El Salvador - Tourism and Travel

The Republic of El Salvador is a country in Central America, on the Pacific coast.

With an area of 8,124 square miles (21,041 square kilometers), it El Salvador is the smallest Central American country.

El Salvador has a coastal plain and volcanic mountain ranges that surround a plateau.

Part of the eastern border lies along the Gulf of Fonseca, which, along with Lakes Nicaragua and Managua in Nicaragua, is located in a large rift valley that runs across Central America.

El Salvador's climate is hot along the coast and cooler inland, on the highlands.

Rain is very heavy on the coast during the summer.

The capital of El Salvador is San Salvador.

6,163,000 people live in El Salvador, the vast majority on the central plateau.

94% of the people are mixed white and Native American, 5% are Native American and 1% are white.

Spanish is the official language.

80% of the people are Roman Catholic and 18% are Evangelical Christian.

Coffee, cotton and sugar are the most important crops.

El Salvador has a presidential system of government.

The United States dollar has been the main official currency of El Salvador since 2001.

Previously, the Salvadoran colón, which is equal to 100 centavos, was the official currency. Although it is no longer in circulation, the Salvadoran colón is still considered legal tender.