El Salvador is the smallest Central American country by geographical area, though it is the third most populous of the seven nations. Pinned between Guatemala and Honduras, it has a relatively long Pacific coastline. Following is some information about the nation, and about El Salvador travel attractions.
El Salvador, Central America Geography
With just over 8,000 square miles, El Salvador beats out Belize as the smallest nation in Central America. Guatemala is to its west and northwest, Honduras is to its east and northeast, and the Pacific Ocean lies to its south.
The country is mountainous, with a central plateau, and some lowland, flat areas around the coast. It is a tropical nation, with a designated rainy season from May to October, and a dry season from November to April. Like many other Central American countries, El Salvador has many volcanoes, and much of the landscape is occupied by tropical forest, some of which has been cleared to make way for farmland.
Brief History of El Salvador
Originally inhabited by indigenous Americans, El Salvador fell under Spanish control after the arrival of Columbus in the New World. Like other nations in the region, it broke away from Spain in 1821, and became its own republic. In the late 1900s, a civil war saw the government battling leftist rebels, and the conflict, ending in 1992, cost about 75,000 lives.
People of El Salvador
With over 6 million residents, El Salvador is the third most populous country in Central America after Guatemala and Honduras. About 2/3 of its people live in urban areas, whereas most of the rest live in rural areas where farming is the prominent industry. The capital of El Salvador, San Salvador, a city with a metropolitan population of around 2,100,000, is the largest city in the country, located in the central-western part of the nation. Most tourists in El Salvador use hotels in the capital city, which is by far its largest settlement.
Approximately 90% of Salvadorans are mestizo (of mixed American Indian and European, mostly Spanish background), about 9% are of European descent, and around 1% of the population is American Indian. Although farming (for coffee, sugar, rice, cotton, corn, beans, and more, as well as beef products) is a major industry in rural areas (employing about 19% of the national population), the sector only accounts for about 11% of the nation's GDP; manufacturing and public services make up most of the rest of the national profit.
Travel In El Salvador, Central America
El Salvador's capital city, San Salvador is a cultural hotspot. Plenty of hotels and accommodations are available within it, and it serves not only as a travel hub, but as a tourist destination itself; with beautifully constructed churches and squares, traces of the country's heavy Spanish influence still remain after hundreds of years in this city, and remarkable local food may be sampled by tourists visiting San Salvador. Elsewhere in the country, natural attractions are vast and wonderful. Wildlife abounds in the jungled mountains of El Salvador, and nature hikes or volcano hikes are great outdoor recreations for visitors. The coast provides great fun for beachgoers, surfers, and fishermen, and anyone else may have a blast simply taking in the beauty of El Salvador's beaches.
El Salvador, though very small in size, is rich in culture and natural beauty. Travel in the nation revolves around the friendliness of its people and the many attractions found within it.
Thomas Wyatt - Tom Wyatt grew up in Virginia. He has been interested in the outdoors (fishing, birding, camping, and other such activities) since he was ...
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