El Salvador
El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost the lives of some 75,000 people, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a United Nations-brokered treaty that provided for military and political reforms. The war stemmed from gross inequality between a small and wealthy elite, which dominated the government and the economy, and the overwhelming majority of the population, many of whom lived - and continue to live - in abject squalor. Despite the damage the war caused, it also precipitated important political reforms.
No sooner had El Salvador begun to recover from the war when it was hit by a series of natural disasters. The most notable of these was Hurricane Mitch in 1998, and a number of earthquakes in 2001. These left at least 1,200 people dead and more than a million others homeless.
The country’s economy is now heavily dependent on the money sent home by Salvadorans living in the United States.
Violent street gangs, known as "maras", have been described by President as a "regional problem that requires regional solutions". One of the most notorious groups was started in the 1980s by Salvadoran immigrants in the United States.
Tony Saca won a five-year term in presidential elections in March 2004, marking the fourth successive victory for the right-wing Arena party. The former radio and TV sports presenter said he wanted to work with other parties in the government. He promised to crack down on criminal gangs, to strive for transparent government and to promote ties with the US. Arena has been linked to death-squad murders during the civil war, but Saca stressed that his victory was "a moment to forget all the past". He has rejected calls to scrap amnesty laws, which protect former officials from prosecution. Saca, the owner of a radio network, backs the free-market policies of his Arena party predecessor, Francisco Flores. He strongly supports a proposed regional free-trade pact with the US.
The Salvadoran government is committed to attracting foreign investment in most sectors. The climate for foreign investment has improved significantly over the past few years, as the government has enacted a number of complementary laws to facilitate and regulate investment in key sectors of the economy, and to encourage portfolio investment in state enterprises under privatization. Companies from many countries including the United States, Canada, Germany, Korea, Taiwan, and Mexico have made investments in El Salvador with favorable results.
El Salvador is both the most densely populated state on the mainland of the Americas and the most industrialized in Central America.
There are no known current threats to visitors to or expatriate residents in El Salvador. The truce that ended the civil war in 1992 has held, and the country has slowly returned to a more stable environment. Nevertheless, crime has increased in the wake of the war, and it’s sometimes targeted at travelers: Armed assaults and carjackings, as well as less lethal forms of theft such as pickpocketing, remain a serious concern for those visiting the country.
Violent street gangs, known as "maras", have been described by President as a "regional problem that requires regional solutions". One of the most notorious groups was started in the 1980s by Salvadoran immigrants in the US.
Tony Saca won a five-year term in presidential elections in March 2004, marking the fourth successive victory for the right-wing Arena party. The former radio and TV sports presenter said he wanted to work with other parties in the government. He promised to crack down on criminal gangs, to strive for transparent government and to promote ties with the US. Arena has been linked to death-squad murders during the civil war, but Saca stressed that his victory was "a moment to forget all the past". He has rejected calls to scrap amnesty laws, which protect former officials from prosecution. Saca, the owner of a radio network, backs the free-market policies of his Arena party predecessor, Francisco Flores. He strongly supports a proposed regional free-trade pact with the US. Antonio Saca was born to Palestinian parents from the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
The Salvadoran Government is committed to attracting foreign investment in most sectors. The climate for foreign investment has improved significantly over the last few years, as the Government has enacted a number of complementary laws to facilitate and regulate investment in key sectors of the economy, and to encourage portfolio investment in state enterprises under privatization. Companies from many countries including the United States, Canada, Germany, Korea, Taiwan, and Mexico have made investments here with favorable results. The primary legislation governing foreign investment in El Salvador is the 1990 Export Reactivation Law; and the 1988 Foreign Investment Promotion and Guarantee law. Other laws complementing the basic investment legal frame are the Banking Law, Insurance Firms Law, the Mining Law, the IPR Law, the Stock Exchange Law, special legislation to facilitate the privatization of the Telecommunications Company, and the electricity generation and distribution laws, and the Pension Funds Law.
Due to weak public security institutions, a neophyte police force, and lax border controls the threat posed by transnational terrorism, or transnational narco-terrorism, cannot be ruled out. El Salvador's assistance in interdicting drug shipments destined for the U.S. could elicit a response from any number of drug cartels that ship their product through Central America.
Public demonstrations against the government, generally by government employees, are not uncommon. Most demonstrations are concentrated in and around city centers or public buildings and other public areas. Although often non-violent, they have created public security problems at times.
