El Salvador

El Salvador (Republica de El Salvador)is a republic in Central America, bounded to its west by Guatemals, to its north and east ny Honduras and to its south by the Pacific Ocean. It has an area of 8,124 sq miles (21,041 sq km) and a population (2006) of 6.8 million. The capital is San Salvador (1998 pop 1.2 million).

Topography

El Salvador is largely mountainous, formed of numerous extinct volcanoes.

History

El Salvador was conquered by Spanish invaders under Pedro de Alvarado in 1626; the name given to the new territory means 'the Saviour' (a reference to Christ). In 1821 the area became independent of Spain, as part first of Mexico and from, 1823 as part of the United Provinces of Central America. This federal state was dissolved in 1838 and El Salvador became a sovereign republic.

In 1979 a long period of military rule was ended and a Constituent Assembly elected in 1982. Subsequently the elctoral process was boycotted by the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) left-wing group which waged a guerilla war against the government until 1992. In elections in 2000 FMLN became the largest party in the Salvadorean legislature.

The current president of El Salvador is Elias Antonio Saca.

Economy

Traditionally the Salvadorean economy has been based on the cultivation and export of coffee. This led to the building up of large agricultural estates and concentration of wealth in the hands of a coffee-based oligarchy.

Abortion

Abortion is illegal in all cases in El Salvador.