World Factbook
El Salvador
República de El Salvador
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
20,721 sq km
water
320 sq km
total
21,041 sq km
Climate
tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands
Terrain
mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
Land use
other
9.3% (2023 est.)
forest
33% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
57.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 34.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 7.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 15.2% (2023 est.)
Location
Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
Coastline
307 km
Elevation
lowest point
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point
Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
mean elevation
442 m
Irrigated land
240 sq km (2022)
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Land boundaries
total
590 km
border countries
Guatemala 199 km; Honduras 391 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
24 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes volcanism: significant volcanic activity; San Salvador (1,893 m), which last erupted in 1917, has the potential to cause major harm to the country's capital, which lies just below the volcano's slopes; San Miguel (2,130 m) is one of the most active volcanoes in the country; other historically active volcanoes include Conchaguita, Ilopango, Izalco, and Santa Ana
Geography - note
smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on the Caribbean Sea
Natural resources
hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land
Area - comparative
about the same size as New Jersey
Geographic coordinates
13 50 N, 88 55 W
Population distribution
high population density country-wide, with particular concentration around the capital of San Salvador