makawao_kane
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- EDITED -
This is some of my personal experiences living in El Salvador:
We love going out dancing, to concerts, meeting with friends, eating out. We love seafood, and spend a lot of time at the beach. (click on the first link below for a slide show of some of the things we do for fun!)
We are now in Lent (Semana Santa), and spend a lot of time in church (the country is 90% catholic, and as such, is very church oriented).
Surfing has now come into our culture, and many of us enjoy riding waves. El Salvador has some of the best surfing beaches in the world.
We are avid sports fans, and are open to many sports, including Polo, swimming, boxing, judo, basketball, baseball, etc. As with most of the countries around the world, Soccer is our national sport.
Gardening is very much enjoyed, and you will often see people who live in apartments that will have a few potted plants that they fiercely take care of.
There are also the local fiestas (celebrations), celebrating local saints, cities, holidays. We even have our own Carnival (El Carnaval de San Miguel).
We are a poor but proud people. We share what we have, and embrace those around us. We are hardworking, and dedicated.
I feel a void in my heart when those who visit El Salvador can not get past the gangs (as if we were the ones to have invented the concept of gangs) and poverty. They come to El Salvador and see how different from their lives things are but fail to see the beauty of the people. Instead of respecting the differences, they criticize them. It is a great shame.
I hope things change.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9E_Lub3X...
http://www.elsalvador.com/especiales/200...
http://www.elsalvador.com/
Had a civil war which lasted 12 years (1980-1992). Peace Accords were signed in Mexico on January 16, 1992
Its the smallest country in Central America (slightly smaller than the US state of Massachusetts)
Despite its small size, it has the third largest economy in Central America
El Salvador's offical language is Spanish
Its the only Latin American country that has troops in Iraq
It has used the US dollar as its main currency since 2001
Prior to this El Salvador's currency was the Colon
The Colon is/was worth 8.75 for ever 1 US dollar
The country's minumum wage is US$120-150 a month
It's made up of 14 States/Departments
It's the only Central American country that does not have a Caribbean coastline
The biggest Shopping centre in all of of Central America is located in El Salvador's capital, San Salvador
It was involved in an infamous 100 hour war with neighbouring Honduras in 1969, after a soccer game
It has a total of 21 active Volcanos
One of these Volcanos had a minor eruption on October 1, 2005. Spewing up clouds of ash and rocks, its effect reached nearby villages and caused two deaths
El Salvador has the largest airport in all of Central America
Gained its independace from Spain on September 15, 1821
Is frequently hit by earthqakes, the last big one being on January 13, 2001. Earthquake was marked at 7.6 on the Richter Scale
Is part of CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) which has trade with the USA
Has some of the best surfing beaches in the world
90% of Salvadorans are mestizo (mixed Amerindian and Spanish/European)
Oliver Stone directed a movie called "Salvador" and focus on its 12 year Civil war. The movie is critically acclaimed as one of Stone's best, and was nominated for an Oscar (BTW - nobody calls it Salvador. It's El Salvador.)
Many Salvadoreans have fled for various reasons to the United States. Its estimated that around 2-3 million live in the US
Its the most densely populated country in all of the Americas
Unlike many countries that have four season ever year, El Salvador only has 2. The wet and dry seasons, which run from May to October and November to April, respectively
Many notable Salvadorean people are from Palastinan decent
The country name, El Salvador, literally means "the savior" (as in our Lord The Savior, Jesus Christ) in spanish
El Salvador is part of what was the Mayan Empire. The Mayan Empire didn't go any further south after El Salvador
It has many Mayan and Pipil ruins including some pyramids
El Salvador's national dish is called a "Pupusa" |
jenjen
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My boyfriend & I travelled all of Central America for 10 months in 2007. Everyone we met said 'dont bother with El Salvador' but we though 'oh, Im sure it'll be interesting'. Its not. We travelled through the entire country and saw everything we wanted to see in just 4 days.
The capital, San Salvador, is dirty. The other notable towns are bland, dirty, noisy, sad looking. However we did visit a tiny village called El Mozote which was the location of an awful massacre which completly took my breath away with the history of the event. Awful.
If you're thinking of visiting, I suggest dont because there are many other way more intesersting places nearby ie Guatemala, Honduras, Belize etc.
El Salvador has alot of history but no character |
Defensor X
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El Salvador (República de El Salvador) is a country in Central America, bordering the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras, with a population of approximately 5.8 million people. El Salvador is the most densely populated nation in the Americas and is undergoing both rapid industrialization and population growth.
Some interesting facts:
The most widely known archeological site in El Salvador is the ruins of El Tazumal.
There are over 800 species of trees - more species of trees there than in all of Western Europe!!
There are over 500 species of birds, over 400 species of orchids, and over 800 species of marine fish. |
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