EL SALVADOR
EL SALVADOR
Common misconception is that a holiday in the Republic of El Salvador is a holiday in a danger zone not a tropical paradise. Perhaps it’s all the association to notorious gang violence and crimes. That El Salvador is a danger zone cannot be further from the truth, but for another reason – natural calamities like earthquakes, flood, and mudslides that critically affected El Salvador and other countries in Central America in the last quarter of 2011.
After all, Central America is the region the UN believes to be most affected by climate change. Nonetheless, El Salvador, or “The Savior” in Spanish, is a land blessed with stunning volcanic landscapes and remarkably gorgeous people, like Christy Turlington. The warmth of its people, the sophistication of a culture, and the staggering natural beauty of such a tiny island has newcomers bowled over in awe.
GEOGRAPHY
The Republic of El Salvador (13 50 N, 88 55 W) in Central America is a tiny tropical land of only 21,041 km2, the smallest in Central America, bordered by the North Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, and Honduras. El Salvador is also the only Central American country without a coastline in the Caribbean.
This country holds a volcanic landscape of predominantly mountainous terrain that dips at a central plateau meanwhile lined by a narrow coastal belt, thus called the Land of Volcanoes. The highest point is Cerro El Pital, the apex of which is measured 2,730 m above sea level. El Salvador, as a result, is hit hard with volcanic activity including volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
CLIMATE
The humbly-sized country of El Salvador is also vulnerable to hurricane attacks. El Salvador still has that delightful tropical climate with two seasons: the rainy season (May – October) and dry season (November – April). The weather and temperatures differ depending on altitude, as in the coast enjoys a warm tropical climate as opposed to temperate in higher altitudes.
PEOPLE
Salvadorans are a stunning group of people. The population of Salvadorans numbers 6 million of predominantly mixed Native American and European ethnicity called mestizos. El Salvador’s white (European) demographic that consists more or less 10% of the entire population are largely Spanish. At the same time, there also are other Europeans are white of Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, and Danish, as well as immigrants that arrived as refugees during World War II, and other immigrants as Russians, Americans, Canadians and Australians. Only about 1% remain indigenous to El Salvador.
LANGUAGE
SPANISH (CENTRAL AMERICAN) is the current de facto language of El Salvador spoken by nearly all Salvadorans. The national and official language Spanish has about 5.9 million speakers, many of which use the vernacular form Caliche. There are 6 listed languages in El Salvador, with one extinct and has no speakers. Other local languages include PIPIL, LENCA, and KEKCHI. Like ENGLISH, GERMAN, FRENCH, and DUTCH are taught in private schools as second languages.
RELIGION
Religion in El Salvador is as diverse as the ethnic makeup, although the majority of Salvadorans are Christians – Roman Catholic mostly. Protestants represent more than a quarter of the population, around half of the Catholic population, as in Mormonism and Pentecostalism, while non-Christian religions remain a minority, including religions such as Judaism and Islam.
ATTRACTIONS
Tourism is a most important priority in El Salvador. Natural beauty and history abound across this stunning piece of land. Imagine the rapid recovery the nation demands after the succession of natural disasters and political unrest. History has given the tiny country of El Salvador, a great part of the Mayan civilization, a plethora of archaeological sites from famous ones in UNESCO World Heritage Joya de Cerén, San Andres, Tazumal, to non-popular ones like the lesser Mayan site of Casablanca.
Nature continues to be good to El Salvador blessing them forth with reserves such as the Cerro Verde National Park, breathtaking volcanic lakes as in Ilopango and Coatepeque, and stunning beaches that draw lazy sun worshippers and adrenaline junkies alike. Costa del Sol and the surrounding resorts like the famous Punta Roca in La Libertad in the Pacific coast draw hoards of surfers, and conveniently at that, being a short and sweet 90-minute drive from the capital.
Enjoy the most up-to-date facilities like tennis courts and swimming pools in the small complex of bungalows and tree houses in Teopan resort amidst staggering sights of the aforementioned extinct crater lake of Coatepeque, home to hundreds of birds and other wildlife, and more similarly eccentric towns and places all over. A hunger for culture would drag your curious mind to the capital city San Salvador and exploring the pretty Ruta de las Flores, the historical Palacio Nacional, or the revelatory Biblioteca Nacional for a deeper getting-to-know.
FOOD
No acquaintance is most gratifying than an introduction to Salvadoran cuisine. Through its abundant cultural European, North American, and Asian influences, Salvadorans know their way around food from grill, fry, simmer, boil, poach, braise, to bake. Characteristic of Latin American cuisine, Salvadoran food makes use of , rice, beans, corn, and root crops- a lot!
From tortilla snacks like pupusa or stuffed corn tortilla, tamal de elote or cornflour batter with filling, and típico salvadoreño, a standard breakfast including corn tortilla, Salvadorans are a “corny” bunch you’ll find. At the other end of the Salvadoran gastronomic spectrum, desserts like the most celebrated platanos fritos - fried plantains with toppings that can vary to include cream, condensed milk, strawberry sauce, etc.
Josh Boorman
Editor-in-chief
Backpacking Addictz
Twitter: @backpackaddictz
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