El Salvador

H

Transportation

El Salvador has a well-developed highway system, with paved roads accounting for 20 percent of its 10,029-km (6,232-mi) system. The civil war prompted new road building, contributing to the rapid growth of the transportation network. Railroads, on the other hand, are in declining use. The country has 603 km (377 mi) of narrow-gauge tracks, but some sections are abandoned or in ill repair. The major ports are Acajutla, La Libertad, La Unión, Puerto Cutuco, and Puerto El Triunfo. El Salvador has 106 airports used mainly for private or military aviation and crop dusting. It has one international airport, near San Salvador, which is served by Transportes Aéreos Centro Americanos (TACA), a privately owned airline chartered in El Salvador, and several foreign airlines.

I

Communications

By 2005 El Salvador had 141 telephone mainlines for every 1,000 people. Private companies provide cellular telephones and beeper service. The government’s Administration of Telecommunications (ANTEL) has installed advanced technology for modern communications development in the country, including Internet connections, microwave-radio relay systems, and international satellite communication.

There are 103 commercial radio stations plus 1 government station. The government also maintains 2 shortwave stations. There are eight commercial television channels, one government channel, and one religious channel. Television now reaches all areas of the country. In 1999 there were 504 radio receivers and 213 televisions for every 1,000 residents. Three companies now provide pay-television service, made up largely of U.S. programming.

Five national newspapers with modest circulations are published daily in San Salvador: La Prensa Gráfica (120,000), El Diario de Hoy (107,000), El Mundo (45,000), La Noticia (30,000), and Diario Latino (20,000). There are also several weekly newspapers. Foreign magazines are popular in the country, but there are few Salvadoran magazines. One notable Salvadoran monthly is ECA, which provides commentary on Salvadoran politics, society, and economy. It is published by the Jesuit-run Central American University.

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V

Government

El Salvador’s 1983 constitution—the 23rd in its history—provides for a representative government with three independent branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. It mandates universal suffrage for all citizens over the age of 18. Despite the republican and democratic provisions of its constitutions, a small, elite group of landowners and military officers has historically dominated government in El Salvador. Since the civil war of the 1980s, however, more-democratic procedures have been adopted, including reforms of the electoral system and inclusion of former leftist guerrillas in the political system. More people in other social classes have participated in government.

A

Executive

The president is popularly elected and must receive a majority of the votes. Although limited to a single five-year term, the president in El Salvador has great authority, and the executive branch has historically dominated the government. The president appoints his ministerial cabinet with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly.

B

Legislature

The Legislative Assembly has one chamber of 84 popularly elected deputies who serve three-year terms and may be reelected. This legislature enacts laws, advises and consents on major executive appointments, and elects the members of the Supreme Court.