El Salvador Geography Profile 2002

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: 27.27%
permanent crops: 12.11%
other: 60.62% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land

360 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards

known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very 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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Group

All, APLAA, North America/Caribbean

Geography - note

smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea