El+Salavdor(Asia)

= = = = =//**Republic Of El Salvador**// =

//General Information // = = > T**otal:** 24.3 years **male:** 22.9 years **female:**25.7 years (2011 est.) > ===Population growth rate === > 0.318% (2011 est.)
 * =Capital City =
 * San Salvador
 * =**Population:** =
 * 6,071,774 (July 2011 est.)
 * =Demographics: =
 * ===86% of Salvadorans are mixed with Native Americian Indigenous and European Spanish origin by majority. ===
 * **[[image:hstspanishspeakingcountries4th/x-US_Navy_110718-N-RM525-309_Lt__j_g_Sarah_Blackowicz%2C_from_Manchester%2C_Md_%2C_colors_with_Salvadoran_children_during_a_Continuing_Promise_2011_communi.jpg width="211" height="135" align="left" caption="Salvadoran children during a Continuing Promise 2011"]](Age Structure:) 0-14 years:** 30.6% (male 953,842/female 905,688) **15-64 years:** 63% (male 1,802,113/female 2,021,191) **65 years and over:** 6.4% (male 173,363/female 215,577) (2011 est.)
 * ===Median age ===

Death rate
5.62 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Mestizo 90%, indigenous 1%, Caucasian 9%
//<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">(Source: [])//
 * =<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Religions: =
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 21.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.9%, Mormon 0.7%, other religions 2.3%, none 16.8% (2003 est.)
 * =<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Offical Language: =
 * <span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms',cursive;">Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

=//<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Major Exports/Industries //= =//<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Monetary System //=
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The main export is coffee. El Salvador depends upon its coffee growers for almost a quarter of its exports revenues (22%). Other major exports include paper (6.2%), apparel (5.5%), sugar and honey (5.3%), and medicinal and pharmaceutical products (4.3%).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Industries: food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Mining plays a role in the Salvadoran economy, for just 0.3 percent of the GDP in 1997, with mineral production limited primarily to gypsum, sea salt, and construction materials such as limestone. ====
 * Trade (2010): //Exports//--$4.5 billion: textiles and apparel, ethyl alcohol, coffee, sugar, medicines, iron and steel products, tuna, light manufacturing, and paper products. //Major markets//--U.S. 48%, Central American Common Market (CACM) 35.9%. //Imports//--$8.5 billion: petroleum, iron products, machines and mechanical devices, cars, medicines, consumer goods, foodstuffs, capital goods, and raw industrial materials. //Major suppliers//--U.S. 36.8%, CACM 19.1%.
 * The past monetary system for El Salvador were Colons in a coin form. 100 centavos (cents) equaled one Colon. On January of 2001 El Salvador began using dollars, but still continued to use Colons as well.

=//<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">**Geography** //= //land:// 20,720 sq km //water:// 320 sq km || //border countries:// Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km ||
 * Location: || Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras ||
 * Geographic coordinates: || 13 50 N, 88 55 W ||
 * Map references: || Central America and the Caribbean ||
 * Area: || //total:// 21,040 sq km
 * Area - comparative: || slightly smaller than Massachusetts ||
 * Land boundaries: || //total:// 545 km
 * Coastline: || 307 km ||

//(Source:[])//
= = =<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Climate and Weather = =<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Environment - Current Issues =
 * ====Land is mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau[[image:hstspanishspeakingcountries4th/condition.jpg width="431" height="386" align="left" caption="El Salvadors Average Conditions"]]====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands ====
 * ====<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes ====

= = = = = = = = = =

//<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 210%;">Brief History //


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Indigenous Groups **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">**Colonization** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Independence
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The majority of the El Salvador indigenous population is Nahua-Pipil.They live in the southwestern region in the states of Sonsonate. Much of El Salvador was home to the Pipil, Lenca, and a number of Maya. The Pipil lived in western El Salavdor, spoke Nahuat, and had many settlements there most noticeably the Señorío of Cuzcatlán . The Pipil had no treasure but held land that had rich and Fertile soil, good for farming.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">When the Spanish first ventured into Central America from the colony of Mexico in the early sixteenth century, the area that would become El Salvador was populated by Indians of the Pipil tribe.Under the Spanish colonial empire, El Salvador was part of the Kingdom of Guatemala, which governed most of Central America. The kingdom was a division of the huge region known as the Viceroyalty of New Spain, based in Mexico City, but officials in the Guatemalan capital made most decisions for the kingdom. El Salvador was part of the province of Guatemala until the late 1700s, divided into administrative areas known as alcaldias mayores around the towns of San Salvador, San Miguel, San Vicente, Santa Ana, and Sonsonate.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Independence day is one of the most important days for Salvadorians. In 1821 the declaration of independence was signed by important government people such as Manuel Jose Arce, Jose Simeon Canas and Jose Matias Delgado. They are the ones who gave the first shout of independence on November 5 of 1811 in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. In 1823 Delgado was elected president of the constituent assembly.Because that is so important, every September 15 there is a big celebration that takes places all around El Salvador.Some activities that take place during the celebration are organized by public and private schools and government institutes. At the end of the day, fireworks light up the skies in El Salvador.Parades are the most important activity for the independence celebrations. The parades last the whole day.

//<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 210%;">Government/Current Political Situation //
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Government: Rupublic <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Current Leader: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Political Climate:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Mauricio Funes is the current President of El Salvador. He won the presidential elections in 2009 and assumed office on June 1, 2009. Salvador Sanchez Ceren is the vice president of the country. He assumed office on June1, 2009.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The political situation of the country is the most extreme example of those found through most of Central America. A small group of families are said to control the country, mainly through their control of the security forces, and access to American aid.The election system seems to be designed to prevent people from voting.Thus even those on the register did not vote at the place nearest their homes but at a place designated by alphabetical order of names. The cannot be regarded as a free and fair election
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">El Salvador is a presidential representative democratic republic. The president of the country is both the head of the government and the head of the state. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the Legislative Assembly and the government.

=<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">media type="youtube" key="-v2baFFt6M4" height="315" width="560" align="left"// Culture // = <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">Food: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Clothing:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">If you know even a little about El Salvador, the one dish you would identify with this country would be //**pupusas**//. These are thick tortillas stuffed with ingredients limited only by your imagination. The most common pupusa types are cheese, bean and cheese, or perhaps //chicharron//(pork rind). These are made-to-order right in front of you by women who’ve set up shop on the side of the street and cook them on a portable propane grill.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">//**Tamales**// often eaten on special occasions, as is //chumpe,//turkey stewed in a sauce.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">** //Comida tipica// **, the local food, can be found in hundreds of small stands along streets and dozens of restaurants around the city
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**//Atoles//** are very popular beverages in El Salvador with roots in Mayan cuisine. They are a sort of thick drink often eaten with a Spoon.//(Shown to the left)[[image:hstspanishspeakingcountries4th/elsalvador.jpg width="185" height="227" align="right" caption="Tranditional Dress"]]//

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Women's Traditional Dress
> Traditional dresses were based on a cotton skirt. Beneath the skirt was worn a petticoat decorated with ruffles around the hem. Skirts were worn at ankle length, modestly covering the legs. Topping the skirt was a long-sleeved lace blouse buttoned up to the neck.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">In El Salvador's traditional past, fashionable women could be seen wearing blouses with short, puffy sleeves. Tight skirts covered their curvy figures while bright colored cloths protected their heads.

Men's Tradtional Wear
>> Lace-covered shirts called guayaberas were worn on formal occasions. These shirts can still be seen worn at formal parties, weddings and special events
 * Traditionally, men wore white pants made of cotton with a light-colored or white shirt. To protect their heads from the sun, they wore large hats made of palm leaves. For footwear, sandals were worn to keep the feet protected and cool at the same time.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Sports: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Football(soccer) is the most popular sport in El Salvador and is played throughout the country. Internationally renowned players include Jorge (“El Mágico”) González, who is considered one of the most accomplished footballers in the history of the Central American game, and Jaime (“La Chelona”) Rodríguez, who, with González, led the national team’s memorable run in the 1982 World Cup. Other sports, such as baseball and boxing, are still incipient in El Salvador. Numerous adventure sports are popular, including hiking, fishing, and kayaking.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Holidays/ Celebrations: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Holy Week, March or April: Celebrated before Easter. Salvadorans hold processions during this week. On Easter weekend, most people celebrate by going to church and to the beach.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Music
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">San Salvador Feast (Feast of the Holy Savior), Aug. 3-6: Celebrated with a carnival, fireworks, dancing and parades.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Independence Day, Sept. 15
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Dec. 24, 25: Homes are decorated with elaborate nativity scenes that can fill a whole room, Christmas trees are decorated and children receive presents on Christmas Eve.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Salvadorans enjoy the rhythms of the Caribbean. Guitars, marimbas and drums are used in church services. Most of the music on Salvadoran radio is standard pop fare from the United States, Mexico or other parts of Latin America, but there's a small underground movement of canción (folk music) that draws its inspiration from current events in El Salvador.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Art
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The village of La Palma has become famous for a school of art started by Fernando Llort. His childlike images of mountain villages, rural life and Christ are painted in bright colors on objects ranging from seeds to church walls. The town of Ilobasco is known for its ceramics, while San Sebastián is recognized for its textile arts.Poetry is popular, and well-known writers include Manlio Argueta and Francisco Rodriguez.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">media type="youtube" key="EUxFducYXyk" height="315" width="420" align="right"Dance <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">There is one Dance in particular that is very traditional that goes back many generations. This dance involves a group of twelve men wearing shoes and tuxedos. There is one woman all in white with a immaculate headdress placed on her head. This woman symbolizes the queen and the dane mimics the style of the Spaniards with very robust and lazy moves according to the music. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">An ancient dance that involves battle the dance is “Lenca” in origin. Most of the time you will see this dance performed in the eastern towns of the country. An ancient battle dance that involves four to twelve men carrying a long lance that is vibrantly decorated with metal curls.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The Dance of Chapetones
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The Dance Of the Lance

//<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 210%;">Tourism //
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">El Salvador is one of Central America’s favourite vacation spot and now that Lonely Planet voted El Salvador as one of the top 10 countries to visit in 2010!
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">Beaches are VERY POPULAR in the country[[image:hstspanishspeakingcountries4th/beaches.jpg width="264" height="262" align="left" caption="One of the many beaches"]].

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Los Planes de Renderos[[image:hstspanishspeakingcountries4th/planes-noche3.gif align="left"]]
Los Planes de Renderos is one of the nicest views of the south of the city of San Salvador. Los Planes (as everybody refers to the area) is one of the favorite hangouts for both people visting and locals, especially during the weekend, because of its nice cool climate. Los Planes de Renderos is a place where lots of activities are held. It is very famous for the many "pupuserias" small diners that make pupusas, Salvadorian typical snack.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">La Puerta del Diablo[[image:hstspanishspeakingcountries4th/alba.jpg align="left"]]
La Puerta del Diablo is also very popular for rapelling down the cliff.
 * La Puerta del Diablo, another great attraction. We like going to Puerta del Diablo to see the sights.
 * At an altitude of 1250m above sea level, this area offers excellent sights of the Pacific Coastline, the village of Panchimalco.Panchimalco is an indigenous village where you can still find people walking around in their native dre

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 210%;">Current Events //

[] SAN SALVADOR –The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention* urged the Government of El Salvador to ensure that the right to security does not override the right to be free from arbitrary detention. The Working Group raised serious concern about the extreme over-crowding in prisons and police detention facilities. [] =Sister bringing brother's ashes from St. John's to El Salvador=
 * El Salvador: Right To Security Must Not Override Right To Be Free From Arbitrary Detention, Urges UN Expert Body**

Carlos Escobar Medina died in a fire on Springdale Street in St. John's last November
The sister of a Central American man who died in a house fire in St. John's last year is preparing to return home to El Salvador with his ashes. Carlos Escobar Medina died in a fire on Springdale Street in St. John's last November Escobar said a funeral service for her brother is scheduled to take place when she returns to El Salvador. //<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 210%;">Sources // [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []