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Location: Middle 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: 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: 27%
permanent crops: 8%
permanent pastures: 29%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 31% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent
and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion;
water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes;
Hurricane Mitch damage
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Nuclear Test Ban, 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
Background: El Salvador achieved independence from Spain
in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839.
A 12-year civil war, which cost the lives of some 75,000 people,
was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels
signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.
El Salvador
GEOGRAPHY
Size: Approximately 21,041 square kilometers.
Topography: Two parallel mountain ranges running
east to west divide country into two regions: mountains and central
plateau, and coastal plains (Pacific lowlands). Southern mountain
range made up of more than twenty volcanoes. Eruptions rare, but
earthquakes frequent because of location at conjunction of three
geologic plates. Rio Lempa only navigable river. Numerous volcanic
lakes in interior highlands.
Climate: Tropical climate with pronounced wet
and dry seasons; rainy season (winter) from May to October, dry
season (summer) from November through April. Temperatures vary with
elevation and show little seasonal change. Pacific lowlands uniformly
hot; central plateau and mountain areas more moderate.
Data as of November 1988
El Salvador
GEOGRAPHY
El Salvador, the smallest Spanish-speaking nation in the Western
Hemisphere, is located on the western side of the Central American
isthmus. With an area of 21,041 square kilometers, the country is
only slightly larger than Massachusetts. It is roughly rectangular
in shape with 515 kilometers of land boundaries and 307 kilometers
of coastline on the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador is bounded by Guatemala
to the west and Honduras to the north and east, and it is separated
from Nicaragua on the southeast by the Golfo de Fonseca .
Data as of November 1988
El Salvador
Geology
El Salvador, along with the rest of Middle America (a region comprising
mainly Mexico and Central America), is one of the most seismologically
active regions on earth, situated atop three of the large tectonic
plates that constitute the earth's surface. The motion of these
plates causes the area's earthquake and volcanic activity.
Most of Central America and the Caribbean Basin rests on the relatively
motionless Caribbean Plate. The Pacific Ocean floor, however, is
being carried northeast by the underlying motion of the Cocos Plate.
Ocean floor material is relatively dense; when it strikes the lighter
granite rocks of Central America, the ocean floor is forced down
under the land mass, creating the deep Middle America Trench that
lies off the coast of El Salvador. The subduction of the Cocos Plate
accounts for the frequency of earthquakes near the coast. As the
rocks constituting the ocean floor are forced down, they melt, and
the molten material pours up through weaknesses in the surface rock,
producing volcanoes and geysers.
North of El Salvador, Mexico and most of Guatemala are riding on
the westward-moving North American Plate that butts against the
northern edge of the stationary Caribbean Plate in southern Guatemala.
The grinding action of these two plates creates a fault, similar
to the San Andreas in California, that runs the length of the valley
of the Rio Motagua in Guatemala. Motion along this fault is the
source of earthquakes in northernmost El Salvador.
El Salvador has a long history of destructive earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions. San Salvador was destroyed in 1756 and 1854, and it suffered
heavy damage in the 1919, 1982, and 1986 tremors. The country has
over twenty volcanoes, although only two, San Miguel and Izalco,
have been active in recent years. Violent eruptions are rare. From
the early nineteenth century to the mid1950s , Izalco erupted with
a regularity that earned it the name "Lighthouse of the Pacific."
Its brilliant flares were clearly visible for great distances at
sea, and at night its glowing lava turned it into a brilliant luminous
cone.
Data as of November 1988
El Salvador
Physical Features
Two parallel mountain ranges cross El Salvador east to west with
a central plateau between them and a narrow coastal plain hugging
the Pacific . These physical features divide the country into two
physiographic regions. The mountain ranges and central plateau covering
85 percent of the land comprise the interior highlands. The remaining
coastal plains are referred to as the Pacific lowlands.
The northern range of mountains, the Sierra Madre, forms a continuous
chain along the border with Honduras. Elevations in this region
range from 1,600 to 2,200 meters. The area was once heavily forested,
but overexploitation led to extensive erosion, and it has become
semibarren. As a result, it is the country's most sparsely populated
zone, with little farming or other development.
The southern range of mountains is actually a discontinuous chain
of more than twenty volcanoes, clustered into five groups. The westernmost
group, near the Guatemalan border, contains Izalco and Santa Ana,
which at 2,365 meters is the highest point in El Salvador. Between
the cones lie alluvial basins and rolling hills eroded from ash
deposits. The volcanic soil is rich, and much of El Salvador's coffee
is planted on these slopes.
The central plateau constitutes only 25 percent of the land area
but contains the heaviest concentration of population and the country's
largest cities. This plain is about 50 kilometers wide and has an
average elevation of 600 meters. Terrain here is rolling, with occasional
escarpments, lava fields, and geysers.
A narrow plain extends from the coastal volcanic range to the Pacific
Ocean. This region has a width ranging from one to thirty-two kilometers
with the widest section in the east, adjacent to the Golfo de Fonseca.
Near La Libertad, however, the mountains pinch the lowlands out;
the slopes of adjacent volcanoes come down directly to the sea.
Surfaces in the Pacific lowlands are generally flat or gently rolling
and result from alluvial deposits from nearby slopes.
El Salvador has over 300 rivers, the most important of which is
the Rio Lempa. Originating in Guatemala, the Rio Lempa cuts across
the northern range of mountains, flows along much of the central
plateau, and finally cuts through the southern volcanic range to
empty into the Pacific. It is El Salvador's only navigable river,
and it and its tributaries drain about half the country. Other rivers
are generally short and drain the Pacific lowlands or flow from
the central plateau through gaps in the southern mountain range
to the Pacific.
Numerous lakes of volcanic origin are found in the interior highlands;
many of these lakes are surrounded by mountains and have high, steep
banks. The largest lake, the Lago de Ilopango, lies just to the
east of the capital. Other large lakes include the Lago de Coatepeque
in the west and the Lago de Güija on the Guatemalan border. The
Cerron Grande Dam on the Rio Lempa has created a large reservoir,
the Embalse Cerron Grande, in northern El Salvador.
Data as of November 1988
El Salvador
Climate
El Salvador has a tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry
seasons. Temperatures vary primarily with elevation and show little
seasonal change. The Pacific lowlands are uniformly hot; the central
plateau and mountain areas are more moderate.
The rainy season, known locally as invierno, or winter,
extends from May to October. Almost all the annual rainfall occurs
during this time, and yearly totals, particularly on southern-facing
mountain slopes, can be as high as 200 centimeters. Protected areas
and the central plateau receive lesser, although still significant,
amounts. Rainfall during this season generally comes from low pressure
over the Pacific and usually falls in heavy afternoon thunderstorms.
Although hurricanes occasionally form in the Pacific, they seldom
affect El Salvador.
From November through April, the northeast trade winds control
weather patterns. During these months, air flowing from the Caribbean
has had most of the precipitation wrung out of it passing over the
mountains in Honduras. By the time this air reaches El Salvador,
it is dry, hot, and hazy. This season is known locally as verano,
or summer.
Temperatures vary little with season; elevation is the primary
determinant. The Pacific lowlands are the hottest region, with annual
averages ranging from 25°C to 29°C. San Salvador is representative
of the central plateau, with an annual average temperature of 23°C
and absolute high and low readings of 38°C and 7°C, respectively.
Mountain areas are the coolest, with annual averages from 12°C
to 23°C and minimum temperatures sometimes approaching freezing.
Data as of November 1988
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