Geography & Climate
Located in Central America, El Salvador is a total area of 8,123 square miles (about the size of Massachusetts) and is the smallest country in continental America. It gained its Independence on September 15th in 1821. El Salvador shares borders with Guatemala and Honduras. It is the only Central American country that does not have a Caribbean coastline. El Salvador has a tropical Climate with wet and dry seasons. From May to October is considered winter and from November to April is it considered summer.
Government
El Salvador is democratic and representative government made up of three branches:
- Executive branch--president and vice president
- Legislative branch--84-member Legislative Assembly
- Judicial branch--independent (Supreme Court)
- Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN)
- Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA)
- National Conciliation Party (PCN)
- Christian Democratic Party (PDC)
- Democratic Change (CD)
- Great Alliance for National Unity (GANA)
People & Culture
El Salvador has a population of about 6.1 million. Almost 90% of the population is of mixed Indigenous and European, mostly Spanish, descent. Only about 1% of the population is of Indigenous descent.
The country's people are largely Roman Catholic and Protestant. El Salvador’s official language is Spanish, Castilian. The Catholic Church plays an important role in the Salvadorian culture. Painting, ceramics and textiles are the principal manual artistic artistic mediums.
The country's people are largely Roman Catholic and Protestant. El Salvador’s official language is Spanish, Castilian. The Catholic Church plays an important role in the Salvadorian culture. Painting, ceramics and textiles are the principal manual artistic artistic mediums.