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El Salvador's population numbers about 6.7 million people. Around 90% are mestizo (mixed Amerindian and Spanish/European), some 9% white, and only 1% indigenous. Very few Amerindians have retained their native customs, traditions, or languages, especially in the wake of the deliberate government-inspired 1932 massacres. El Salvador is the only Central American country that has no visible native African population because of its relative inaccessibility to the Atlantic slave trade. In addition, General Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez instituted race laws in 1930 that prohibited blacks from entering the country. Among the few immigrant groups that reached El Salvador, Palestinian Christians stand out. Though few in number, their descendants have attained great economic and political power in the country, as evidenced by President Antonio Saca and the flourishing commercial, industrial, and construction firms owned by them. Spanish is the language spoken by virtually all inhabitants, although English is spoken by a small number of people in the capital. English is primarily spoken by professionals or those in the tourist industry. The country's people are largely Roman Catholic (83% of the population), though Protestant groups are growing (15%). The capital city of San Salvador has about 2.1 million people; an estimated 42% of El Salvador's population live in rural areas. According to the most recent United Nations survey, life expectancy for men was 68 years and 74 years for women. Education in El Salvador is free through 9th grade. The national literacy rate is 84.1%. At the beginning of 2004, there were approximately 3.1 million Salvadorans living outside El Salvador, many of whom are immigrants in the United States. The USA has traditionally been the destination of choice for Salvadorans looking for greater economic opportunity than their current position can provide. Other countries with notable Salvadoran communities include Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Australia. The majority of the expatriates emigrated during the civil war of the decade of the 1980s and from adverse economic and social conditions. Pursuant to peace accords signed in January of 1992 between the FMLN and the ARENA-party-dominated government, the government made a series of economic reforms in the mold of the free market model supported by the USA. This model has given good results on all economic levels, although politicians of the opposition parties argue that this is not the case. In 2001 El Salvador adopted, by legislative decree, the U.S. dollar as its official currency, replacing the previous currency called the Colon. |
El Salvador Information: Inside
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