Portal:El Salvador

Republic of El Salvador
*República de El Salvador* (Spanish)
Republic of El Salvador República de El Salvador (Spanish)
	Flag Coat of arms
	Motto: "Dios, Unión, Libertad" (Spanish); English: "God, Union, Liberty"
	Anthem: Himno Nacional de El Salvador; (English: "National Anthem of El Salvador")
ISO 3166 code	SV

The El Salvador portal

El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, 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. El Salvador's population in 2024 was estimated to be 6 million.

Among the Mesoamerican nations that historically controlled the region are the Maya, and then the Cuzcatlecs. Archaeological monuments also suggest an early Olmec presence around the first millennium BC. 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. It then formed a short-lived union with Honduras and Nicaragua called the Greater Republic of Central America, which lasted from 1896 to 1898. (Full article...)

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El Salvador sent a delegation to compete in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the country's fifth successive appearance in the Summer Paralympics since debuting at the 2000 Summer Paralympics. The Salvadoran delegation to Rio consisted of one athlete, powerlifter Herbert Aceituno, who qualified for the Games through his world ranking of 13th and his participation was confirmed by the International Paralympic Committee in August 2016. He failed to lift 185 kilograms (408 lb) in three attempts during the men's 72 kg tournament and was therefore not ranked in the final standings by the judges. (Full article...)

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Image 1Two lions at El Salvador's national zoo
Image 2A view of Chinameca, a stratovolcano
Image 3A view of San Miguel, El Salvador
Image 4Usulután, a stratovolcano in central El Salvador
Image 5A view of El Imposible National Park
Image 6Aerial view of Coatepeque Caldera
Image 7A landslide caused by one of the 2001 El Salvador earthquakes
Image 8The cathedral of Santa Ana, El Salvador
Image 9Llano del Muerto waterfall in Perquín municipality
Image 10Meanguera del Golfo island and Pirigallo island
Image 11A view of volcanoes near Usulután, El Salvador, by NASA Earth Observatory
Image 12U.N. map of El Salvador
Image 13A street view in Usulután

WikiProjects

Wikipedia:WikiProject Central America

El Salvador news

July 31, 2025 –: The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador abolishes presidential term limits, increases presidential terms from 5 to 6 years, and moves the date of the next presidential election from 2029 to 2027. (BBC News)
July 21, 2025 – El Salvador–Venezuela relations: The Venezuelan attorney general's office opens a formal investigation into Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele and his government's alleged mistreatment of Venezuelan migrants detained in the United States and sent to the CECOT megaprison, built to hold alleged gang members. (AP)
July 18, 2025 – March 2025 American deportations of Venezuelans: The governments of El Salvador, the United States, and Venezuela conduct a prisoner swap involving over 200 Venezuelans incarcerated at the Terrorism Confinement Center in exchange for the release of ten Americans from Venezuelan custody. (Reuters)
June 6, 2025 – Deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia: Kilmar Abrego Garcia returns to the United States, two months after being mistakenly deported to El Salvador and spending time at the CECOT prison. He now faces criminal charges in Tennessee for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants. (ABC News)
April 17, 2025 – Deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia: U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen meets with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador to push for his release after being denied a meeting hours earlier by the Salvadoran government. (Politico)
April 14, 2025 – Democratic backsliding in the United States, El Salvador–United States relations: U.S. President Donald Trump suggests deporting United States citizens to the controversial Terrorism Confinement Center prison in El Salvador, despite the unconstitutionality of the proposal. (NBC News)

Did you know...

...that El Salvador is one of the most densely populated countries in Latin America, and also one of the most industrialized?
...that El Salvador uses the U.S. Dollar as its currency?
...that the department of Sonsonate is known for its coconuts?
...that Roque Dalton, one of El Salvador's most beloved writers, was imprisoned and persecuted by the Salvadoran Communist Guerrilla?
...that El Salvador and Honduras fought a war in 1969?