Gourt > Regional > Central America > El Salvador (41)
El Salvador is a country in Central America with a population of approximately 6.9 million people. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the north and east by Honduras, and to the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador is the most densely populated nation on the American mainland (especially in its capital, San Salvador) and also the most industrialized country in the region. The official name is Republic of El Salvador (Spanish: República de El Salvador, IPA: ). The country was named after the Spanish word for "The Savior" in honor of Jesus and its territory was known prehispanically as Cuscatlán.
History
In June, 1524, Spanish Captain Pedro Alvares Cabral attacked Cuscatlán (land of beautiful jewels), which was populated by the native tribes of the land. After 17 days of bloody battles many natives and Spaniards died. Pedro de Alvarado, defeated and hurt in his left hip, abandoned the fight and ran to Guatemala, telling his brother, Gonzalo de Alvarado, to continue with the conquest of Cuscatlán. Later, his cousin Diego de Alvarado established the villa of San Salvador on April, 1525. King Carlos I of Spain granted San Salvador the title of city in the year 1546. During the following years, El Salvador developed under Spanish dominion within the Kingdom of Guatemala. Towards the end of 1810 a combination of external and internal factors allowed Central American elites to attempt independence from the Spanish crown. The internal factors were mainly the interest the elites had in controlling the territories they owned as they pleased, without so much involvement from Spanish authorities. The external factors that enabled such independence movement were the success of the French and American revolutions in the 18th Century and the weakening of the military power of the Spanish crown because of its wars against Napoleonic France. The independence movement was consolidated on November 5th, 1811, when the Salvadoran priest, Jose Matías Delgado, sounded the bells of the Iglesia La Merced in San Salvador, making a call for the insurrection. After many years of internal fights, the Acta de Independencia (Act of Independence) of Central America was signed in Guatemala on September 15th, 1821.
More on [ El Salvador ]
Raúl Castro Meets U.S. Lawmakers
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:08:00 -0000
It was the Cuban president’s first face-to-face discussions with U.S. leaders since he became president last year.
In Cuba, Change Means More of the Same, With Control at the Top
By IAN URBINA Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:21:19 -0000
Rather than dismantling Cuba’s socialist framework, President Raúl Castro seems to be trying to make it work more efficiently.
Mexican Drug Cartel Violence Spills Over, Alarming U.S.
By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:41:11 -0000
Tucson is coping with a wave of drug crime the police suspect is tied to the battles between Mexico’s drug cartels.
Amid Abuse in Brazil, Abortion Debate Flares
By ALEXEI BARRIONUEVO Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:04:22 -0000
The case of a 9-year-old who had an abortion after saying she was raped has revived a debate over abortion rights.
Cocaine Trade Helps Rebels Reignite War in Peru
By SIMON ROMERO Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:22:25 -0000
The military is battling a resurgent group of guerrillas, which has reinvented itself as an illicit drug enterprise.
Obama to Loosen Restrictions on Policy With Cuba
By ERIC SCHMITT and DAMIEN CAVE Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:24:23 -0000
The move fulfills a campaign pledge and signals a possible warming with the Castro government.
Research Plus: El Salvador - Online encyclopedia article, with country profile and history.
Development Gateway - El Salvador - Foundation provides a portal for resources, activity database, project information, business opportunities, recent notices and publications. [English, French, Spanish]
Meta Description: [ Development Gateway - Leading portal on economic development, offering project information, articles, community features and many other resources. ]
El Salvador - Country summary from the CIA Factbook.
El Salvador Information - Site with information regarding most aspects of El Salvador.
LANIC - University of Texas' thorough collection of links to academic research, history, culture, business and government resources.
Mystic Planet - Contact information for metaphysics, environment, and new age groups.
Meta Description: [ Mystic Planet's New Age Directory of Planet Earth has 7000+ entries in 138 countries covering hundred of spiritual, metaphysical, transformational, new age, environmental resoures.Mystic Planet's (http://mysticplanet.com) New Age Directory of Planet Earth has 7000+ entries in 138 countries coveri... ]
Portals to the World - Annotated directory covering a broad range of subjects selected by US Library of Congress specialists.
Meta Description: [ Selected Internet Resources: country. Portals to the World contain selective
links providing authoritative, in-depth information about the nations and other areas of the world. They are
arranged by country or area with the links for each sorted into a wide range of broad categories. The links... ]
US Library of Congress Country Study - Covers geography, history, and modern culture, economy, and national security.
Meta Description: [ El Salvador : Country Studies - Federal Research Division, Library of Congress ]
US State Department - El Salvador - Country portal offers a map and links to Background Notes, Country Study, the US embassy and the current ambassador, press releases, fact sheets, annual Human Rights Reports and other major reports including Industry Market Reports.
Meta Description: [ On-The-Record Briefing on U.S./Afghanistan Strategic Partnership of nder Secretary for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns and Afghanistan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah ]
World Bank Group in El Salvador - Provides news and events and in-depth analysis with a regional overview, country briefs, data and statistics, publications, development topics, initiatives, projects and programs.
Helicopter Ride El Salvador 2006soldiers got a ride in Blackhawk Helicopter while on a mission in El Salvador in 2006. |
