El Salvador Facts

Some facts about my favorite Central American country...

• El Salvador is the smallest (about the size of Massachusetts) and most densely populated country in Central America (6.1 million people)
• El Salvador is on the Pacific Ocean, bordered by Honduras and Guatemala.
• El Salvador started using the U.S. dollar in 2001 along with Ecuador and Panama to curb inflation.
• Last week, Santa Ana was nearly 9 degrees cooler than Baltimore!
• El Salvador is prone to natural disasters, and had two major earthquakes in 2001, resulting in over 1000 deaths. The remnants of the earthquakes can be seen throughout the country.
• Approximately 25% of El Salvador's population lives in the United States, working here to support their families back home. Large populations of Salvadorans live in LA and DC.
• El Salvador's religious population is Catholic 52% and Protestant 27%.
• The El Salvador beaches are known for great surfing conditions.
• Traditional Salvadoran cuisine includes pupusas- thick corn meal stuffed with cheese and beans. The food is not spicy, consists of rice and beans at each meal, and it is delicious!