From ancient Mayan ruins, active volcanoes and alarming crime statistics, these are the most interesting facts about El Salvador.
Fast facts
Official name: Republic of El Salvador
Capital city: San Salvador
Population: 6,602,304
Area: 21,041 sq km
Major languages: Spanish, Nawat
Time zone: UTC-6 (Central Time Zone)
Interesting facts about El Salvador
1. El Salvador is the smallest country by land area in Central America.
2. With 310 people per sq km of land area, El Salvador is the most densely-populated country on the mainland of the Americas. Only the Caribbean island nations of the region are more densely populated.
3. Even though it’s the smallest country in Central America by land area, El Salvador has a population that is approximately 15.76 larger than Belize.
4. Paleo-Indian people have inhabited El Salvador for as long as 10,000 years. Cave paintings from the period have been discovered in the modern region of Morazána in the towns of Corinto and Cacaopera.
5. El Salvador was also inhabited by the Mayans for approximately 750 years from around 100-200 AD to 600-900 AD. The most impressive archaeological site in the country is the Tazumal complex – the only remains of the ancient Mayan city of Chalchuapa.
6. El Salvador was under the control of Spain after explorer Pedro de Alvarado conquered the area in 1524. However, there was ongoing indigenous resistance until 1540 when the country officially became a Spanish colony until 1821.
7. El Salvador was given its name – which means ‘The Savior,’ referring to Jesus Christ – by the Spanish.
8. El Salvador was initially incorporated into the Mexican empire. Then, in 1823, El Salvador joined the United Provinces of Central America, which also included Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras.
9. El Salvador’s flag descends from the flag used by the United Provinces of Central America which consisted of blue-white-blue stripes along with the national coat of arms in the centre. The countries of Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica all use permutations of that design in their modern flags.
10. The coat of arms in the centre of the flag of El Salvador also resembles the coat of arms used by the former Central American federation. It contains branches, flags, green mountains, and the national motto “Dios, unión, libertad” (“God, union, liberty”).
11. In 1840 El Salvador became completely independent after the United Provinces of Central America was dissolved.
12. During the Salvadoran Civil War from 1980 to 1992, government forces were responsible for the deaths of over 75,000 civilians.
13. The USA was involved in the conflict, providing funding and military training to Salvadoran ‘death squads’ who were responsible for a number of atrocities. One of the most notable was the El Mozote massacre where over 1,200 men, women and children were killed by the Salvadoran military.
14. El Salvador’s position on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ makes it prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. As such it is known as the ‘Land of Volcanoes’.
15. Some of the worst earthquakes struck the country in 2001 killing 1,200 people and rendering another one million homeless.
16. El Salvador has over 800 animal species, of which almost half are butterflies. There are over 330 resident bird species and 170 migratory bird species. Additionally, there is an estimated 200 mammal species.
17. El Salvador is a world-class surfing destination and has hosted world surfing events. The country’s most notorious wave is Punta Roca which was featured in the iconic 70s surf movie Big Wednesday.
18. El Salvador has lost about 85% of its native forests since the 1960s, outpacing the global rate of deforestation.
19. Around 90 animal species in El Salvador are in danger of extinction. These include marine turtles, armadillos and at least 15 species of hummingbird.
20. One of the most shocking facts about El Salvador is that it is one of the 24 countries in the world where abortion is illegal under all circumstances, even if the woman is raped. The law is applied mercilessly at times with instances of women who have had a miscarriage or a stillbirth being charged with murder or attempted murder.
21. El Salvador has one of the highest murder rate in the world. However, the government reported that murders in 2023 fell by 70% as they cracked down on gang activity.
22. In August 2019, El Salvador celebrated only its eighth murder-free day since 2000. The last time it previously went a full day without a murder was January 2017, then January 2015, with another in 2013 and two in 2012.
23. El Salvador is the only Central American country without a Caribbean coast.
24. El Salvador currently has just one UNESCO World Heritage Site. Joya de Cerén is an archaeological site containing the remains of a pre-hispanic farming village that was buried beneath a volcanic eruption in AD 600.
25. El Salvador has never won an Olympic medal. It has also never participated in the Winter Olympics.
26. El Salvador fought the ‘100 Hour War’ – sometimes referred to as La guerra del fútbol (The Football War) – with neighboring Honduras in 1969. Existing tensions between the countries coincided with rioting during a 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifier. The four-day conflict cost thousands of lives and uprooted thousands more.
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.