El Salvador

This article is about the country in Central America. For other uses, see El Salvador (disambiguation).

Republic of El Salvador
República de El Salvador (Spanish)
Motto: Dios, Unión, Libertad
"God, Union, Liberty"
Anthem: Himno Nacional de El Salvador
"National Anthem of El Salvador"
Location of El Salvador
Location of El Salvador
Capital
and largest city
San Salvador
13°41′56″N 89°11′29″W / 13.69889°N 89.19139°W / 13.69889; -89.19139
Official languagesSpanish[a]
Recognized languagesNawat[b]
Ethnic groups
[2]
Religion
(2017)[3]
  • 15.2% no religion
  • 0.7% other
Demonym(s)Salvadoran
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
• President
Nayib Bukele
Félix Ulloa
LegislatureLegislative Assembly
Independence
15 September 1821
• Declared from the First Mexican Empire
1 July 1823
• Declared from the
Federal Republic of
Central America
30 January 1841
• International recognition[4]
18 February 1841
Area
• Total
21,041 km2 (8,124 sq mi) (148th)
• Water (%)
1.5
Population
• 2024 census
6,029,976[5] (109th)
• Density
324.4/km2 (840.2/sq mi) (26th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $84.220 billion[6] (107th)
• Per capita
Increase $13,173[6] (114th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $35.848 billion[6] (104th)
• Per capita
Increase $5,607[6] (108th)
Gini (2022)Steady 38.8[7]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.674[8]
medium (127th)
Currency
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
Drives onright
Calling code+503[d]
ISO 3166 codeSV
Internet TLD.sv
  1. ^ The official language of El Salvador is established in the Article 62 of the Constitution of 1983 to be Castilian.[1]
  2. ^ English is also an academic language in public schools. For more information, see Languages of El Salvador.
  3. ^ The U.S. dollar is the currency in use.[needs update] Financial information can be expressed in U.S. dollars and in Salvadoran colóns, but the colón is out of circulation.[9]
  4. ^ Telephone companies (market share): Tigo (45%), Claro (25%), Movistar (24%), Digicel (5.5%), Red (0.5%).

El Salvador,[a] officially the Republic of El Salvador,[b] is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is San Salvador. The country's population in 2024 was estimated to be 6 million according to a government census.[5]

Among the Mesoamerican nations that historically controlled the region are the Mayans,[12] and then the Cuzcatlecs.[13] Archaeological monuments also suggest an early Olmec presence around the first millennium BC.[14] In the beginning of the 16th century, the Spanish Empire conquered the Central American territory, incorporating it into the Viceroyalty of New Spain ruled from Mexico City. However the Viceroyalty of New Spain had little to no influence in the daily affairs of the isthmus, which was colonized in 1524. In 1609, the area was declared the Captaincy General of Guatemala by the Spanish, which included the territory that would become El Salvador until its independence from Spain in 1821. It was forcibly incorporated into the First Mexican Empire, then seceded, joining the Federal Republic of Central America in 1823. When the federation dissolved in 1841, El Salvador became a sovereign state, then formed a short-lived union with Honduras and Nicaragua called the Greater Republic of Central America, which lasted from 1896 to 1898.[15][16][17]

From the late 19th to the mid-20th century, El Salvador endured chronic political and economic instability characterized by coups, revolts, and a succession of authoritarian rulers. Persistent socioeconomic inequality and civil unrest culminated in the Salvadoran Civil War from 1979 to 1992, fought between the military-led government backed by the United States, and a coalition of left-wing guerrilla groups. The conflict ended with the Chapultepec Peace Accords. This negotiated settlement established a multiparty constitutional republic, which remains in place to this day. During the civil war and afterwards, large numbers of Salvadorans emigrated to the United States. From 1980 through 2008, nearly one million Salvadorans immigrated to the United States, such that by 2008, they were the sixth largest immigrant group in the US.[18]

El Salvador's economy has historically been dominated by agriculture, beginning with the Spanish taking control of the indigenous cacao crop in the 16th century, with production centred in Izalco, along with balsam from the ranges of La Libertad and Ahuachapán. This was followed by a boom in use of the indigo plant in the 19th century, mainly for its use as a dye.[19][20] Thereafter the focus shifted to coffee, which by the early 20th century accounted for 90% of export earnings.[21][22] El Salvador has since reduced its dependence on coffee and embarked on diversifying its economy by opening up trade and financial links and expanding the manufacturing sector.[23] The colón, the currency of El Salvador since 1892, was replaced by the United States dollar in 2001.[24] As of 2019 economic improvements had led to El Salvador experiencing the lowest level of income inequality among nearby countries. Among 77 countries included in a 2021 study, El Salvador had one of the least complex economies for doing business.[25]

  1. ^ "Constitución de la República de El Salvador (1983), art. 62" (PDF) (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  2. ^ "VI Censo de población y V de vivienda 2007" (PDF) (in Spanish). Dirección General de Estadística y Censos. p. 336. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  3. ^ "International Religious Freedom Report for 2017: El Salvador". www.state.gov. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2018. For percentages it cites the Institute of Public Opinion of the University of Central America May 2017 survey.
  4. ^ David Scott FitzGerald (22 April 2014). Culling the Masses. Harvard University Press. p. 363. ISBN 978-0-674-36967-2. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  5. ^ a b Alemán, Uveli (29 October 2024). "El Salvador Tiene Más de 6.02 Millones de Habitantes, 5% Más que Hace 17 Años, Según Censo de Población" [El Salvador Has More Than 6.02 Million Residents, 5% More Than 17 Years Ago, According to Population Census]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024 Edition. (El Salvador)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Gini Index coefficient". The World Factbook. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Main Aspects of the Law". Archived from the original on 8 July 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2007.
  10. ^ "Bitcoin, now legal tender in El Salvador, greeted with tech problems, volatility concerns". CBC News. AP News. 7 September 2021. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Bitcoin suffers hefty loss after chaotic El Salvador debut". Global News. Reuters. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Joya De Ceren Archaeological Park". FUNDAR. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  13. ^ Campbell, Lyle (1985). The Pipil Language of El Salvador. Mouton Publishers. p. 9.
  14. ^ Kelly, Joyce (1996). An Archaeological Guide to Northern Central America: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-8061-2861-0. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  15. ^ Boland, Roy (1 January 2001). Culture and Customs of El Salvador. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-313-30620-4.
  16. ^ Ihrie, Maureen; Oropesa, Salvador (20 October 2011). World Literature in Spanish: An Encyclopedia [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 332. ISBN 978-0-313-08083-8. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  17. ^ Haskin, Jeanne M. (2012). From Conflict to Crisis: The Danger of U.S. Actions. Algora Publishing. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-87586-961-2. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  18. ^ Terrazas, Aaron Terrazas Aaron (5 January 2010). "Salvadoran Immigrants in the United States in 2008". migrationpolicy.org. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  19. ^ Tommie Sue Montgomery (1995). Revolution in El Salvador: From Civil Strife to Civil Peace. Westview Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-8133-0071-9.
  20. ^ Murray, Kevin (1 January 1997). El Salvador: Peace on Trial. Oxfam. pp. 8–. ISBN 978-0-85598-361-1.
  21. ^ Boland, Roy (1 January 2001). Culture and Customs of El Salvador. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-313-30620-4.
  22. ^ Pearcy, Thomas L. (2006). The History of Central America. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-313-32293-8. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  23. ^ Foley, Erin; Hapipi, Rafiz (2005). El Salvador. Marshall Cavendish. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-7614-1967-9. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  24. ^ "Main Aspects of the Law". Archived from the original on 8 July 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2007. bcr.gob.sv
  25. ^ Barrera, Jose (15 September 2021). "El Salvador está entre las 10 economías menos complejas para hacer negocios". Diario El Mundo. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.


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