El Salvador profile - Facts

Member of the Pipil indigenous people at a festival celebrating the ingenous culture of El Salvador (Aug 2010)AFP

The Pipil are one of the groups making up El Salvador's small indigenous population

  • Full name: Republic of El Salvador

  • Population: 6.3 million (UN, 2012)

  • Capital: San Salvador

  • Area: 21,041 sq km (8,124 sq miles)

  • Major language: Spanish

  • Major religion: Christianity

  • Life expectancy: 68 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN)

  • Monetary unit: US dollar & Salvadoran colon

  • Main exports: Offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity

  • GNI per capita: US $3,720 (World Bank, 2013)

  • Internet domain: .sv

  • International dialling code: +503