Background El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.

NOTE: The information regarding El Salvador on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of El Salvador Introduction 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about El Salvador Introduction 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.