The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador sits on the Pacific Ocean and borders Honduras and Guatemala. This tiny country is dominated by several volcanoes. The volcanoes spew lava, which over many years, creates fertile farmland. Coffee beans are the major crop grown here. For many years, a few wealthy families controlled all the land. Peasants farmed the land for the wealthy farmers, but lived in poverty.
From 1980 to 1992, the country was engaged in a civil war because people were tired of being treated unfairly. The United States supported the El Salvadoran government. Guerilla troops fought against the government. Finally, in January of 1992, the guerilla leader, Chano Guevara, signed a peace treaty with the El Salvadoran government. Since then, conditions have slowly improved.
Fun Facts about El Salvador for Kids
- 6,881,000 people live in El Salvador.
- The country has 8,000 square miles of land.
- The official language of El Salvador is Spanish.
- Most people are Christian.
- 79 percent of adults can read.
- People living in El Salvador can expect to live 69 years.
El Salvador Vocabulary
- Dominate: overshadowed, ruled
- Spew: spit or throw out
- Fertile: rich, good for growing crops
- Wealthy: rich; having abundant resources and money
- Peasants: poor people who are dependent on the wealthy for their survival
- Poverty: having few resources and little money
Learn More All About El Salvador
Check out this cool video about El Salvador:
This is a video slideshow of El Salvador’s geography, landscapes and people.
El Salvador Q&A
Question: Do most people live in the city or the country?
Answer: About half the people in El Salvador farm the land and live in the country. Most are very poor and have neither running water nor electricity. Wealthier people live in the city. Many children don’t go to school because their parents can’t afford to send them. Many families don’t even have enough food for their families.
Map of El Salvador
Here’s a map of the country of El Salvador and all its cities and villages. Zoom in to get into street level or zoom out to see other countries around El Salvador! You can see the terrain, but also see the roads, images of the buildings and even take a 3D tour through the streets of the cities of El Salvador, as though you are actually there!
Enjoyed the Earth Science for Kids all about El Salvador info? Take the FREE & fun El Salvador quiz and download FREE El Salvador worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.
