Map of El Salvador

This land of volcanic eruptions and devastating earthquakes was occupied by indigenous Indian factions as early as 1500 BC, and the remains of their civilizations are strewn across the land. The Spanish arrived in 1524 and the native tribes aggressively fought back; those invaders retreated, but they returned the next year and the locals were simply overpowered by Spanish military weapons. By mid-century the city of San Salvador was up and running and the district of El Salvador was under the control of the Spanish Kingdom of Guatemala.

Over time the Spanish colonial system flourished here, and quite typically of all regional colonies, the indigenous Indian population was stripped of their land, and through abuse and repression were relegated to a rural, lower-class status. After the overthrow of the Spanish King by Napoleon, El Salvador and others declared their independence from Spain in 1821. Then, El Salvador, as well as Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua formed the United Provinces of Central America, but that federation quickly dissolved, and El Salvador became an independent republic in 1838.

Across the Americas, all of the new independent states experienced power grabs (revolutions), mostly fed by land-greed and for control of natural resources; El Salvador was no exception. Serious problems began in 1932 with a coup, and for most of the remaining 20th century, El Salvador totally unraveled; its people suffered through decades of military rule, out-of-control death squads and the bloodshed of a 12-year civil war that all but destroyed the country.

That civil war finally ended, but then Hurricane Mitch paid a surprise visit in 1998; widespread flooding and landslides were the result, infrastructure was washed away, hundreds died, and over 50,000 Salvadorans were rendered homeless. To make matters worse, on Saturday, January 13, 2001, a 7.69 earthquake struck; more than 1,000 died, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless. Today, the cost of rebuilding has now surpassed 3.5 billion dollars. The small country of El Salvador is certainly a work in progress. On the positive side, and over the last ten years, the country has instigated a strong move toward democracy, countrywide modernization, and an greatly improved tourism industry.

More information about El Salvador.

Latitude/Longitude: (Capital City)
13° 40' N, 89° 10' W

Relative Location:
El Salvador is positioned in both the northern and western hemispheres. Located in North America on the western edge of the Central America isthmus - a somewhat narrow strip of land that connects North and South America - the country is bordered by Guatemala, Honduras and the Pacific Ocean.

Land Areas
Land: 12,875 sq miles (20,720 sq km)
Water: 199 sq miles (320 sq km)
Total: 13,074 sq miles (21,040 sq km)
Coastline: 191 miles (307 km)
Land Area of all countries

Landforms: El Salvador is a mountainous country with two parallel ranges bordering a central plateau. In the south, the land lowers into a coastal plain.

In the north, the Sierra Madre Mountains run along the entire border with Honduras, while in the south, a scattered chain of more than 20 volcanoes stretch across the land from west to east; some are still active but major eruptions are rare.

El Salvador has hundreds of rivers, mostly small. The most significant is the Lempa River; it rises in the mountains of Honduras then flows south across the central plateau and empties into the Pacific.

Numerous volcanic lakes cover the interior, most ringed by mountains. The largest is Lake Ilopango, sitting directly east of the capital city. A dam built on the Lempa River created the large Cerron Reservoir.

Highest Point: Cerro El Pital - 8,957 ft. (2,730 m)
Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean - 0 ft. (0 m)

Land Divisions: 14 departments; including Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, San Vicente, Santa Ana, Sonsonate and Usulutan

Attractions: El Salvador is a land of amazing contrasts, accented by a long string of cone-shaped volcanoes and their tranquil mountain lakes. In addition, the country's Maya ruins are considered some of the most interesting in all of Central America.

Significant points-of-interest include Cerro Verde National Park and the Santa Ana and Izalco volcanoes; the cloud forests of Montecristo National Park; Mayan ruins at Tazumal; El Espino and El Cuco beaches along the Pacific Ocean; shopping and nitelife venues in San Salvador; the colonial architecture, splendid churches and colorful handicraft markets spread across the country, and of course, the indigenous native celebrations and religious festivals that fill the calendar.

Country Dialing Code: 503
Electricity: El Salvador uses 115/230 volts AC (60 HZ)
Electrical adapters, products and tips
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El Salvador (Complete) info on the (GDP) economy, imports and exports, natural resources, government, population, military, transportation, and more
El Salvador Embassy (Washington, DC)
El Salvador Photos at TrekEarth.com
El Salvador Tourism (Spanish)