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=El Salvador= El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Latin America. El Salvador's National anthem is entitled "Saludemos la Patria Orgullosos" (We Proudly Salute the Fatherland). Its lyrics can be found on [|this] website. El Salvador borders Guatemala on the west and Honduras on the north and east. On the south, El Salvador has a 191 miles long coastline on the Pacific Ocean. It is the only Central American country without a Caribbean coastline. Its capital, and largest city, is San Salvador. San Salvador’s absolute location is 13°40'N 89°10'W. Santa Ana is the second largest city, situated in a mountain basin in the northwest. The country’s third largest city is San Miguel, in the east. Then there is Nueva San Salvador, a few miles west of the capital, and Ahuachapán, in the west near the border with Guatemala. According to the 1992 census, the population of El Salvador is 5,118,599. In 1996 the population was estimated to be about 6.9 million people. Their currency is the US dollar, since 2001. The major languages are Spanish, and a few Native American languages, such as Lenca, Pipil, and Kekchí. People with important jobs in business, government, and academia know English. The major religions are Roman Catholic (91%) and many Evangelical Protestant groups (8%). The life expectancy in El Salvador is 68 years for males, and 75 years for females. The ethnic groups in El Salvador are Mestizo (90%), people with European descent, mostly Spanish, (1%), and Native American (9%). (This information was found on [|Encarta].)



Rocky Pacific coastline Lempa river, the largest river, navigable for commercial traffic, flows from Honduras across El Salvador to the ocean. Izalco volcano, called the “lighthouse of the Pacific” because its frequent eruptions can be seen far out in the ocean Lake Ilopango, El Salvador's largest natural Lake (65 sq mi)

El Salvador climate is tropical, with different temperatures depending on the altitude. The Pacific coastal plains are hot, average 83°F, with relatively low humidity. On mountain elevation between 2,000-4,000 feet there is a semitropical, spring like climate. Above 4,000 feet the average temperature is about 64°F, with occasional near freezing temperatures. From May to October there is heavy rain, with an average 80” rainfall. The rest of the year is very dry and some parts of the country are in danger of becoming desert. Tazumal, a short bus ride from Santa Ana, is the main archeological site in El Salvador. The central pyramid was built by the Maya, probably over a period of 750 years. After the fall of the Mayan empire, the Pipil occupied and enlarged the site. Tazumal was abandoned around 1200 AD.

El Salvador is a republic governed under the constitution of 1991. The president is popularly elected for a five year term, and cannot be reelected. The vice president takes his/her place if the president dies or is removed during office.There is a National Assembly with 60 members elected for 3 years. The main political parties are the National Republican Alliance (ARENA), the Christian Democratic party (PCD), and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN).

[|Rainforest] El Salvador has only 2% of the primary forest remaining in all Latin America. All that is left of the original forest in El Salvador is a 9,000acres dry tropical forest in the Bosque El Imposible National Park, located on the costal mountain range in the department of Ahuachapan, in the southwest neat the Guatemala border.The coffee farms surrounding the park are trying to take away land from the forest.

[|Govenment Oficcials] President—Elias Antonio Saca Vice President—Ana Vilma Albanez De Escobar Mister of Foreign Relations—Francisco Lainez Ambassador to the United States—Rene Antonio Rodriguez Leon Representative to the OAS—Abigail Castro De Perez Representative to the UN—Carmen Maria Gallardo de Hernandez

The cheapest direct [|flight] from Newark airport to Comalapa international airport in San Salvador costs $496. 1525 -- The Spanish Captain Pedro de Alvarado conquered El Salvador. It took three years of war to crush the rebellions of Pipil and Lenca Indigenous peoples.
 * Timeline**

1828 -- El Salvador became a Spanish colony. Spain ruled the country for nearly 300 years, until 1821.

1821 – El Salvador, together with Mexico and the other Central American countries, declared independence from Spain. First it became part of the Mexican empire, then of the United Provinces of Central America, including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

1841 – The Republic of El Salvador was founded.

1931 – About 30,000 people were killed in the peasant rebellion led by Farabundo Martí. Extreme poverty and injustice caused this rebellion. In El Salvador three quarters of all the land was owned by only 2% of the population. The powerful landowners were mostly of European descent.

1979 – Civil war started between the government, ruled by the right wing National Conciliation Party (PCN), and the antigovernment guerrilla units led by Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). Between 1979 and 1981 30,000 people were killed by right wing death squads backed by the military.

1992 – A peace treaty between the government and the guerrilla forces formally ended the civil war that killed about 75,000 people in 12 years.

1998 – Hurricane Mitch devastated the country, leaving behind over 2,000 dead and 30,000 homeless.

2001 – Major earthquakes struck El Salvador in the winter, and a severe summer drought destroyed 80% of the crops, causing famine in the countryside.

2004 – Antonio Saca was elected president.

2006 – El Salvador was the first country in Central America to implement a free trade agreement with the United States (CAFTA).

Information found on http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107489.html

The current time in El Salvador is: media type=