Education
Children in the elementary grades are provided with free compulsory schooling. El Salvador had about 3200 primary and secondary schools with a total enrollment of about 1,066,700 in the late-1980s. In the same period some 80,018 students were enrolled in institutions of higher education. The University of El Salvador (1841), in San Salvador, is the most prominent university. The University of Central America, a Jesuit institution, also is located in San Salvador.
El Salvador, republic, northeastern Central America, bounded on the north and east by Honduras, on the extreme southeast by the Gulf of Fonseca, on the south by the Pacific Ocean, and on the west and northwest by Guatemala. El Salvador, the smallest and most densely populated Central American state, is the only one without a Caribbean coastline. It has a total area of 21,041 sq km (8124 sq mi). San Salvador is the capital and largest city.
Economy
With a per capita income estimated at $940 a year in the late 1980s, El Salvador is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. Inflation is chronic, and unemployment remains high. The nation's economy is dominated by agriculture and is heavily dependent on coffee. The economic infrastructure, such as roads, electric power, and commercial banking facilities, is fairly well developed. Since the mid-1960s the country has experienced a relatively rapid development of light manufacturing industries. In the late 1980s, the estimated annual budget included $518 million in revenues and $642 million in expenditures. During the 1980s the U.S. spent nearly $5 billion on civilian and military aid for El Salvador.
Climate
El Salvador lies within the Tropics; the climate, however, is moderated in many regions by high elevation. The climate of the coastal strip is tropical; that of the plateau and highlands is semitropical and temperate; the mountain regions have a temperate climate. The average annual rainfall is about 1830 mm (about 72 in), and the rainy season lasts from May to October. The average annual temperature of San Salvador, the capital, is 23.9° C (75° F).
List of Universities in EL SALVADOR
North America
North America
GRE
