| 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: 21,041 sq km land: 20,721 sq km water: 320 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about the same size as New Jersey |
| Land boundaries | total: 590 km border countries (2): Guatemala 199 km, Honduras 391 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 | highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 442 m |
| Natural resources | hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 74.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 33.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 10.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 30.7% (2018 est.) forest: 13.6% (2018 est.) other: 11.7% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 452 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 26.27 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes volcanism: significant volcanic activity; San Salvador (1,893 m), which last erupted in 1917, has the potential to cause major harm to the country's capital, which lies just below the volcano's slopes; San Miguel (2,130 m), which last erupted in 2002, is one of the most active volcanoes in the country; other historically active volcanoes include Conchaguita, Ilopango, Izalco, and Santa Ana |
| Geography - note | smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on the Caribbean Sea |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
