In 2002, El Salvador was a Central American nation with a population of over 6 million people. According to computerannals, it had recently adopted a new constitution in 1983 and was governed by a president elected every five years. The economy was largely based on agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism, though the government had made significant investments in infrastructure and industry. Education services were provided by both public and private institutions, though primary school enrollment was low due to limited resources. Healthcare services were provided by both public and private institutions, though access to healthcare remained relatively low due to limited resources. Since the end of its civil war in 1992, poverty remained an issue for many Salvadorans with approximately 50 percent living below the poverty line. Corruption and mismanagement were also an issue as the government struggled to combat these issues with limited resources. Security threats from neighboring countries such as Guatemala were still a concern; however these threats were largely managed through diplomatic means. Although El Salvador faced many challenges in 2002, it had made significant progress towards rebuilding its economy and society since adopting its new constitution two decades prior.

Yearbook 2002

El Salvador. In January, six members of the FMLN (Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional) formed their own Social Democratic bloc in Congress after being excluded from the party. According to Countryaah website, national day of El Salvador is every September 15. The leader of the group, FMLN’s former presidential candidate Facundo Guardado, declared that the group will cooperate with the Christian Democratic Party. The drop-off means that the FMLN is no longer the largest party in Congress.

A strike by doctors and healthcare workers erupted at the end of the year in protest of the government’s plans to privatize parts of the healthcare sector, despite President Francisco Flores already promising to scrap the plans. The government calls it a political strike and refers to the scrutiny of a proposal by San Salvador Mayor Héctor Silva to set up a special reform committee whose mission is to find alternative reform measures.

Statistics show that 90% of El Salvador’s vegetation has disappeared; 2/3 of the land was plagued by soil erosion or used for inefficient farming, while only 2% of the original forests were still present. 90% of the country’s rivers were heavily polluted by wastewater and chemicals; more than half of the population did not have access to clean drinking water.

An agreement concluded in May 1995 between ARENA and Partido Democrático – a breakaway party from FMLN – allowed an increase in VAT from 10 to 13%. This increase was tried to explain the need for financial resources to finance land reform, infrastructure projects and an overhaul of the electoral and justice system.

The National Police Force proved unable to deal with the problems of organized crime, which according to. the national press, was statistically responsible for offenses once an hour. The government deployed 5,000 soldiers to intensify patrol on the highways and in the country zones. 3 officers were sentenced to belong to the paramilitary organization “Sombra Negra”. The army’s investigations also revealed an arsenal of weapons belonging to the organization “Los Benedictos,” whose leader had links to a network of criminal organizations throughout Central America.

A UN delegation posted to monitor compliance with the agreements between the former guerrillas and the government stayed in El Salvador from April to October. Protesters who believed to be bothered by the slowness in fulfilling the peace agreements, including the land grant and the payment of compensation to the war veterans, occupied in August 1996, the main streets and public buildings in San Salvador. In May, Partido Democrático withdrew its support for ARENA, after which the ruling party no longer had a majority in parliament.

In March 1997, the opposition party FMLN achieved an important victory in the local elections, partly by winning the mayor post in the capital, in addition to conquering all major cities in the province. In the simultaneous parliamentary elections, ARENA captured 33.3% of the vote and 28 seats in parliament, while the FMLN sat at 32.1% and gained 27 seats. The turnout was just 40%.

The Supreme Court decreed that the Orlando de Sola businessman should be reinstated as the chief executive of the electricity and telecommunications company; he had been dismissed in December 1997. The Supreme Court held that the dismissal, which had been decided following disagreements between President Calderón Sol and de Sola over the sale of a TV station, had been groundless and otherwise illegal.

A report from the Inter-American Development Bank, published in March 1998, estimated that 25% of annual economic growth disappeared as a result of crime.

Like other Central American countries, El Salvador was hit hard when Hurricane Mitch hit the region in the first week of 1998. Several hundred were killed and about 28,000 lost their homes.

El Salvador Country Overview

Visa
Finns do not need a visa for travel of less than 90 days. NOTE. The passport must be valid for 6 months from arrival in the country.

• According to ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG, SLV stands for El Salvador.

Maastapoistumismaksu
El Salvador, leaving no fee will be charged. Local authorities may change exit fees without notice.

Insurance
Every person participating in the trip must have a valid travel insurance that covers medical expenses in the event of illness or other similar need. Please check the validity of your own insurance and the terms and conditions of the insurance cancellation cover.

Please pay attention to the special nature of your trip and check the coverage of the insurance in that respect as well. In many locations, the insurance must also be valid when moving at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, in which case it also covers mountain sickness.

Many hiking or diving trips require more extensive insurance, which covers, for example, diving or moving on a glacier. Please check the contents of your insurance with your insurance company.

Vaccinations
Please check your destination for yellow fever vaccination requirements well in advance of your trip, for example here. An international yellow fever vaccination certificate is required when traveling to some countries. Please also note that in some countries a vaccination certificate is required if you arrive from a country where yellow fever is considered to occur. This is important to consider especially when traveling across multiple states. We recommend that you keep a vaccination card with you when traveling far away.

Climate
The climate is tropical. The average annual temperature is 25 ° C. The hottest is in April (32 ° C). The annual rainfall is 1800 mm. The dry season runs from November to April and the rainy season from May to October.

Electrical current
110 volts. An adapter is required for devices used in Finnish sockets.

Mobile phones
Check with your operator for the coverage of your mobile phone. El Salvador area code is +503.

Time difference
The time difference in El Salvador is -8 hours in winter and -9 hours in summer.

Currency: US Dollar USD. Currency is available from Finland. Check availability and course at www.forex.fi.