16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Religions
Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)
Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 21.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.9%, Mormon 0.7%, other religions 2.3%, none 16.8% (2003 est.)
Languages
Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)
Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 11.016 (2008 est.), 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004)
the US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.500%
0.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
3
0
Location
Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US
Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
Area
1,964,375 km sq
21,041 km sq
Coastline
9,330 km
307 km
Climate
varies from tropical to desert
tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
