El Salvador

I

Introduction

El Salvador, republic on the Pacific Coast of Central America. The smallest country in the region, El Salvador is second only to Guatemala in population, and is the most densely populated republic on the mainland of the Americas. Although traditionally a rural country, it experienced extensive migration to urban areas in the 20th century, and nearly one-third of its population lives within the metropolitan area of San Salvador, the capital and largest city. The country was named El Salvador, which is Spanish for “the savior,” in honor of Jesus Christ.

A volcanic mountain chain dominates the country’s landscape and provides ideal conditions for coffee cultivation, which has been the mainstay of the Salvadoran economy for more than a century. The coffee-based economy helped to create a society divided between a small, wealthy ruling class and a large, impoverished laboring class. Throughout the 1980s the nation was torn by civil war, but in the 1990s it began to recover from the social, political, and economic damage caused by a decade of violent struggle.

II

Land and Resources

El Salvador is 140 km (90 mi) wide at its widest point and 260 km (160 mi) long, with an area of 21,041 sq km (8,124 sq mi). The only Central American state without a Caribbean shoreline, El Salvador is bounded on the west by Guatemala, on the north and east by Honduras, on the south by the Pacific Ocean, and on the extreme southeast by the Gulf of Fonseca, which it shares with Honduras and Nicaragua. The country’s geography is defined by its volcanic mountains, separated by the plateaus and valleys of the central region. The mountains descend to a narrow, fertile coastal plain, which drops steeply into the Pacific.

A

Natural Regions

Volcanic ranges occupy most of El Salvador’s area. More than 25 extinct volcanic cones punctuate its horizons, with many small and large craters showing past lava flows. The San Miguel, Santa Ana, San Salvador, and Izalco volcanoes have all been active in modern times. The highest mountains are in the sparsely populated, northwestern part of the country and include the Santa Ana volcano, the highest point in the country, at 2,385 m (7,825 ft) above sea level.

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Most of El Salvador’s population and agricultural land are located in the central plateaus and valleys, at elevations from 600 m (2,000 ft) to 1,200 m (4,000 ft), where volcanic ash contributes to rich soil. The Pacific coastal plain also offers rich agricultural lands. However, much of it is sandy and marshy, except for areas near the Gulf of Fonseca, where the land is higher and is marked by cliffs and ridges. Small bays, coves, capes, estuaries, and islands dot the 300-km (200-mi) Pacific coastline. El Salvador claims territorial waters to 200 nautical miles (370 km/230 mi) offshore. Earthquakes are frequent in El Salvador.

B

Rivers and Lakes

Several small rivers flow through El Salvador into the Pacific, including the Goascorán, Jiboa, Torola, Paz and the Río Grande de San Miguel. Only the largest river, the Lempa, flowing from Honduras across El Salvador to the ocean, is navigable for commercial traffic. Volcanic craters enclose scenic lakes, the most important of which are Ilopango (70 sq km/27 sq mi) and Coatepeque (26 sq km/10 sq mi). The largest natural lake is Lake Güija (44 sq km/17 sq mi). Several artificial lakes were created by the damming of the Lempa River, the largest of which is Embalse Cerrón Grande (350 sq km/135 sq mi).