El Salvador vs. Honduras
Geography
| El Salvador | Honduras | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras | Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua |
| Geographic coordinates | 13 50 N, 88 55 W | 15 00 N, 86 30 W |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area | total: 21,041 sq km land: 20,721 sq km water: 320 sq km | total: 112,090 sq km land: 111,890 sq km water: 200 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about the same size as New Jersey | slightly larger than Tennessee |
| Land boundaries | total: 590 km border countries (2): Guatemala 199 km, Honduras 391 km | total: 1,575 km border countries (3): Guatemala 244 km, El Salvador 391 km, Nicaragua 940 km |
| Coastline | 307 km | 823 km (Caribbean Sea 669 km, Gulf of Fonseca 163 km) |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm |
| Climate | tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands | subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains |
| Terrain | mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau | mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 442 m | highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m mean elevation: 684 m |
| Natural resources | hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land | timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 74.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 33.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 10.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 30.7% (2018 est.) forest: 13.6% (2018 est.) other: 11.7% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 28.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 9.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 15.7% (2018 est.) forest: 45.3% (2018 est.) other: 25.9% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 452 sq km (2012) | 900 sq km (2012) |
| 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), which last erupted in 2002, is one of the most active volcanoes in the country; other historically active volcanoes include Conchaguita, Ilopango, Izalco, and Santa Ana | frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes | urban population expanding; deforestation results from logging and the clearing of land for agricultural purposes; further land degradation and soil erosion hastened by uncontrolled development and improper land use practices such as farming of marginal lands; mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the country's largest source of fresh water), as well as several rivers and streams, with heavy metals |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on the Caribbean Sea | has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast |
| Total renewable water resources | 26.27 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 92.164 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | athough it is the smallest country in land area in Central America, El Salvador has a population that is 18 times larger than Belize; at least 20% of the population lives abroad; high population density country-wide, with particular concentration around the capital of San Salvador | most residents live in the mountainous western half of the country; unlike other Central American nations, Honduras is the only one with an urban population that is distributed between two large centers - the capital of Tegucigalpa and the city of San Pedro Sula; the Rio Ulua valley in the north is the only densely populated lowland area |
Source: CIA Factbook
