-
In 1525, Pedro de Alvarado, one of Hernan Cortes's men, conquered El Salvador.
-
El Salvador is located in Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean. It lies between Guatamala and Honduras. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season in May and a dry season beginning in November. While the coast is tropical, the uplands have a more temperate climate. The Terrain is mostly mountains with a central plateau.
-
In 1821, El Salvador achieved independence from Spain.
-
In 1839, El Salvador gained independence from the Central American Federation.
-
From 1931 to 1979, El Salvador was ruled by military dictatorships.
-
In 1971, the population of El Salvador was 3,549,000.
-
In 1980, a civil war broke out in El Salvador. The conflict was between the government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN). More than 75,000 were killed before the war ended in 1990.
-
In 1988, the estimated population was 5,389,000.
-
90% of the people in El Salvador are Mestizo, 9% are white, and 1% are Amerindian. Roman Catholic makes up more than half of the population's religion at 57% with Protestant and Jehovah's Witness making up the rest.
-
El Salvador has the third largest economy in the region. It has embarked on a wave of privatizations like telecom, electricity distribution, banking, and pension funds. They are responsible for exports of processed foods, sugar, and ethanol. Services make up 58% of the economy, industry makes up 30% and agriculture makes up the rest.
-
Many international disputes effect El Salvador. The International Court of Justice ruled on the delimitation of disputed areas called "Bolsones" along the El Salvador boundary. Drugs are a major issue here as well, both uses and traffiking, significantly uses of cocaine.
-
El Salvador has a republic government and there are 14 Administrative divisions. The legal system contains a civil law system with minor common law influence, and judicial review of legislative acts happens in the Supreme Court.
