Information about El Salvador

Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras, with a population of approximately 6.9 million people. El Salvador is the most densely populated nation on the American mainland and is undergoing both rapid industrialization and population growth.

Name

Its national name is the Republic of El Salvador. In Spanish, it is "República de El Salvador". The country was named after the Spanish word for "The Savior", in honor of Jesus Christ.

The Pipils, who arrived from central Mexico, most famous one known as "Atlacatl" renamed the area Cuscatlán", because of the lush fertility of the land. Cuscatlán translates as "Land of Precious Jewels" in the native indigenous tongue known as Pipil-Nahuat (Nahuatl in central Mexico).

The Capital, San Salvador, is the second largest city in Central America with a population of about 2.2 million.

History

Main article: History of El Salvador

In the early fifteenth century, the Spanish conquistadores ventured into Central America from the Caribbean Islands, then known as the Spanish colony of New Spain. Spanish efforts to extend their dominion to the area that would be known as El Salvador were firmly resisted by the Pipil and their remaining Mayan-speaking neighbors. Pedro de Alvarado, a lieutenant of Hernan Cortés, led the first effort by Spanish forces in June 1524.

The indigenous people defeated the Spaniards and forced them to withdraw to Guatemala. Two subsequent expeditions were required --the first in 1525, followed by a smaller group in 1528-- to bring the Pipil under Spanish control.

Towards the end of 1810, a combination of external and internal factors allowed Central American élites to attempt to gain independence from the Spanish crown. The internal factors were mainly the interest the élites had in controlling the territories they owned without involvement from Spanish authorities. The external factors were the success of the French and American revolutions in the eighteenth century and the weakening of the military power of the Spanish crown because of its wars against Napoleonic France. The independence movement was consolidated on November 51811, when the Salvadorian priest, Jose Matias Delgado, sounded the bells of the Iglesia La Merced in San Salvador, making a call for the insurrection. After many years of internal fights, the Acta de Independencia (Act of Independence) of Central America was signed in Guatemala on September 151821.

September 16, 1821, Mexico gained independence as the First Mexican Empire under the rule of Emperor Agustin de Iturbide, El Salvador and the other Central American provinces declared their independence from Spain and became part of the Mexican Empire. In 1823, the United Provinces of Central America was formed by the five Central American states under General Manuel José Arce. When this federation was dissolved in 1838, El Salvador became an independent republic. El Salvador's early history as an independent state was marked by frequent revolutions.

From 1872 to 1898, El Salvador was a prime mover in attempts to reestablish an isthmian federation. The governments of El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua formed the Greater Republic of Central America via the Pact of Amapala in 1895. Although Guatemala and Costa Rica considered joining the Greater Republic (which was rechristened the United States of Central America when its constitution went into effect in 1898), neither country joined. This union, which had planned to establish its capital city at Amapala on the Golfo de Fonseca, did not survive a seizure of power in El Salvador in 1898.

The enormous profits that coffee yielded as a monoculture export served as an impetus for the process whereby land became concentrated in the hands of an oligarchy of few families. A succession of presidents from the ranks of the Salvadorian oligarchy, nominally both conservative and liberal, throughout the last half of the nineteenth century generally agreed on the promotion of coffee as the predominant cash crop, on the development of infrastructure (railroads and port facilities) primarily in support of the coffee trade, on the elimination of communal landholdings to facilitate further coffee production, on the passage of anti-vagrancy laws to ensure that displaced campesinos and other rural residents provided sufficient labour for the coffee fincas (plantations), and on the suppression of rural discontent. In 1912, the national guard was created as a rural police force.

The coffee industry grew inexorably in El Salvador. As a result the élite provided the bulk of the government's financial support through importduties on goods imported with the foreign currencies that coffee sales earned. This support, coupled with the humbler and more mundane mechanisms of corruption, ensured the coffee growers of overwhelming influence within the government.

El Salvador's early history as an independent state--as with others in Central America--was marked by frequent revolutions; not until the period 1900-30 was relative stability achieved. The economic élite, based on agriculture and some mining, ruled the country in conjunction with the military.

The economy, based on coffee-growing after the mid-19th century, as the world market for indigo withered away, prospered or suffered as the world coffee price fluctuated. From 1931--the year of the coup in which Gen. Maximiliano Hernández Martínez came to power until he was deposed in 1944 there was brutal suppression of rural resistance. The most notable event was the 1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising, commonly referred to as La Matanza (the massacre), headed by Farabundo Martí and the retaliation led by Martínez's government, in which approximately 30,000 indigenous people and political opponents were murdered, imprisoned or exiled. Until 1980, all but one Salvadoran temporary president was an army officer. Periodic presidential elections were seldom free or fair and an oligarchy in alliance with military forces ruled the nation. As in many Latin American countries, this inequality led to peasant opposition to the oligarchy. The result was the Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992), largely a peasant revolution. The military government, dominated by the Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (ARENA, or Nationalist Republican Alliance) party founded by Major Roberto D'Aubuisson and backed by the United States, was responsible for more than 75,000 civilian deaths. Atrocities by revolutionary guerrillas, who received some Soviet aid, were not uncommon, but these casualties numbered far less than the thousands killed by the military. Government atrocities, such as the El Mozote massacre, and the murder of Catholic missionaries and other religious aid workers, such as Jean Donovan, by death squads linked to the government caused international outrage. In 1984 international observers saw centrist Napoleon Duarte elected president in popular elections which were violently boycotted by members of the opposition. Despite the peace-making efforts of the democratic government, the peasant revolution continued until the peace accords were signed in January 1992. The different factions of the guerrillas formed the Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional party (FMLN) in order to seek office through democratic elections. Since then, the FMLN has gradually gained representation, particularly in the Legislative Assembly and local governments. Meanwhile, the conservative Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (ARENA) party has won every presidential election and remained the most favored political force.

In 1998, El Salvador became one of three countries in the world where abortion is illegal with no exceptions, along with Chile and Nicaragua.

Politics

Main article: Politics of El Salvador

The political framework of El Salvador takes place in a presidentialrepresentative democraticrepublic, whereby the President of El Salvador (Elias Antonio) is both head of state and head of government, and of a multiform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Legislative Assembly. The Judiciary branch is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Departments and municipalities

Main articles: Departments of El Salvador and Municipalities of El Salvador

See also:

El Salvador is divided into 14 departments (departamentos), which, in turn, are subdivided into 267 municipalities (municipios). The departments are:

República de El Salvador Republic of El Salvador
Flag of El Salvador Flag Coat of arms
Motto "Dios, Unión, Libertad"  (Spanish) "God, Union, Liberty"
Anthem Himno Nacional de El Salvador
Location of El Salvador
Capital (and largest city)		San Salvador
Official languages		Spanish
Demonym		Salvadoran, Salvadorian, Salvadorean
Government		Republic
-	President	Antonio Saca
Independence
-	from Spain	September 15, 1821
-	from the UPCA	1842
-	Water (%)	1.4
Population
-	July 2007 estimate	6,948,073 (97th)
-	1992 census	5,118,598
GDP (PPP)		2005 estimate
-	Total	$36.246 billion (93rd)
-	Per capita	5,515 (101st)
Gini? (2002)		52.4 (high)
HDI (2006)		0.722 (medium) (101th)
Currency		United States dollar (2001–present)2
Time zone		(UTC-6)
Internet TLD		.sv
Calling code		+5031
1	Telephone companies (market share): Tigo (45%), Claro (25%), Movistar (24%), Digicel (5.5%), Red (0.5%).

Ahuachapán Cabañas Chalatenango Cuscatlán La Libertad La Paz La Unión

Morazán San Miguel San Salvador San Vicente Santa Ana Sonsonate Usulután

Geography

Main article: Geography of El Salvador

El Salvador is located in Central America. It has a total area of 8,123 square miles (21,040 km²), making it almost the same size as the state of Massachusetts. El Salvador is the smallest country in continental America. Because of its size it is affectionately called the "Tom Thumb of the Americas" ("Pulgarcito de America"). It has 123.6 square miles (320 km²) of water within its borders. Several small rivers flow through El Salvador into the Pacific Ocean, including the Goascorán, Jiboa, Torola, Paz and the Río Grande de San Miguel. Only the largest river, the Lempa River, flowing from Honduras across El Salvador to the ocean, is navigable for commercial traffic. Volcanic craters enclose lakes, the most important of which are Lake Ilopango (70 km² / 27 sq mi) and Lake Coatepeque (26 km² / 10 sq mi). Lake Güija is El Salvador's largest natural lake (44 km² / 17 sq mi). Several artificial lakes were created by the damming of the Lempa, the largest of which is Embalse Cerrón Grande (350 km² / 135 sq mi).

El Salvador shares borders with Guatemala (126 mi / 203 km) and Honduras (212.5 mi / 342 km). It is the only Central American country that does not have a Caribbean coastline. The highest point in the country is Cerro El Pital at 8,957 feet (2,730 meters).

Climate

El Salvador has a tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons. Temperatures vary primarily with elevation and show little seasonal change. The Pacific lowlands are uniformly hot; the central plateau and mountain areas are more moderate. The rainy season extends from May to October. Almost all the annual rainfall occurs during this time, and yearly totals, particularly on southern-facing mountain slopes, can be as high as 200 centimeters. Protected areas and the central plateau receive lesser, although still significant, amounts. Rainfall during this season generally comes from low pressure over the Pacific and usually falls in heavy afternoon thunderstorms. Although hurricanes occasionally form in the Pacific, they seldom affect El Salvador, with the notable exception of Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

From November through April, the northeast trade winds control weather patterns. During these months, air flowing from the Caribbean has had most of the precipitation wrung out of it while passing over the mountains in Honduras. By the time this air reaches El Salvador, it is dry, hot, and hazy.

Temperatures vary little with season; elevation is the primary determinant. The Pacific lowlands are the hottest and most humid region, with annual averages ranging from 25°C to 29°C. San Salvador is representative of the central plateau, with an annual average temperature of 23°C and absolute high and low readings of 38°C and 2°C, respectively. Mountain areas are the coolest, with annual averages from 12°C to 23°C and minimum temperatures sometimes approaching freezing.

Natural disasters

El Salvador lies along the Pacific ring of fire, and is thus subject to significant tectonic activity, including frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. Recent examples include the earthquake on January 13, 2001 that measured 7.7 on the Richter scale and caused a landslide that killed more than eight hundred people;^[1] and another earthquake only a month after the first one February 13, 2001, killing 255 people and damaging about 20% of the nation's housing. Luckily, many families were able to find safety from the landslides caused by the earthquake. El Salvador's most recent destructive volcanic eruption took place on October 1, 2005, when the Ilamatepec volcano spewed up a cloud of ash and rocks, which fell on nearby villages and caused two deaths (Óscar Armando Guerrero Ventura and José Rafael Guevara). ^[2] [3] El Salvador's position on the Pacific Ocean also makes it subject to severe weather conditions, including heavy rainstorms and severe droughts, both of which may be made more extreme by the El Nino and La Nina effects. In the summer of 2001, a severe drought destroyed 80% of the country's crops, causing famine in the countryside.^[4][5] On October 4, 2005, severe rains resulted in dangerous flooding and landslides, which caused at minimum fifty deaths.^[6] El Salvador's location in Central America also makes it vulnerable to hurricanes coming off of the Caribbean, however this risk is much less than for other Central American countries.

Economy

Main article: Economy of El Salvador

According to the CIA World Factbook El Salvador has the third largest economy in the region (behind Panama and Costa Rica) with GDP per capita at US$4,900, however, this developing country still faces many social issues and is among the 10 poorest countries in Latin America.^[7] Approximately 2.4 million (35.2%) people live below the poverty line, its GDP real growth rate is low compared to its neighbors, and 6% of the population is unemployed with much underemployment.

Most of El Salvador's economy has been hampered by natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, but El Salvador currently has a steadily growing economy, becoming the 5th most competitive country in Latin America.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in purchasing power parity (PPP) in 2006 was estimated at $33.68 billion USD. The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 60.7%, followed by the industrial sector at 29.6% (2006 est.). Agriculture represents only 7.6% of GDP (2006 est.).

The Salvadoran economy has experienced mixed results from the recent government's commitment to free market initiatives and conservative fiscal management that include the privatization of the banking system, telecommunications, public pensions, electrical distribution, and some electrical generation, reduction of import duties, elimination of price controls, and an improved enforcement of intellectual property rights. The GDP has been growing at a steady and moderate pace in an environment of macroeconomic stability since the signing of peace accords in 1992. A problem that the Salvadoran economy faces is the inequality in the distribution of income. In 1999, the richest fifth of the population received 45% of the country's income, while the poorest fifth received only 5.6%.

As of December 1999, net international reserves equaled US$1.8 billion or roughly five months of imports. Having this hard currency buffer to work with, the Salvadoran government undertook a monetary integration plan beginning January 1 2001 by which the U.S. dollar became legal tender alongside the Salvadoran colón and all formal accounting was done in U.S. dollars. This way, the government has formally limited its possibility of implementing open market monetary policies to influence short term variables in the economy.

Since 2004, the colón stopped circulating and is now never used in the country for any type of transaction. In general, there was discontent with the shift to the U.S. dollar, primarily because of wage stagnation vis-a-vis basic commodity pricing in the marketplace. Additionally there are contentions that, according to Gresham's Law, a reversion to the colón would be disastrous to the economy. The change to the dollar also precipitated a trend toward lower interest rates in El Salvador, helping many to secure much needed credit for house or car purchases.

A challenge in El Salvador has been developing new growth sectors for a more diversified economy. As many other former colonies, for many years El Salvador was considered a mono-export economy (an economy that depended heavily on one type of export). During colonial times, the Spanish decided that El Salvador would produce and export indigo, but after the invention of synthetic dyes in the 19th century, Salvadoran authorities and the newly created modern state turned to coffee as the main export. Since the cultivation of coffee required the highest lands in the country, many of these lands were expropriated from indigenous reserves and given or sold cheaply to those that could cultivate coffee. The government provided little or no compensation to the indigenous peoples. On occasion, this compensation implied merely the right to work for seasons in the newly created coffee farms and to be allowed to grow their own food. Such actions provided the basis of conflicts that would shape the political landscape of El Salvador for years to come.

For many decades, coffee was one of the only sources of foreign currency in the Salvadoran economy. The Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s and the fall of international coffee prices in the 1990s pressured the Salvadoran government to diversify the economy. The government has followed policies that intend to develop other export industries, such as textiles and sea products. Tourism is another industry Salvadoran authorities see as a possibility. But rampant crime rates, lack of infrastructure, and inadequate social capital have prevented this resource from being properly exploited and is still underdeveloped.

There are 15 free trade zones in El Salvador. The largest beneficiary has been the maquila industry, which provides 88,700 jobs directly, and consists primarily of supplying labor for the cutting and assembling of clothes for export to the United States.

El Salvador signed the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) — negotiated by the five countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic — with the United States in 2004. To take advantage of CAFTA, the Salvadoran government is challenged to conduct policies that guarantee better conditions for entrepreneurs and workers to transfer from declining to growing sectors in the economy. El Salvador has signed free trade agreements with Mexico, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Panama, and increased its exports to those countries. El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua also are negotiating a free trade agreement with Canada, and negotiations started in 2006 for a free trade agreement with Colombia.

Fiscal policy has been the biggest challenge for the Salvadoran government. The 1992 peace accords committed the government to heavy expenditures for transition programs and social services. The Stability Adjustment Programs (PAE, for the initials in Spanish) initiated by President Cristiani's administration committed the government to the privatization of banks, the pension system, and the electric and telephone companies. The total privatization of the pension system has implied a serious burden for the public finance system, because the newly created private Pension Association Funds did not absorb coverage of retired pensioners covered under the old system. The government lost the revenues from contributors and absorbed completely the costs of coverage of retired pensioners. This has been the main source of fiscal imbalance. ARENA governments have financed this deficit with the emission of bonds, something the leftist FMLN has opposed. Debates surrounding the emission of bonds have stalled the approval of the national budget for many months on several occasions. The emission of bonds and the approval of government loans need a qualified majority (3/4 of the votes) in the National Legislature. If the deficit is not financed through a loan it is enough with a simple majority to approve the budget (50% of the votes plus 1).

Many specialists claim that it is impossible to advance significant development programs with such little public sector aid. (The tax burden in the United States is around 25% of the GDP and in developed countries of the EU it can reach around 50%.) The government has focused on improving the collection of its current revenues with a focus on indirect taxes. Leftist politicians criticize such a structure since indirect taxes (like the value-added tax) affect everyone alike, whereas direct taxes can be weighed according to levels of income. A 10% value-added tax (VAT), implemented in September 1992, was raised to 13% in July 1995. The VAT is the biggest source of revenue, accounting for about 52.3% of total tax revenues in 2004.

Inflation has been steady and among the lowest in the region. Since 1997 inflation has averaged 3%, with recent years increasing to nearly 5%. From 2000 to 2006 total exports have grown 19% from $2.94 billion to $3.51 billion. During this same period total imports have risen 54% from $4.95 billion to $7.63 billion. This has resulted in a 102% increase in the trade deficit from $2.01 billion to $4.12 billion.^[8]

Remittances from Salvadorans living and working in the United States, sent to family in El Salvador, are a major source of foreign income and offset the substantial trade deficit of $4.12 billion. Remittances have increased steadily in the last decade and reached an all-time high of $2.547 billion in 2005 (an increase of 21% over the previous year), approximately 16.2% of gross domestic product(GDP).

Remittances have had positive and negative effects on El Salvador. In 2005 the number of people living in extreme poverty in El Salvador was 16%,^[9] according to a United Nations Development Program report, without remittances the number of Salvadorans living in extreme poverty would rise to 37%. While Salvadoran education levels have gone up, wage expectations have risen faster than either skills or productivity. For example, some Salvadorans are no longer willing to take jobs that pay them less than what they receive monthly from family members abroad. This has led to an influx of Hondurans and Nicaraguans who are willing to work for the prevailing wage. Also, the local propensity for consumption over investment has increased. Money from remittances have also increased prices for certain commodities such as real estate. Many Salvadorans abroad earning much higher wages can afford higher prices for houses in El Salvador than local Salvadorans and thus push up the prices that all Salvadorans must pay.^[10]

As of September 2006, net international reserves stood at $2.02 billion. [1]

Tourism

The only airport serving international flights in the country is Comalapa International Airport (airport code: SAL). This airport is located in Comalapa, about 30 minutes southeast of the capital.^[11] The airport is commonly known as Comalapa International or El Salvador International.

El Salvador's tourism industry has grown dynamically over recent years as the Salvadoran government focuses on developing this sector. Last year tourism accounted for 4.6% of GDP; only 10 years ago, it accounted for 0.4%. In this same year, tourism grew 4.5% worldwide. Comparatively, El Salvador saw an increase of 8.97%, from 1.15 million to 1.27 million tourists. This has led to revenue from tourism growing 35.9% from $634 million to $862 million. As a reference point, in 1996 tourism revenue was $44.2 million. Also, there has been an even greater increase in the number of excursionists (visits that do not include an overnight stay). 222,000 excursionists visited El Salvador in 2006, a 24% increase over the previous year.^[12]

Most North American and European tourists are seeking out El Salvador's beaches and nightlife. Besides these two choices, El Salvador's tourism landscape is slightly different than those of other Central American countries. Because of its geographical size and urbanization, there aren't many nature-themed tourist destination such as ecotours or archaeological monuments. Surfing, however, is a natural tourist sector that is gaining popularity as more surfers visit El Zonte, Sunzal, and La Libertad, surfing spots that are not yet overcrowded. Also, the use of the United States dollar as Salvadoran currency and direct flights of 4–6 hours from most cities in the United States are important things to note for first-time travelers from the United States. Urbanization and Americanization of Salvadoran culture has also led to something else that first time tourists might be surprised to see: the abundance of American-style malls, stores, and restaurants in the three main urban areas, especially greater San Salvador.

Currently, tourists to El Salvador can be classified into four groups: Central Americans; North Americans; Salvadorans living abroad, primarily in the United States; and Europeans and South Americans. The first three represent the vast majority of tourists. Recently, El Salvador is attempting to broaden its tourist base and looking to the last group. Early indicators show that the government's efforts are working. When comparing January–March 2007 to the same period in 2006 (most recent data available), overall tourism has grown 10%, while from North America 38%, Europe 31%, and South America 36%.^[13] In the fall, Livingston Airlines will initiate the only direct flight between Europe (departing from Milan) and El Salvador. The Decameron Salinitas, a recently inaugurated resort, has contributed to the growth of tourists from South America (because of name recognition of the resort chain) and is looking to do the same with Europeans. It is interesting to note that Decameron Salinitas is responsible for half the initial bookings on the Milan-San Salvador flights. This demonstrates a synergy between two of the few businesses that cater to European tourists and is evident of what is necessary in this nascent sector.

Additionally, more and more tourists continue to be drawn by El Salvador's turbulent past.[2] Some of the latest tourist attractions in the former war-torn El Salvador are gun fragments, pictures, combat plans, and mountain hideouts. Since 1992, residents in economically depressed areas are trying to profit from these remains. The mountain town of Perquin was considered the "guerrilla capital." Today it is home to the "Museum of the Revolution," featuring cannons, uniforms, pieces of Soviet weaponry, and other weapons of war once used by the FMLN's (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front) headquarters. Tourists can still see artifacts, pictures, and other items relating to the civil war murders of the six Jesuit priests in the chapel of the University of Central America Jose Simeon Canas (UCA), where the murders took place.

El Salvador continues to grow as an attraction. 40% of El Salvador visitors want to enjoy the sun and the country's beautiful beaches; 38% of El Salvador visitors enjoy the colonial structures and the countries history; and 22% enjoy the nature and El Salvador mountains. According to El Salvador newspaper El Diario De Hoy the top 10 attractions are the beaches in La Libertad, Ruta Las Flores, Suchitoto, Playa Las Flores in San Miguel, La Palma, Santa Ana where you find the country's tallest volcano, Nahuizalco, Apaneca, Juayua, San Ignacio.[3]

Culture

Spanish is the official language of El Salvador, but many locals speak English. The Roman Catholic Church plays an important role in the Salvadoran culture. Important foreign personalities in El Salvador were the Jesuit priests and professors Ignacio Ellacuria, Ignacio Martín-Baró, and Segundo Montes, who were murdered in 1989 by the Salvadoran Army during the heat of the civil war. Painting, ceramics and textile goods are the main manual artistic expressions. Writers Francisco Gavidia (1863–1955), Salarrué (Salvador Salazar Arrué) (1899-1975), Claudia Lars, Alfredo Espino, Pedro Geoffroy, Manlio Argueta, José Roberto Cea, and poet Roque Dalton are among the most important writers to stem from El Salvador. Notable 20th century personages include the late filmmaker Baltasar Polio, artist Fernando Llort, and caricaturist Toño Salazar. Amongst the more renowned representatives of the graphic arts are the painters Noe Canjura, Carlos Cañas, Julia Díaz, Camilo Minero, Ricardo Carbonell, Roberto Huezo, and many others.

The wife of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (author of the children's book, The Little Prince) was a Salvadoran aristocrat, Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry.

The local Spanish vernacular is called Caliche.

Holidays

Date	English name	Local name
January 16	Peace Accords Day	Día de los Acuerdos de Paz	Celebrates the peace accords signing between the government and the guerrilla in 1992 that finished the 12-year civil war. Mostly political events.
March/April	Holy Week/Easter	Semana Santa	Celebrated with Carnival-like events in different cities by the large Catholic population.
May 1	Labor Day	Día del trabajo	International Labour Day
May 10	Mother's Day	Día de las Madres
August 1–7	August Festivals	Fiestas de agosto	Week-long festival in celebration of El Salvador del Mundo, patron saint of El Salvador.
September 15	Independence Day	Día de la Independencia	Celebrates independence from Spain, achieved in 1821.
November 2	Day of the Dead	Día de los Muertos	A day on which most people visit the tombs of deceased loved ones. (November 1 may be commemorated as well.)
November 21	Queen of the Peace Day	Dia de la Reyna de la Paz	Dia de la Reyna de la Paz, patrona de El Salvador para los católicos. And San Miguel Carnival, (carnaval de San Miguel) is the most wonderful party to celebrate in El Salvador, this is celebrate in San Miguel City, is like a Mardi Gras of New Orleans, but you enjoy more or less 45 music bands on the street.
October 12	Day of the Indians	Día de los indios	Celebration in dedication to the Indians (Amerindians).
December 24	Christmas Day	Navidad	In many communities, December 24 (Christmas Eve) is the major day of celebration, often to the point that it is considered the actual day of Navidad — with December 25 serving as a day of rest.

Cuisine

El Salvador's most notable dish is the pupusa. Pupusas are a thick hand-made corn tortilla (made using masa de maíz or masa de arroz, a maize or rice flour dough used in Latin American cuisine) stuffed with one or more of the following: cheese (queso) (usually a soft Salvadoran cheese called Quesillo con loroco), fried pork rind (chicharrón), chicken (pollo), refried beans (frijoles refritos), or/and queso con loroco (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America). New stuffings such as shrimp or ayote are used by adventurous restaurants.

Pupusas are from El Salvador, but immigrants have brought the dish to areas of residence such as California, Virginia, Washington D.C., and other locations, where there are now many pupuserias (a place where pupusas are sold). Pupusas are usually served with curtido (a type of either spicy coleslaw or pickled/vinegared cabbage) and a tomato-based sauce. They are eaten with the fingers.

Pupusas come from the pipil-nahuatl word, pupushahua, which means tortilla filled with cheese, beans, chicharrón (pork), ayote, cream, carrots, etc. They were first eaten by the natives there almost three millennia ago.

Two other typical Salvadoran dishes are yuca frita and pan con pavo. The yuca frita is deep fried and served with curtido with chicharrones (pork cracklings) or pepesquitas (fried baby sardines) on top. The pan con pavo is a turkey submarine sandwich (hoagie). The turkey is marinated and then roasted with Pipil spices and handpulled.

Music

Main article: Music of El Salvador

El Salvador is a Central American country whose culture is a mixture of Pipil and Spanish. Its music includes religious songs (mostly Roman Catholic) used to celebrate Christmas and other holidays, especially feast days of the saints. Satirical and rural lyrical themes are common.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of El Salvador

El Salvador's population numbers around 5.7 million people ^[14]. More than 90% of Salvadorans are mestizo (mixed Native American and Spanish origin). 9% are White; this population is mostly of Spanish descent. There are also some of French, German, Swiss, and Italian descent. El Salvador is 1% indigenous, mostly Pipil and Lenca. Very few Native Americans have retained their native customs, traditions, or languages, especially in the wake of the deliberate 1932 massacres in which the Salvadoran military murdered up to 40,000 peasants.

El Salvador is the only Central American country that has no visible African population because of its lack of an Atlantic coast and access to the slave trade that occurred along the east coast of the continent. In addition, General Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez instituted race laws in 1930 that prohibited blacks from entering the country, this changed during the 1980s and the law was removed. However, Salvadorans with African heritage are present, most notably in San Salvador, the capital and the port city of La Union.^[15]

Among the few immigrant groups that reached El Salvador, Palestinian Christians stand out. Though few in number, their descendants have attained great economic and political power in the country, as evidenced by President Antonio Saca — whose opponent in the 2004 election, Schafik Handal, was likewise of Palestinian descent — and the flourishing commercial, industrial, and construction firms owned by them.

Spanish is the official language and therefore spoken by virtually all inhabitants (some of the indigenous still speak their native tongues). English is also spoken by many throughout the republic since many have studied or lived in English speaking countries (mainly the U.S., but also Canada and Australia).

Although nominally Roman Catholic, Protestantism is growing rapidly and is already more than 20% of the population.^[16] Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist churches are all growing rapidly as are Pentecostals and Mormons.

The capital city of San Salvador has about 2.1 million people; an estimated 42% of El Salvador's population live in rural areas. Urbanization expanded at a phenomenal rate in El Salvador since the 1960s, driving millions to the cities and creating growth problems for cities around the country.

According to the most recent United Nations survey, life expectancy for men was 68 years and 74 years for women. Education in El Salvador is free through ninth grade. The national literacy rate is 84.1%.

As of 2004, there were approximately 3.2 million Salvadorans living outside El Salvador, some of whom are undocumented immigrants in the United States. Many other Salvadoran Americans are legal immigrants, many becoming citizens or residents through the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. The USA has traditionally been the destination of choice for Salvadorans looking for greater economic opportunity. Salvadorans also live in nearby Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The majority of expatriates emigrated during the civil war of the 1980s for political reasons and later because of adverse economic and social conditions.

Notes and references

Bibliography

• Bonner, Raymond. Weakness and Deceit: U.S. Policy and El Salvador. New York: Times Books, 1984.
• Danner, Mark. The Massacre at El Mozote: A Parable of the Cold War. New York: Vintage Books, 1994.
• Vilas, Carlos. Between Earthquakes and Volcanoes: Market, State, and the Revolutions in Central America. New York: Monthly Review Press. 1995.

See also

• Latin American culture
• Military of El Salvador
• Salvador (film)
• Salvadorean diplomatic missions
• Water supply and sanitation in El Salvador
• Scouting in El Salvador
• Salvadoran Civil War

External links

• Encyclopaedia Britannica, El Salvador - Country Page
• El Salvador at the Open Directory Project
• Grupo de Usuarios GNU/Linux de El Salvador (Linux user group El Salvador)
• [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/es.html El Salvador] at The World Factbook

Government sites

• Casa Presidencial (Website of the President)
• Asamblea Legislativa (Website of the Legislative Assembly)
• Ministerio de Defensa Nacional (Ministry of Defense)
• Fuerza Aerea Salvadoreña (Air Force of El Salvador)
• Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Ministry of the Environment and Natural resources)
• Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• Ministerio de Economía (Ministry of the Economy)
• Ministry of Tourism
• Corte Suprema de Justicia (Supreme Court of Justice)
• Procuraduría para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (Office of the judge advocate general for the Defense of Human rights)
• Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador (El Salvador's Central Reserve Bank)

Non-profits working in El Salvador

• Sustainability
• The Foundation for Self- Sufficiency in Central America
• Child Advocacy
• Compassion International

Soccer News

• FutbolGuanaco.com

Salvadorian media

• News sites
• Asociación de Periodistas de El Salvador
• Diario Co Latino
• El Faro
• El Diario de Hoy
• La Prensa Grafica
• Television sites
• Canal 12
• TCS
• Canal 21

Geographic locale

•  • [ e] Countries of Central America Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama  •  • [ e] States and dependencies of Middle America States  —  Dependencies Anguilla (UK) Antigua and Barbuda Aruba (NL) Bahamas Barbados Belize British Virgin Islands (UK) Cayman Islands (UK) Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guadeloupe (FR) Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Martinique (FR) Mexico Montserrat (UK)Netherlands Antilles (NL) Nicaragua Panama Puerto Rico (US) St.-Barthlemy (FR) St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Martin (FR) St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands (UK) US Virgin Islands (US)  •  • [ e] Countries of North America Several nations listed here straddle both North and South America or can also be considered Caribbean Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies Denmark Greenland France Guadeloupe Martinique Saint Barthelemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Netherlands Aruba Netherlands Antilles United Kingdom Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands United States Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands