artificial dyes in the nineteenth century, the Salvadoran authorities and the nascent state transformed coffee as a major export item

For many decades, coffee was one of the few sources of foreign currency in the Salvadoran economy. The Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s and the fall in international coffee prices in the 1990s put pressure on the Salvadoran government to diversify the economy

There are 15 free trade zones in El Salvador. The largest beneficiary is the textile industry, providing 88,700 direct jobs, mainly providing labor for sewing, garment manufacturing, and export to the United States

El Salvador signed the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) (signed by the five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic) with the United States in 2004. CAFTA requires the Salvadoran government to adopt policies that promote free trade. El Salvador has signed free trade agreements with Mexico, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Panama

 And increased the volume of trade with those countries. El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua also negotiated a free trade agreement with Canada. In October 2007, these four countries and Costa Rica started free trade negotiations with the European Union. Negotiations began in 2006 to reach a free trade agreement with Colombia

El Salvador is the only country in Central America that does not have a significant population of Africans because of its lack of coasts on the Atlantic Ocean and thus the arrival of the slave trade that took place along the eastern coast of the continent. In addition, General Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez enacted general laws in 1930 that banned blacks from entering the country at all, and they were abolished only in the 1980s

Among the few immigrant groups that reached El Salvador, Palestinian Christians stand out. Despite the small number, they have economic and political influence in the country, as evidenced by Antonio Saqqa (former President) and his opponent in the 2004 elections, Shafiq Handal. This community also owns thriving commercial, industrial and real estate companies. The capital, San Salvador, has a population of about 2.1 million people; Almost 42% of El Salvador's population lives in rural areas. Urbanization has grown dramatically in El Salvador since the 1960s, pushing millions into cities, creating problems for cities to grow across the country

In the first half of 2007 statistics of the Salvadoran National Civil Police show a decrease in the rate of murders and extortion, as well as burglary and theft of cars. The homicide rate in 2007 decreased by 22%, extortion by 7%, robbery and car theft by 18%, compared to the same period in 2006. But in 2009, murders and extortion increased by about 30% more than in 2008 according to For some statistics

As of 2004, the number of expatriate Salvadorans reached 3.2 million, with the United States being the preferred destination for Salvadorans seeking a greater economic opportunity. Salvadorans also live in neighboring countries

Such as Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Most of the emigrants migrated during the civil war in the eighties for political reasons and later due to economic and social conditions. Other countries with Salvadoran communities include Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom (including the Cayman Islands), Sweden, Brazil, Italy, Colombia, and Australia. The country has a large Nicaraguan community, numbering 100,000 according to some numbers, many of whom are seasonal immigrants