Introduction - El Salvador: |
Location - El Salvador: |
Location | Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras |
|
Geographic coordinates | 13 50 N, 88 55 W |
|
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean |
|
Area | total: 21,040 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km
water: 320 sq km |
|
Area comparative | slightly smaller than Massachusetts |
|
Land boundaries | total: 545 km
border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km |
|
Coastline | 307 km |
|
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
|
Climate | tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands |
|
Terrain | mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau |
|
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m |
|
Natural resources | hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land |
|
Land use | arable land: 31.37%
permanent crops: 11.88%
other: 56.75% (2005) |
|
Irrigated land | 450 sq km (2003) |
|
Natural hazards | known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes |
|
Environment current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes |
|
Environment international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
|
Geography note | smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea |
|
People - El Salvador: |
Government - El Salvador: |
Economy - El Salvador: |
Communications - El Salvador: |
Transportation - El Salvador: |
Military - El Salvador: |
This page was last updated on 16 September, 2007