in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265–9671 FAX: [1] (202) 234–3834 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (2), San Francisco, and Washington, DC consulate(s): Boston
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador H. Douglas BARCLAY embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, San Salvador mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023 telephone: [503] 278–4444 FAX: [503] 278–5522
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with
the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of
arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL
SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua,
which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band - it
features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on
top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of
Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern
centered in the white band
Economy El Salvador
Economy - overview:
GDP per capita is roughly half that of Brazil, Argentina, and
Chile, and the distribution of income is highly unequal. The
government is striving to open new export markets, encourage foreign
investment, modernize the tax and healthcare systems, and stimulate
the sluggish economy. Implementation of the Central
America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, ratified by El
Salvador in 2004, is viewed as a key policy to help achieve these
objectives. The trade deficit has been offset by annual remittances
from Salvadorans living abroad - 16% of GDP in 2004 - and external
aid. With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency, El Salvador
has lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on
maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$32.35 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.8% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $4,900 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.2% industry: 31.1% services: 59.7% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
2.75 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 17.1%, industry 17.1%, services 65.8% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
6.3% - but the economy has much underemployment (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
36.1% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 39.3% (2001)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
52.5 (2001)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.4% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
16.6% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.491 billion
expenditures: $2.782 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)
Public debt:
41.7% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; shrimp;
beef, dairy products
Industries:
food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer,
textiles, furniture, light metals
Industrial production growth rate:
0.7% (2004 est.)
Electricity - production:
4.158 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 44% hydro: 30.9% nuclear: 0% other: 25.1% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
4.45 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
91 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
473 million kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
39,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA
Oil - imports:
NA
Current account balance:
$-880.5 million (2004 est.)
Exports:
$3.249 billion (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles,
chemicals, electricity
Exports - partners:
US 65.6%, Guatemala 11.8%, Honduras 6.3% (2004)
Imports:
$5.968 billion (2004 est.)
Imports
