Brasil concede un crédito de 500 millones a El Salvador en la visita de Lula

SAN SALVADOR (AFP) - Brasil concedió el viernes un crédito de 500 millones de dólares a El Salvador durante la quinta visita del presidente Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, quien quiere convertir al país centroamericano en "socio estratégico" en Centroamérica.

El millonario préstamo, rubricado ante la presencia de los mandatarios de los dos países, estará destinado a programas sociales y la renovación de la flota de autobuses del transporte colectivo que Brasil proporcionará, según fuentes cercanas a la negociación. Brasil también financiará la construcción de una planta de etanol en el departamento de Usulután, sureste del país.

"El Salvador es un país estratégico para nosotros", declaró Lula en una entrevista con el diario La Prensa Gráfica del viernes.

"Vengo ahora para dar seguimiento a los esfuerzos de profundización y diversificación de las relaciones de Brasil con América Central", agregó el presidente.

En 2008, el gigante sudamericano lanzó su mirada sobre el istmo y pidió tener la categoría de "observador regional" del Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA).

Esta es la quinta visita que el presidente brasileño realiza al país centroamericano desde 2003. En 2007, incluyó El Salvador como parte del programa de cooperación energética que impulsa con Estados Unidos para generar energías limpias a base de biocombustibles.

Lula, que llegó en la noche del jueves a San Salvador, corresponde a una visita que Funes hizo en septiembre a Brasilia aprovechando la amistad que les une debido a que su esposa, Vanda Pignato, es una brasileña identificada con el Partido de los Trabajadores.

El presidente brasileño y la política social que a lo largo de sus más de siete años en el poder ha aplicado en Brasil es un "referente" para Funes, elegido con el apoyo de la ex guerrilla izquierdista que asumió el poder en junio pasado. A diferencia del FMLN, que se inclina por el Socialismo del Siglo XXI que propugna Hugo Chávez en Venezuela, Funes está luchando por la aplicación de la exitosa política brasileña en el país centroamericano, cuya pobreza y desigualdad ha expulsado a cerca de 2,8 millones de salvadoreños al exterior, en su mayoría a Estados Unidos.

Como un padre, Lula aconsejó a Funes "paciencia" para no tomar decisiones precipitadas durante el ejercicio del poder. "Hay gente que no tiene paciencia, hay gente que piensa que las cosas tienen que ocurrir en el tiempo que ellos quieren, y las cosas no ocurren en el tiempo que nosotros queremos, las cosas ocurren en el tiempo que pueden ocurrir", recordó Lula, que el 1 de enero del próximo año concluirá su presidencia.

Lula y Funes también se reunieron con empresarios de ambos países en un intento de fomentar las inversiones y los intercambios comerciales, que favorecen abrumadoramente a Brasil. En 2009, el país centroamericano exportó 3,8 millones de dólares e importó 155,8 millones de la potente industria brasileña.

Asimismo, el mandatario brasileño tuvo un momento para recordar a uno de los personajes más emblemáticos de El Salvador moderno: el asesinado arzobispo Óscar Arnulfo Romero, quien fuera considerado "la voz de los sin voz", en cuya tumba depositó una ofrenda floral. "Estamos contentos de que el presidente de Brasil haga este gesto porque indica cómo piensa de este hombre de Dios", exclamó el obispo auxiliar de San Salvador, Monseñor Gregorio Rosa Chávez.

El mandatario brasileño regresó a Brasil en la tarde del viernes, poniendo fin a una gira que lo llevó también por México, Cuba y Haití.

MODELO IMPORTADO
DO BRASIL

Depois de abandonar a guerrilha que deixou milhares
de mortos, a esquerda assume a Presidência da República
em El Salvador tendo Lula e o PT como modelos

Otávio Cabral, de San Salvador

Fotos Leonardo Wen/Folha Imagem e Edgar Romero/AP

ESPELHO Mauricio Funes e Lula: ministros e assessores brasileiros envolvidos diretamente na campanha e na elaboração do plano de governo salvadorenho

Por doze anos, a Frente Farabundo Martí de Libertação Nacional (FMLN) manteve acesa uma sangrenta opção preferencial pela guerrilha com o objetivo de derrubar o governo e implantar o regime comunista em El Salvador. O conflito deixou um saldo de 75 000 mortos, dividiu o país e o mergulhou em uma profunda crise econômica, social e política. Nesta segunda-feira, dezessete anos depois de trocar as armas pelo palanque, finalmente a FMLN assume o poder. A festa da posse de Mauricio Funes, o novo presidente, marcará o triunfo da revolução que começou no século passado, embora pouco ou quase nada reste daquilo que os velhos guerrilheiros imaginavam como modelo de civilização. Fidel Castro e Che Guevara, os líderes que inspiravam as ações violentas do grupo no passado, serão citados como referências históricas de um tempo que já se foi. O destaque da festa será o presidente Lula, que encontrará um cenário muito familiar na menor nação continental da América Central. Para vencer a eleição, a FMLN abandonou o discurso radical, fez alianças com políticos antes hostilizados, firmou compromisso público de que não haveria rupturas econômicas e se comprometeu com ações que vão priorizar a parte mais pobre da população. Alguma semelhança com a campanha do PT em 2002? Toda.

O modelo brasileiro não só inspirou como ajudou a eleger o novo presidente salvadorenho. A FMLN, assim como o PT, surgiu em 1980, como a principal força de oposição a um governo militar. Derrotada no campo de batalha, a FMLN desvestiu a farda e aderiu ao jogo eleitoral democrático. Apareceu à luz do dia dividida em tendências, refratária a alianças, com uma ala ainda nostálgica da luta armada e prometendo desmontar a política econômica capitalista quando chegasse ao poder. A Frente, a exemplo do PT, também foi derrotada em três eleições presidenciais seguidas. Exatamente como o PT, os salvadorenhos perceberam que sem uma reforma interna não chegariam a lugar nenhum. El Salvador ainda é um país polarizado entre o que se convencionou chamar de direita e esquerda, e muitas de suas forças políticas vivem como se o mundo estivesse sob a Guerra Fria. Mas a maioria da população já chegou ao século XXI. Na campanha, os adversários de Mauricio Funes tentaram associar sua imagem à de Hugo Chávez e à de Fidel Castro – e assim caracterizá-lo como a ameaça comunista. Não colou. Usar o exemplo do Brasil foi o antídoto escolhido pelos ex-guerrilheiros para atrair parte do empresariado e do eleitorado tradicional da direita. "Lula é um modelo e um exemplo para mim", disse o presidente Funes na semana passada a VEJA, no escritório do governo de transição, em um hotel de luxo em San Salvador. "Da mesma maneira que Lula, eu sei que não é possível fazer um governo sectário, rompendo com tudo o que já foi feito no país. É preciso governar com toda a sociedade para que El Salvador supere sua grave crise econômica."

Susan Meiselas/Magnum/Latinstock

SEM TIROS A guerrilha da FMLN lutou durante mais de uma década para implantar o comunismo em El Salvador: vitória nas urnas e compromisso com regime sem rupturas

A participação brasileira na campanha da FMLN não se resumiu a uma mera associação de imagens. O governo brasileiro e o PT despacharam para lá assessores e técnicos para ajudar na campanha eleitoral e, depois da vitória, na transição de governo. O responsável pelo marketing foi o publicitário João Santana, o mesmo da reeleição de Lula. Santana passou três meses instalado em um escritório em El Salvador comandando uma equipe de trinta pessoas – vinte delas brasileiras. Não por coincidência, o símbolo da campanha era uma estrela vermelha, o candidato Funes sempre aparecia trajando ternos bem cortados, falando serenamente e discursando a "esperança" e a possibilidade de ser ele o homem certo para a "mudança com responsabilidade". A FMLN não informa quanto foi gasto com propaganda, nem quem foi o responsável pelo pagamento. Os adversários derrotados, é natural, insinuam que a fonte dos recursos pode ser localizada no Brasil.

A estrutura da campanha presidencial da FMLN contou com outras figuras importantes do governo brasileiro e do petismo – cada uma levando sua própria experiência a El Salvador. Marco Aurélio Garcia, o assessor para assuntos internacionais de Lula, esteve lá três vezes. O ex-ministro José Dirceu, que tem trânsito livre e acesso direto ao presidente Mauricio Funes, ajudou na estratégia de montagem das alianças políticas internas. A socióloga Ana Fonseca, uma das mentoras do programa Bolsa Família, passou uma semana no país projetando o Rede Solidária, a versão local do benefício. No início do ano, quando o clima na campanha ficou acirrado, Funes precisou atrair parte do empresariado para seu lado. Foi a vez de o deputado e ex-ministro da Fazenda Antonio Palocci dar sua contribuição. Responsável pelo plano de governo do PT, ele recomendou que o candidato redigisse uma carta nos mesmos moldes da Carta ao Povo Brasileiro, da campanha de Lula em 2002, na qual garantiria que contratos seriam honrados e que o país pagaria suas dívidas. Isso acalmou os mercados, possibilitou a injeção de recursos na campanha do esquerdista e praticamente assegurou a vitória do candidato oposicionista.

Fernando Amorim/Folha Imagem

MULHER FORTE Petista militante, a primeira-dama Vanda Pignato foi a responsável pela aproximação com Lula

Mesmo no processo de transição, a tecnologia petista continuou sendo aplicada segundo o modelo utilizado no Brasil. Gilberto Carvalho, chefe de gabinete de Lula, passou três dias em San Salvador para "ensinar Funes a negociar com a direita", conforme suas próprias palavras. Para mostrar que não estava blefando, na semana passada, ao anunciar os nomes de sua equipe econômica, Funes indicou políticos moderados e economistas ligados ao mercado financeiro para os principais cargos, inclusive o Banco Central. Também anunciou a criação de programa similar ao PAC. "Lula comanda no Brasil um estado planejador na busca de crescimento econômico, distribuição de renda e combate à pobreza. É o mesmo modelo que pretendo adotar aqui em El Salvador, adaptado às realidades do país", afirmou Funes. As semelhanças, porém, param por aí. A situação que Funes herda é muito mais grave do que a enfrentada por Lula. El Salvador viveu uma guerra civil de 1980 a 1992 que deixou mais de 75 000 mortos e dividiu o país. Mesmo após um acordo de paz bancado pela ONU e uma lei de anistia ampla nos moldes da brasileira, a violência ainda impera no país, que tem o maior índice de homicídios da América Latina. É comum ver seguranças privados armados de escopetas e metralhadoras protegendo prédios comerciais e residenciais, sempre cercados por rolos de arame farpado eletrificado. A economia é dolarizada e frágil, o país praticamente não tem indústria e possui parcos recursos naturais. Para piorar, inconformados com as primeiras medidas econômicas, setores do próprio partido de Funes ameaçam boicotar o governo. Sindicatos rurais acenam com uma greve contra o ministro da Agricultura e a equipe do vice-presidente eleito, um ex-guerrilheiro, em protesto, ameaça não ir à cerimônia de posse.

"Funes está em uma encruzilhada. Se mantiver o discurso responsável da campanha, poderá ter sucesso na economia, mas vai desagradar a boa parte de seu partido, podendo provocar instabilidade política", analisa o cientista político Roberto Rubio-Fabián, diretor executivo da Fundação Nacional para o Desenvolvimento de El Salvador. "Se ceder às ideias da Frente e aderir ao socialismo bolivariano de Chávez, ele poderá acentuar a crise econômica e dividir o país." Entre a cruz e a espada, Mauricio Funes terá de se mostrar um bom negociador e compensar com a adesão do empresariado e de parte dos políticos conservadores uma eventual dissidência na Frente, conclui Rubio-Fabián. Não será uma tarefa fácil. Mas nada pode ser fácil em um país dividido politicamente e com uma das maiores desigualdades sociais do mundo.

Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/ABR	Sergio Lima/Folha Imagem	Alan Marques/Folha Imagem
ANTONIO PALOCCI O ex-ministro sugeriu carta para garantir que não haveria quebras de contrato	ANA FONSECA Esteve em El Salvador para ajudar no projeto de criação do Bolsa Família local	GILBERTO CARVALHO Foi ao país para ensinar os ex-guerrilheiros comunistas a "negociar com a direita"

Apesar da estreita colaboração entre as equipes, o principal elo entre o Brasil e o novo governo salvadorenho é a advogada Vanda Pignato, a primeira-dama. Paulistana do Tatuapé e fundadora do PT, Vanda mudou-se para El Salvador em 1992, pouco depois de um acordo mediado pela ONU para pôr fim à guerra civil. Representante do PT para assuntos da América Central, há quinze anos ela conheceu Funes, então jornalista e apresentador de uma rede de televisão. Vanda foi essencial na escolha do marido como candidato da Frente e na estratégia de campanha, plugada na experiência do PT. Centralizadora, brigou com boa parte da velha guarda comunista, mas seu trabalho de aproximação com o Brasil e com o empresariado local lhe rendeu respeito – e inevitáveis comparações com o estilo do ex-ministro José Dirceu. A partir desta semana será possível começar a avaliar os resultados da vitória da "revolução" sem tiros. Se der certo, como se espera, Lula e o PT poderão dizer, com toda a razão, que "nunca antes neste continente...".

Mauricio Funes

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Mauricio Funes
President of El Salvador
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 June 2009
Vice President	Salvador Sánchez Cerén
Preceded by	Antonio Saca
Born	18 October 1959 (1959-10-18) (age 50) San Salvador, El Salvador
Political party	Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front
Spouse(s)	Vanda Pignato
Occupation	Journalist
Religion	Roman Catholic

Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena (born 18 October 1959 in San Salvador) is the President of El Salvador. He won the 2009 presidential election as the candidate of the left-wing Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) political party and took office on 1 June 2009.

Contents [hide] 1 Journalism 2 Election 2009 3 Presidency 3.1 18th Anniversary of the Peace Agreement celebration 2010 3.2 Foreign Policy 3.3 Crime Rate 3.4 Polistepeque Scandal 4 Education and personal life 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Journalism

Prior to his involvement with politics, Funes was a journalist who hosted a popular interview show on television.^[1] He made appearances on Channel 12 and CNN en Español,^[2] and also hosted local news programs which were critical of previous governments. He was a reporter during the Salvadoran Civil War and interviewed leftist rebel leaders. It was during this time that he became more politically oriented and left-wing.^[3]

[edit] Election 2009

Funes was nominated to be the FMLN candidate on 28 September 2007 and competed against the Nationalist Republican Alliance's candidate Rodrigo Ávila, a former deputy director of the National Police. Funes won the 2009 presidential election, achieving an absolute majority with 51.32% of the popular vote. He is the first FMLN party leader not to have fought in the civil war. His presidential campaign was highlighted by statements endorsing moderate political policies.^[4] He has promised to better programs such as health care in rural areas and crime prevention.^[5] Political opponents stated that Funes' election would herald an era of Venezuelan influence but he insisted that "integration with Central America and strengthening relations with North America will be the priority of our foreign policy".^[1] Funes has also promised to keep the U.S. dollar as El Salvador's official currency (dollarization took place in 2001 under President Francisco Flores Pérez).^[5]

[edit] Presidency

[edit] 18th Anniversary of the Peace Agreement celebration 2010

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

President Mauricio Funes celebrated the 18th year anniversary of the Chapultepec Peace Accords between the Guerrilla and the Government on Jan 16, 2010. He received the applause of the present crowd when he stated an official apology to the civil victims of the war, including the children that were left orphans during the conflict, the disabled veterans, and offering a government commission to investigate cases of missing children during the 12 year civil war in El Salvador. He publicly compromised to meet with the war veteran's representatives to find out the amount of indemnization and the way to pay this to them as a debt that hasn't been covered by the past administrations.

[edit] Foreign Policy

Upon his inauguration on June 1, 2009, Funes resumed Salvadorean diplomatic relations with Cuba. El Salvador previously suspended diplomatic relations with Cuba 50 years ago due to the Cuban Revolution.^[6]

[edit] Crime Rate

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

Mr. Funes has been heavily criticized^[7] for lack of a plan to fight El Salvador’s rapidly increasing criminal activity. Since taking office in June 2009, criminal statistics on homicides, robbery and extortion have increased considerably, and as February 2010, 13 persons are assassinated daily. Hispanic-French photojournalist and film director Christian Poveda has been of many victims assassinated by crime lords during Funes' presidency. In response, the Presidente has ordered the deployment of the army to cooperate with police authorities in their fight against crime.^[8] More recently, there have been reports of newly formed Death Squads operating in El Salvador, due in part to a lack of response of the police.^[9]

[edit] Polistepeque Scandal

On January 2010, local Salvadorian media uncovered plans, after public denouncement of Funes’ former cabinet member Francisco Gómez, where almost all government publicity and advertising was to be carried directly and without any previous public licitation (which is required by Salvadorian Law) by advertising agency Polistepeque, S.A. de C.V., where some advisers to the president are members of the board of directors, and allegedly Funes himself has some participation through stock in that agency.^[10]

The President reacted to these accusations by stating that no other advertising agency in El Salvador has the experience nor capacity to manage government publicity and advertising, despite the fact that El Salvador has many local and international advertising agencies such as BBDO.^[11][12]

[edit] Education and personal life

Funes is married to Dr. Vanda Pignato, who was involved in the Workers' Party in Brazil.^[13] They have one son, Gabriel. Funes received his High School Diploma (Bachillerato) from the Externado San José and later went on to study literature at Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas" (UCA) in San Salvador.^[14] In 1994 he was awarded the Maria Moors Cabot prize from Columbia University for promoting press freedom and inter-American understanding.^[15]

Funes' brother was killed during the civil war.^[3] His oldest son, Alejandro Funes Velasco, who was 27 years old, died after being attacked in Paris, France, where he was studying photography.^[16]

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Journalist Mauricio Funes wins El Salvador presidency. The Guardian 2009-03-16. Retrieved on 2009-03-16.
2. ^ Booth, William (March 9, 2009). "In El Salvador Vote, Big Opportunity for Leftists". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/08/AR2009030801775.html. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
3. ^ ^{a b} Factbox: Salvadoran President-elect Mauricio Funes. Reuters 2009-03-16. Retrieved on 2009-03-16.
4. ^ Left-winger wins El Salvador poll. BBC News 2009-03-16. Retrieved on 2009-03-16.
5. ^ ^{a b} "Left Turn", The Economist: 40, March 21–27
6. ^ http://www.elsalvador.org/Embajadas/eeuu/Prensa2.nsf/67c8b047c4924b4a85256997006cc1ff/573d8acfc91c4a0e852575d70078029e?OpenDocument
7. ^ http://www.elsalvador.com/mwedh/nota/nota_opinion.asp?idCat=6342&idArt=4505386
8. ^ http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49251
9. ^ http://www.havanatimes.org/sp/?p=3052
10. ^ http://www.lapagina.com.sv/nacionales/25133/Mauricio-Funes-le-daria-toda-la-publicidad-del-gobierno-a-empresa-de-amigos
11. ^ http://www.lapagina.com.sv/nacionales/25355/Funes-defiende-asignacion-publicitaria-a-Polistepeque
12. ^ http://www.lapagina.com.sv/nacionales/25471/Publicistas-en-El-Salvador-piden-a-Funes-cancelar-contrato-con-empresa-de-su-amigo-personal
13. ^ Ellingwood, Ken (June 26, 2008). "In El Salvador, journalist may lead leftists to center stage". Los Angeles Times: p. 2. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/26/world/fg-elsalvador26. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
14. ^ (Spanish) "Mauricio Funes (Biography)". Mauricio Funes: Un cambio seguro. http://www.mauriciofunespresidente.com/biografia_mauricio_funes.php?position=militancia. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
15. ^ "4 awards for Latin American Coverage". http://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/27/world/4-awards-for-latin-american-coverage.html.
16. ^ (Spanish) "Fallece en París Alejandro Funes, hijo del periodista Mauricio Funes". Chichicaste. October 11, 2007. http://chichicaste.blogcindario.com/2007/10/00682-comunicado-oficial-sobre-la-muerte-de-alejandro-funes-hijo-de-mauricio-funes.html. Retrieved 11 March 2009.

10 ^ (Spanish) "Mauricio Funes (Biography)". http://mauriciofunes.org/

[edit] External links

El Salvador

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This article is about the country in Central America; for other uses, see El Salvador (disambiguation).

Republic of El Salvador República de El Salvador (Spanish)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Dios, Unión, Libertad" (Spanish) "God, Union, Freedom"
Anthem: Himno Nacional de El Salvador
Capital (and largest city)		San Salvador 13°40′N 89°10′W / 13.667°N 89.167°W / 13.667; -89.167
Official language(s)		Spanish
Ethnic groups		90% Mestizo, 9% White (Spanish, Italian, French, Swiss, others), 1% Amerindian (Pipil, Lenca)
Demonym		Salvadoran[1]
Government		Presidential republic
-	President	Mauricio Funes
Independence
-	from Spain	September 15, 1821
-	from the First Mexican Empire	1823
-	from the Central American Federation	1842
Area
-	Total	21,040 km2 8,124 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1.4
Population
-	July 2009 estimate	7,185,218 (99th)
-	2007 census	5,744,113[2]
-	Density	341.5/km2 (47th) 884.4/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$43.748 billion[3]
-	Per capita	$7,564[3]
GDP (nominal)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$22.115 billion[3]
-	Per capita	$3,823[3]
Gini (2002)		52.4 (high)
HDI (2007)		▲ 0.747[4] (medium) (106th)
Currency		U.S. dollar 2 (USD)
Time zone		(UTC-6)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.sv
Calling code		+5031
1	Telephone companies (market share): Tigo (45%), Claro (25%), Movistar (24%), Digicel (5.5%), Red (0.5%).
2	The United States dollar is the currency in use. Financial information can be expressed in U.S. Dollars and in Salvadoran colón, but it is out of circulation. http://www.bcr.gob.sv/ingles/integracion/ley.html

El Salvador (Spanish: República de El Salvador, literally meaning "Republic of the Savior"; original name in Nahuatl was Cōzcatlān) is the smallest and also the most densely populated country in Central America. It borders the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. It lies on the Gulf of Fonseca, as do Honduras and Nicaragua further south.

It has a population of approximately 7.2 million people as of 2009^[5]. The capital city of San Salvador is, by some distance, the largest city of the republic. In 2001 El Salvador dropped its own currency, the colón, and adopted the U.S. dollar instead. ^[6]

Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Spanish rule 1.2 Independence 1.3 20th century 1.3.1 Civil War (1980 to 1992) 1.3.2 End of the 20th century 1.4 21st century 2 Politics 3 Departments and municipalities 4 Geography 4.1 Climate 4.2 Natural disasters 5 Economy 6 Demographics 6.1 Language 6.2 Religion 6.3 Health 7 Culture 7.1 Tourism 8 Tours 8.1 Cuisine 8.2 Music 9 Education 10 International rankings 11 See also 12 References 13 Further reading 14 External links

[edit] History

Main article: History of El Salvador

At the time of the Spanish conquest, the inhabitants of the western part of El Salvador, the Pipil called that part of the country Cuzcatlan, which in Pipil means "the land of precious things."

[edit] Spanish rule

In the early sixteenth century, the Spanish conquistadors ventured into ports to extend their dominion to the area. They called the land "Provincia De Nuestro Señor Jesucristo El Salvador Del Mundo" ("Province of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the World"), which was subsequently abbreviated to "El Salvador".

Pedro de Alvarado sent an expedition into the region from Guatemala in 1524, but the Pipil drove them out in 1526. In 1528 he sent a second expedition, which succeeded, and the Spanish founded their first capital city in El Salvador at a place known today as Ciudad Vieja, the first site of the Villa de San Salvador, 10 km. south of Suchitoto. This capital was occupied from 1528 until 1545 when it was abandoned, and the capital city moved to where modern San Salvador is today.

Towards the end of 1810, a combination of internal and external factors allowed the Central American elites an attempt to gain independence from the Spanish crown. The internal factors were mainly the interest the elites had in controlling the territories they owned without involvement from Spanish authorities. The external factors were the success of the French and American revolutions in the eighteenth 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 5, 1811, when the Salvadoran priest, Jose Matias 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 15, 1821. When these provinces were joined with Mexico in early 1822, El Salvador resisted, insisting on autonomy for the Central American countries. After minor battles the resistances were recognized in forming a new country.

[edit] Independence

In 1823, the United Provinces of Central America was formed by the five Central American states under General Manuel José Arce. When this federation was dissolved in 1839, El Salvador became an independent republic. El Salvador's early history as an independent state was marked by frequent revolutions.

From 1872 to 1898, El Salvador was a prime mover in attempts to reestablish an isthmian federation. The governments of El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua formed the Greater Republic of Central America via the Pact of Amapala in 1895. Guatemala and Costa Rica considered joining the Greater Republic (which was rechristened the United States of Central America when its constitution went into effect in 1898), but neither country did so. This union, which had planned to establish its capital city at Amapala on the Golfo de Fonseca, did not survive a coup in El Salvador in 1898.

The enormous profits that coffee yielded as a monoculture export served as an impetus for the process whereby land became concentrated in the hands of an oligarchy of few families.^{[7][citation needed]} A succession of presidents from the ranks of the Salvadoran oligarchy, nominally both conservative and liberal, throughout the last half of the nineteenth century generally agreed on the promotion of coffee as the predominant cash crop, on the development of infrastructure (railroads and port facilities) primarily in support of the coffee trade, on the elimination of communal landholdings to facilitate further coffee production, on the passage of anti-vagrancy laws to ensure that displaced campesinos and other rural residents provided sufficient labor for the coffee fincas (plantations), and on the suppression of rural discontent. In 1912, the national guard was created as a rural police force.

The coffee industry grew inexorably in El Salvador and provided the bulk of the government's financial support through import duties on goods imported with the foreign currencies that coffee sales earned.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 20th century

Monumento El Salvador del Mundo (Monument to the Savior of the World)

The economy was based on coffee-growing after the mid-19th century and, as the world market for indigo withered away, prospered or suffered as the world coffee price fluctuated. El Salvador president Tomas Regalado came to power by force in 1898 and his regime lasted until 1903. He reinitiated designating presidential successors. Up until 1913 El Salvador had been politically stable, but there was popular discontent as well, president Araujo was killed and there are many hypothesis for his murder.

Then he was followed by the Melendez-Quinonez dynasty that lasted since 1913 to 1927. Pio Romero Bosque, ex-Minister of the Government succeeded president Jorge Melendez and in 1930 he announced free elections in which Ing. Arturo Araujo came to power in March 1, 1931. His government only lasted 9 months. His Labor Party lacked of political and government experience and many Labor party members used government offices inefficiently.

In that year, Farabundo Marti came back from exile that was ordered by Romero Bosque, sending him to California and spending time in San Pedro Immigration Office. He was visited by some local leftists. President Romero Bosque sent him away before the upcoming 1930 presidential elections for his communist activities. President Araujo faced popular discontent as people expected economic reforms and land. Demonstrations started since the first week of his government in front of the National Palace. His Minister of War was General Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez and his National Police Director Mr. Rochac who was the president brother in law.

A coup d'état was organized by junior officers and the first strike started in the First Regiment of Infantry across from the National Palace in downtown San Salvador and only the First Regiment of Calvary and the National Police was loyal to the president and defended him (the National Police had been paid its payroll), but later that night on December 1931, after hours of military fight and outnumbered surrendered to the military revolution.

The Directorate composed by officers had behind a shadowy figure, who is told by Thomas Anderson in his book Matanza, his name was Rodolfo Duke, a rich man and also General Martinez. The causes of the revolt are mainly supposed to be for the army discontent against president Araujo for not paying the army for some months. Araujo left the National Palace and later tried to organize to defeat the revolt, but was unable.

The U.S. Minister in El Salvador met with the Directorate and later recognized the government with Vice President Martinez who agreed to have later presidential elections. (Martinez resigned in 1934 six months before the presidential elections to be able to run for the presidency and then as the only candidate won the election ruling from 1935 to 1939 and then 1939-1943 and finally started his 4th term in 1944 but resigned in May after the General strike. Martinez said he was going to respect the Constitution which said he couldn't be reelected, but he didn't).

From December 1931, the year of the coup in which Gen. Maximiliano Hernández Martínez came to power, there was brutal suppression of rural resistance. The most notable event was the February 1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising, commonly referred to as La Matanza (the massacre), organized by Farabundo Martí and with leaders like Abel Cuenca, and other academic people like Alfonso Luna and Mario Zapata. Only Abel Cuenca survived, the other communists were killed by the government.

In Western El Salvador hundred of peasants had revolt and caused also barbarism, but this was crushed by the Army, that not only killed the revolutionaries peasants, but also innocent people. The number of the massacre is estimated in 300,000. The barbarism of the revolutionaries peasants was such that even there was an order from Farabundo Marti saying to kill the wealthy landowners at once and only let the children live.

This ad was received by the military officers and very severe actions were done against the rebels. High officers like Jose Calderon lead the expeditions to the towns of Nahuizalco, Juayua, Apaneca and Izalco. Feliciano Ama, an Indian leader, was hanged and this event was shown on Post Office stamps of the time. Since then from 1932-1979 military officers held the Main Office, with some presidents using more repression than others. El Salvador problems included unfair minimun wages, repression against student and general demonstrations, and election fraud.

The PDC and the PCN parties

In 1960, two political parties were born and are still active in the politics the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) and the National Conciliation Party (PCN). Both shared alike ideals, but one represented the Middle Class and the latter the Army.

Opposition leader José Napoleón Duarte from (PDC) was the Mayor of San Salvador from 1964-1970, winning 3 elections during Jose Adalberto Rivera regime. (This president allowed free elections for Mayors and the National Assembly) Mr. Duarte later ran for president but was defeated in the 1972 presidential elections with UNO (National Oppossition Union), the official PCN was declared winner with ex-Minister of Interior Col. Arturo Armando Molina. Duarte, at some officers request, supported a revolt for the election fraud, but was captured, tortured and later exiled. Duarte came back to the country in 1979 to enter politics after working in Venezuela projects as engineer.

The October 1979 Coup d'état

In October 1979, a coup d'état brought Revolutionary Government Junta of El Salvador to power. It nationalized many private companies and took over much privately owned land. The purpose of this new junta was to stop the revolutionary movement already underway because of Duarte's stolen election. Nevertheless, the oligarchy opposed agrarian reform and a junta formed with young liberal elements from the Army such as Gral. Majano and Gral. Gutierrez as well as progressives such as Ungo and Alvarez.

Due to the pressure of the staunch oligarchy and the inability to control the Army in repressing its own people because they were fighting for their right to unionize, agrarian reform, better wages, health, freedom of expression, this Junta was dissolved. In the meantime the guerrilla movement was spreading in all sectors of the Salvadoran society. Middle and High School students were organized in MERS ( Movimiento Estudiantil Revolutionario de Secundaria, Revolutionary Movement of Secondary Students); college students were involved with AGEUS (Asociacion de Estudiantes Universitarios Salvadorenos; Association of Salvadoran College Students); workers were organized in BPR (Bloque Popular Revolucionario, Popular Revolutionary Block).

The U.S. supported and financed the creation of a second Junta to change the political environment and stop the spread of a leftist insurrection. Napoleon Duarte was recalled from his exile in Venezuela to head this new Junta. However, a revolution was already underway and his new role as head of the Junta was seen as opportunistic by the general population. He was unable to influence the outcome of the insurrectional movement and this resulted in the Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992).

[edit] Civil War (1980 to 1992)

Main article: Salvadoran Civil War

The Salvadoran Civil War was predominantly fought between the government of El Salvador and a coalition of four leftist groups and one communist group known as the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). This coalition got organized in 1980 after Fidel Castro of Cuba requested that there be a common front. Castro had a lot of influence in the region and provided weapons through Nicaraguan territory (then in the hands of President Ortega).

Subversive activity started with "El Grupo" (a group that later would be called E.R.P.) and also the FPL that initiated activities after Cayetano Carpio (its leader) broke in ideology from now extinct El Salvador's Communist Party (PCES). In 1970, the FPL guerrilla force was small and didn't have military training. Later the FPL was one of the largest organizations inside of the FMLN coalition.

In the beginning of the conflict, the PCES didn't believe in taking power by force, but through elections. The ERP split off, creating the RN (National Resistance) after ERP leaders killed the leftist poet Roque Dalton, whom they believed had spied for the American CIA. Approximately 75,000 people were killed in the war.^[8] The Salvadoran Civil war was fought in the context of the global Cold War, with Cuba and the USSR backing the Marxist-Leninist rebels and the United States backing the right wing military Salvadoran government.

On January 16, 1992 the government of El Salvador represented by president Alfredo Cristiani and the guerrilla represented by the commanders of the five guerrilla groups such as Shafick Handal, Joaquin Villalobos, Salvador Sanchez Ceren, Francisco Jovel and Eduardo Sancho signed the Peace Agreements ending a 12 year civil war in the Chapultepec Castle in Mexico. The international community was present and there was wide admiration because after the signature of the president he stood up and shook hands to all the now ex-guerrilla commanders. The Peace Agreements included reduction of the Army, the disolution of the National Police, Treasury Police and National Guard. The disolution of the Civilian Defense, a paramilitary group. The organization of a new Civil Police and the end of impunity with which the government would leave recommendation to a Comission of the Truth.

[edit] End of the 20th century

From 1989 until 2004, Salvadorans favored Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) party, voting ARENA presidents in every election (Alfredo Cristiani, Armando Calderón Sol, Francisco Flores Pérez, Antonio Saca).

Economic reforms since the early 1990s have brought major benefits in terms of improved social conditions, diversification of its export sector, and access to international financial markets at investment grade level, while crime remains a major problem for the investment climate.^[9]

[edit] 21st century

With the government of ARENA and the unsuccessful attempts of the left-wing party to win an election, they decided to change their tradition by selecting as a candidate, a journalist instead of one of their former guerrilla leaders. On March 15, 2009, Mauricio Funes, a television figure not associated with left-wing militias, became the first president from the FMLN party. He was inaugurated on June 1, 2009. One focus of the Funes government is revealing the alleged corruption from the past government^[10].

[edit] Politics

Main article: Politics of El Salvador

Main article: Foreign relations of El Salvador

The political framework of El Salvador is a presidential representative democratic republic with a multiform multi-party system. The President of El Salvador, currently Mauricio Funes, is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Legislative Assembly. The Judiciary the legislative branches.

[edit] Departments and municipalities

See also: List of cities in El Salvador

El Salvador is divided into 14 departments (departamentos), which, in turn, are subdivided into 262 municipalities (municipios).

Department names and abbreviations for the 14 Salvadoran Departments:

AH Ahuachapán CA Cabañas CH Chalatenango CU Cuscatlán LI La Libertad PA La Paz UN La Unión

8. MO Morazán 9. SM San Miguel 10. SS San Salvador 11. SV San Vicente 12. SA Santa Ana 13. SO Sonsonate 14. US Usulután

Departments of El Salvador

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of El Salvador

Shaded relief map of El Salvador

The scenic Jiboa Valley and San Vicente volcano

Beach at Playa Los Cóbanos.

El Salvador is located in Central America. It has a total area of 8,123 square miles (21,040 km²) (about the size of New Jersey). It is the smallest country in continental America and is affectionately called the "Tom Thumb of the Americas" ("Pulgarcito de America"). It has 123.6 square miles (320 km²) of water within its borders.

Several small rivers flow through El Salvador into the Pacific Ocean, including the Goascorán, Jiboa, Torola, Paz and the Río Grande de San Miguel. Only the largest river, the Lempa River, flowing from Guatemala and Honduras across El Salvador to the ocean, is navigatable for commercial traffic.

Volcanic craters enclose lakes, the most important of which are Lake Ilopango (70 km²/27 sq mi) and Lake Coatepeque (26 km²/10 sq mi). Lake Güija is El Salvador's largest natural lake (44 km²/17 sq mi). Several artificial lakes were created by the damming of the Lempa, the largest of which is Embalse Cerrón Grande (135 km²).

El Salvador shares borders with Guatemala and Honduras. It is the only Central American country that does not have a Caribbean coastline. The highest point in the country is Cerro El Pital at 8,957 feet (2,730 m), which shares a border with Honduras.

Survey marker at the summit of Cerro El Pital

[edit] Climate

El Salvador has a tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons. Temperatures vary primarily with elevation and show little seasonal change. The Pacific lowlands are uniformly hot; the central plateau and mountain areas are more moderate. The rainy season extends from May to October. Almost all the annual rainfall occurs during this time, and yearly totals, particularly on southern-facing mountain slopes, can be as high as 217 centimeters (85 in).

Protected areas and the central plateau receive less, although still significant, amounts. Rainfall during this season generally comes from low pressure over the Pacific and usually falls in heavy afternoon thunderstorms. Hurricanes occasionally form in the Pacific with the notable exception of Hurricane Mitch.

From November through April, the northeast trade winds control weather patterns. During these months, air flowing from the Caribbean has lost most of the precipitation while passing over the mountains in Honduras. By the time this air reaches El Salvador, it is dry, hot, and hazy.

[edit] Natural disasters

A landslide caused by one of the 2001 El Salvador earthquakes

El Salvador lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, and is thus subject to significant tectonic activity, including frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. Recent examples include the earthquake on January 13, 2001, that measured 7.7 on the Richter scale and caused a landslide that killed more than eight hundred people;^[11] and another earthquake only a month after the first one, February 13, 2001, killing 255 people and damaging about 20% of the nation's housing. Luckily, many families were able to find safety from the landslides caused by the earthquake.

The San Salvador area has been hit by earthquakes in 1576, 1659, 1798, 1839, 1854, 1873, 1880, 1917, 1919, 1965, 1986, 2001 and 2005.^[12] The 5.7 M_w-earthquake of 1986 resulted in 1,500 deaths, 10,000 injuries, and 100,000 people left homeless.^[13][14]

El Salvador's most recent destructive volcanic eruption took place on October 1, 2005, when the Santa Ana Volcano spewed up a cloud of ash, hot mud and rocks, which fell on nearby villages and caused two deaths.^[11][15] The most severe volcanic eruption in this area occurred in the 5th century A.D. when the Ilopango erupted with a VEI strength of 6, producing widespread pyroclastic flows and devastating Mayan cities.^[16]

El Salvador's position on the Pacific Ocean also makes it subject to severe weather conditions, including heavy rainstorms and severe droughts, both of which may be made more extreme by the El Niño and La Niña effects. In the summer of 2001, a severe drought destroyed 80% of the country's crops, causing famine in the countryside.^[17][18] On October 4, 2005, severe rains resulted in dangerous flooding and landslides, which caused a minimum of fifty deaths.^[11] El Salvador's location in Central America also makes it vulnerable to hurricanes coming off the Caribbean, however this risk is much less than for other Central American countries.

The Santa Ana Volcano in El Salvador is currently dormant, but while it was still erupting it was very dangerous. Lago de Coatepeque (one of El Salvador's lakes) was caused by a massive eruption.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of El Salvador

Cotton field in the Usulután Department

According to the IMF and CIA World Factbook, El Salvador has the third largest economy in the region (behind Costa Rica and Panama) when comparing nominal Gross Domestic Product and purchasing power GDP.^[19] El Salvador's GDP per capita stands at US$6,200, however, this "developing country" is still among the 10 poorest countries in Latin America.^[20]

Most of El Salvador's economy has been hampered by natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, but El Salvador currently has a steadily growing economy.

GDP in purchasing power parity (PPP) in 2008 was estimated at $43.94 billion USD. The service sector is the largest component of GDP at 64.1%, followed by the industrial sector at 24.7% (2008 est.). Agriculture represents only 11.2% of GDP (2008 est.).

The GDP has been growing since 1996 at an annual rate that averages 3.2% real growth. The government has recently committed to free market initiatives, and the 2007 GDP's real growth rate was 4.7%.^[21]

In December 1999, net international reserves equaled US$1.8 billion or roughly five months of imports. Having this hard currency buffer to work with, the Salvadoran government undertook a monetary integration plan beginning January 1, 2001 by which the U.S. dollar became legal tender alongside the Salvadoran colón and all formal accounting was done in U.S. dollars. This way, the government has formally limited its possibility of implementing open market monetary policies to influence short term variables in the economy. As of September 2007, net international reserves stood at $2.42 billion.^{[22][dead link]}

In 2004, the colón stopped circulating and is now never used in the country for any type of transaction.^[23]

San Salvador

A challenge in El Salvador has been developing new growth sectors for a more diversified economy. As many other former colonies, for many years El Salvador was considered a mono-export economy (an economy that depended heavily on one type of export). During colonial times, the Spanish decided that El Salvador would produce and export indigo, but after the invention of synthetic dyes in the 19th century, Salvadoran authorities and the newly created modern state turned to coffee as the main export.

For many decades, coffee was one of the few sources of foreign currency in the Salvadoran economy.^{[citation needed]} The Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s and the fall of international coffee prices in the 1990s pressured the Salvadoran government to diversify the economy.^{[citation needed]}

There are 15 free trade zones in El Salvador. The largest beneficiary has been the maquila industry, which provides 88,700 jobs directly, and consists primarily of supplying labor for the cutting and assembling of clothes for export to the United States.^{[citation needed]}

El Salvador signed the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) — negotiated by the five countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic — with the United States in 2004. CAFTA requires that the Salvadoran government adopt policies that foster free trade. El Salvador has signed free trade agreements with Mexico, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Panama and increased its trade with those countries. El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua also are negotiating a free trade agreement with Canada. In October 2007, these four countries and Costa Rica began free trade agreement negotiations with the European Union. Negotiations started in 2006 for a free trade agreement with Colombia.

El Salvador has one of the lowest tax burdens in the American continent (around 11% of GDP).^{[citation needed]} The government has focused on improving the collection of its current revenues with a focus on indirect taxes. A 10% value-added tax (IVA in Spanish), implemented in September 1992, was raised to 13% in July 1995. The VAT is the biggest source of revenue, accounting for about 52.3% of total tax revenues in 2004.^{[citation needed]}

Inflation has been steady and among the lowest in the region. Since 1997 inflation has averaged 3%, with recent years increasing to nearly 5%. From 2000 to 2006 total exports have grown 19% from $2.94 billion to $3.51 billion. During this same period total imports have risen 54% from $4.95 billion to $7.63 billion. This has resulted in a 102% increase in the trade deficit from $2.01 billion to $4.12 billion.^[24]

Remittances from Salvadorans living and working in the United States, sent to family in El Salvador, are a major source of foreign income and offset the substantial trade deficit of $4.12 billion. Remittances have increased steadily in the last decade and reached an all-time high of $3.32 billion in 2006 (an increase of 17% over the previous year).^[25] approximately 16.2% of gross domestic product(GDP).

Remittances have had positive and negative effects on El Salvador. In 2005 the number of people living in extreme poverty in El Salvador was 20%,^[26] according to a United Nations Development Program report, without remittances the number of Salvadorans living in extreme poverty would rise to 37%. While Salvadoran education levels have gone up, wage expectations have risen faster than either skills or productivity. For example, some Salvadorans are no longer willing to take jobs that pay them less than what they receive monthly from family members abroad. This has led to an influx of Hondurans and Nicaraguans who are willing to work for the prevailing wage. Also, the local propensity for consumption over investment has increased. Money from remittances have also increased prices for certain commodities such as real estate. Many Salvadorans abroad earning much higher wages can afford higher prices for houses in El Salvador than local Salvadorans and thus push up the prices that all Salvadorans must pay.^[27]

[edit] Demographics

Main article: Demographics of El Salvador

El Salvador has lacked authoritative demographic data for many years because between 1992 and 2007, a national census had not been undertaken. Prior to the 2009 census, patterns in population growth led many officials (including within the Salvadoran government) to estimate the country's population size at between 7.1 and 7.2 million people.^[28] However, on May 12, 2008, El Salvador's Ministry of Economy finally released statistics gathered in the census of the previous May. These data present a surprisingly low figure for the total population - 7,185,218. Challenges to the 2009 census on a number of grounds are forthcoming.^[29][30][31]

Ninety percent of Salvadorans are mestizo (mixed Native American and Spanish origin). Nine percent report their race as being white; this population is mostly of Spanish descent, including some of French, German, Swiss, and Italian descent. El Salvador is 1% indigenous, mostly Pipil, Lenca and Kakawira (Cacaopera). Very few Native Americans have retained their native customs, traditions, or languages, especially in the wake of the deliberate 1932 massacres in which the Salvadoran military murdered somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 peasants.

El Salvador is the only Central American country that has no visible African population because of its lack of an Atlantic coastline and subsequent access to the slave trade as occurred along the east coast of the continent. In addition, General Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez instituted race laws in 1930 that actually prohibited blacks from entering the country at all and it was not until the 1980s that this law was removed.^[32][33]

Among the few immigrant groups that reached El Salvador, Palestinian Christians stand out.^[34] Though few in number, their descendants have attained great economic and political power in the country, as evidenced by the now ex-president Antonio Saca — whose opponent in the 2004 election, Schafik Handal, was likewise of Palestinian descent — and the flourishing commercial, industrial, and construction firms owned by them.

The capital city of San Salvador has about 2.1 million people; an estimated 42% of El Salvador's population live in rural areas. Urbanization expanded at a phenomenal rate in El Salvador since the 1960s, driving millions to the cities and creating growth problems for cities around the country.

In the first half of 2007 La Policía Nacional Civil of El Salvador statistics showed lower numbers in homicide and extortions as well as robbery and theft of vehicles. In 2007 homicides in El Salvador had reduced 22%, extortions reduced 7%, and robbery and theft of vehicles had gone down 18%, all in comparison with the same period in 2006.^[35]. However in 2009, there has been an increase in homicides and extorsions of about 30 % more than in 2008 according to some statistics ^[36]

As of 2004, there were approximately 3.2 million Salvadorans living outside El Salvador, with the U.S. traditionally being the destination of choice for Salvadorans looking for greater economic opportunity. Salvadorans also live in nearby Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.^[37] The majority of expatriates emigrated during the civil war of the 1980s for political reasons and later because of adverse economic and social conditions. Other countries with notable Salvadoran communities include Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom (including the Cayman Islands), Sweden, Brazil, Italy,Colombia, and Australia. There is also a large community of Nicaraguans, 100,000 according to some figures,^[38] many of them are seasonal immigrants.

[edit] Language

Spanish is the official language and is spoken by virtually all inhabitants (some indigenous people still speak their native tongues, but all speak Spanish). English is also spoken by some throughout the republic. Many Salvadorans have studied or lived in English-speaking countries (primarily the U.S., but also Canada and Australia), including many young Salvadorans deported from the United States, many of whom had grown up speaking only English. Furthermore, today all public schools teach English as a required course in both primary and secondary school.

The local Spanish vernacular is called Caliche. Nahuat is the indigeous language that has survived, though it is only used by small communities of elderly Salvadorans in western El Salvador. Salvadoreans also use voseo, like in Uruguay and Argentina; referring to the second person as "vos" instead of "tú."

[edit] Religion

Main article: Religion in El Salvador

According to a survey in 2008, 52.6% of El Salvador's residents are Catholic, and 27.9% are Protestant.^[39] Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Seventh-day Adventist churches are all growing, as are Pentecostals and Mormons

[edit] Health

For the period 2005-2010 El Salvador has the third lowest birth rate in Central America, 22.8 per 1,000.^[40] However, it has the highest death rate in Central America during the same period, 5.9 per 1,000. According to the most recent United Nations survey, life expectancy for men was 68 years and 74 years for women. Healthy life expectancy was 57 for males and 62 for females in 2003.^[41] There are about 148 physicians per 100,000 people.^[42]

[edit] Culture

Main article: Culture of El Salvador

Ballet folklore in El Salvador, displaying traditional dress.

The Catholic Church plays an important role in the Salvadoran culture. Archbishop Oscar Romero is a national hero for his role in speaking out against human rights violations that were occurring in the lead up to the Salvadoran Civil War. Significant foreign personalities in El Salvador were the Jesuit priests and professors Ignacio Ellacuria, Ignacio Martín-Baró, and Segundo Montes, who were murdered in 1989 by the Salvadoran Army during the heat of the civil war.

Painting, ceramics and textile goods are the main manual artistic expressions. Writers Francisco Gavidia (1863–1955), Salarrué (Salvador Salazar Arrué) (1899-1975), Claudia Lars, Alfredo Espino, Pedro Geoffroy Rivas, Manlio Argueta, José Roberto Cea, and poet Roque Dalton are among the most important writers to stem from El Salvador. Notable 20th century personages include the late filmmaker Baltasar Polio, artist Fernando Llort, and caricaturist Toño Salazar.

Amongst the more renowned representatives of the graphic arts are the painters Augusto Crespin, Noe Canjura, Carlos Cañas, Julia Díaz, Camilo Minero, Ricardo Carbonell, Roberto Huezo, Miguel Angel Cerna (the painter and writer better known as MACLo), Esael Araujo, and many others. For more information on promiment citizens of El Salvador check the List of Salvadorans.

Holidays

Date	English name	Local name
January 16	Peace Accords Day	Día de los Acuerdos de Paz	Celebrates the peace accords signing between the government and the guerrilla in 1992 that finished the 12-year civil war. Mostly political events.
March/April	Holy Week/Easter	Semana Santa	Celebrated with Carnival-like events in different cities by the large Catholic population.
May 1	Labor Day	Día del trabajo	International Labour Day
May 3	The Day of the Cross	Día de la Cruz	A celebration with pre-colonial origins that is linked to the advent of the rainy season. People decorate a cross in their yards with fruit and garlands then go house to house to kneel in front of the altar and make the sign of the cross.
May 10	Mothers' Day	Día de las Madres
August 1–7	August Festivals*	Fiestas de agosto	Week-long festival in celebration of El Salvador del Mundo, patron saint of San Salvador.
September 15	Independence Day	Día de la Independencia	Celebrates independence from Spain, achieved in 1821.
October 1	Day of the children	"Día del niño"	Celebration dedicated to the Children of the country it is celebrated across the country.
October 12	Day of the race	Día de la raza	Celebration in dedication to the Christopher Columbus's arrival to America.
November 2	Day of the Dead	Día de los Santos Difuntos	A day on which most people visit the tombs of deceased loved ones. (November 1 may be commemorated as well.)
November 21	Queen of the Peace Day	Dia de la Reina de la Paz	Day of the Queen of Peace, the patron saint. Also celebrated, the San Miguel Carnival, (carnaval de San Miguel) a known feast in El Salvador, celebrated in San Miguel City, similar to Mardi Gras of New Orleans,where you can enjoy about 45 music bands on the street.
December 12	Festival Day of the Virgin Guadalupe	Día del Festival de la Virgen Guadalupe
December 24	Christmas Day	Noche Buena	In many communities, December 24 (Christmas Eve) is the major day of celebration, often to the point that it is considered the actual day of Navidad — with December 25 serving as a day of rest.

* Almost only celebrated in San Salvador

[edit] Tourism

The only airport serving international flights in the country is Comalapa International Airport. This airport is located about 50 km (30 mi) southeast of San Salvador.^[43] The airport is commonly known as Comalapa International or El Salvador International.

El Salvador's tourism industry has grown dynamically over recent years as the Salvadoran government focuses on developing this sector. Last year tourism accounted for 4.6% of GDP; only 10 years ago, it accounted for 0.4%. In this same year tourism grew 4.5% worldwide. Comparatively, El Salvador saw an increase of 8.97%, from 1.15 million to 1.27 million tourists. This has led to revenue from tourism growing 35.9% from $634 million to $862 million. As a reference point, in 1996 tourism revenue was $44.2 million. Also, there has been an even greater increase in the number of excursionists (visits that do not include an overnight stay). 222,000 excursionists visited El Salvador in 2006, a 24% increase over the previous year.^[44]

Most North American and European tourists are seeking out El Salvador's beaches and nightlife. Besides these two choices, El Salvador's tourism landscape is slightly different than those of other Central American countries. Because of its geographical size and urbanization, there aren't many nature-themed tourist destination such as ecotours or archaeological monuments. Surfing, however, is a natural tourist sector that is gaining popularity in recent years as more surfers visit many beaches in the coast of La Libertad and the east side of the country, finding surfing spots that are not yet overcrowded. Also, the use of the United States dollar as Salvadoran currency and direct flights of 4–6 hours from most cities in the United States are important things to note for first-time travelers from the United States. Urbanization and Americanization of Salvadoran culture has also led to something else that first time tourists might be surprised to see: the abundance of American-style malls, stores, and restaurants in the three main urban areas, especially greater San Salvador.

Currently, tourists to El Salvador can be classified into four groups: Central Americans; North Americans; Salvadorans living abroad, primarily in the United States; and Europeans and South Americans. The first three represent the vast majority of tourists. Recently, El Salvador is attempting to broaden its tourist base and looking to the last group. Early indicators show that the government's efforts are working. When comparing January-March 2007 to the same period in 2006 (most recent data available), overall tourism has grown 10%, while from North America 38%, Europe 31%, and South America 36%.^[45] In the fall, Livingston Airlines will initiate the only direct flight between Europe (departing from Milan) and El Salvador. The Decameron Salinitas, a recently inaugurated resort, has contributed to the growth of tourists from South America (because of name recognition of the resort chain) and is looking to do the same with Europeans.

Mural in Perquin, former "guerrilla capital" and now a tourist destination.

Tourists continue to be drawn by El Salvador's turbulent past.^[46] Some of the latest tourist attractions in the former war-torn El Salvador are gun fragments, pictures, combat plans, and mountain hideouts. Since 1992, residents in economically depressed areas are trying to profit from these remains. The mountain town of Perquin was considered the "guerrilla capital." Today it is home to the "Museum of the Revolution," featuring cannons, uniforms, pieces of Soviet weaponry, and other weapons of war once used by the FMLN's (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front) headquarters.

According to El Salvador newspaper El Diario De Hoy the top 10 attractions are the beaches, La Libertad, Ruta Las Flores, Suchitoto, Playa Las Flores in San Miguel, La Palma, Santa Ana where you find the country's tallest volcano, Nahuizalco, Apaneca, Juayua, San Ignacio.^[47]

[edit] Tours

Contact a Responsable Tour Operator and design your own travel itinerary!

• Salvadorean Tours: www.salvadoreantours.com Hotel Reservation, Tours, Transfer, Tourism Packages, Transport, Travel Insurance[1]

[edit] Cuisine

Main article: Salvadoran cuisine

Salvadorian woman at a food stall.

El Salvador's most notable dish is the pupusa. Pupusas are a thick hand-made corn tortilla (made using masa de maíz or masa de arroz, a maize or rice flour dough used in Latin American cuisine) stuffed with one or more of the following: cheese (usually a soft Salvadoran cheese, a popular example is Quesillo con loroco,or mozarella), chicharrón, and refried beans. Loroco is a vine flower bud native to Central America. There are also vegetarian options, beans, or a combo of cheese and beans. Some adventurous restaurants even offer pupusas stuffed with shrimp or spinach.

Pupusa comes from the pipil-nahuatl word, pupushahua. The pupusa's exact origins are debated, although its presence in El Salvador is known to predate the arrival of Spaniards.^[48]

Two other typical Salvadoran dishes are yuca frita and panes rellenos. Yuca frita, which is deep fried cassava root served with curtido (a pickled cabbage, onion and carrot topping) and pork rinds with pescaditas (fried baby sardines). The Yuca is sometimes served boiled instead of fried. Panes con Pavo (turkey sandwiches) are warm turkey submarines. The turkey is marinated and then roasted with Pipil spices and handpulled. This sandwich is traditionally served with turkey, tomato, and watercress along with cucumber, onion, lettuce, mayonnaise, and mustard.

One of the most noticeable breakfast plate that El Salvador has is fried plantain, usually accompanied with beans, cream, and cheese. It is one of El Salvador's great dishes in breakfasts.This plate is really common in Salvadorian restaurants and homes extending also to the United States.

A drink that Salvadorians love is chuco, usually made out of purple corn. Chuco is made by soaking purple corn in water, then blending it and cooking the corn over a medium fire. The thickened drink is called chuco. Toasted pumpkin seeds and boiled beans are added to the drink.

Another drink that Salvadorians love is called Horchata. Horchata is most commonly made of the Morro seed, ground into a powder, that is later added to milk or water, and sugar. Horchata is drunk year round and can be drunk anytime of day. It mostly is accompanied by a plate of pupusas or fried yucca.

[edit] Music

Main article: Music of El Salvador

[edit] Education

Main article: Education in El Salvador

The public education system in El Salvador is severely lacking in resources. Class sizes in public schools can reach 50 children, so Salvadorans who can afford the cost often choose to send their children to private schools. Lower-income families are forced to rely on the public education system.

Education in El Salvador is free through high school. After nine years of basic education (elementary - middle school) students have the option of a two year high school or a three year high school. A two year high school prepares the student to transfer to a university. A three year high school allows the student graduate with a vocational career and enter the workforce or transfer to a university as well to further their education in that field. The national literacy rate is 80.1%^{[citation needed]}

The Post-Secondary education varies widely in price. The cheapest university in El Salvador is the University of El Salvador.^{[citation needed]} The UES is partially funded by the state yet maintains administrative and educational autonomy.^{[citation needed]} It is the only public university in the country.^{[citation needed]}

El Salvador has several private universities:

• Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado, UJMD
• Universidad de El Salvador, UES
• Universidad Centroamericana “José Simeón Cañas”, UCA
• Universidad Francisco Gavidia, UFG^[49]
• Universidad Tecnologica, UTec
• Universidad Don Bosco, UDB^[50]
• Universidad Evangelica
• Universidad Dr Andrés Bello UNAB^[51]
• Universidad de Nueva San Salvador, UNSS
• Universidad Albert Einstein
• Universidad Salvadorena Alberto Masferrer, USAM
• Universidad Modular Abierta, UMA
• Universidad Polytecnica
• Universidad Catolica de El Salvador, UNICAES
• Escuela de Comunicación Mónica Herrera, ECMH
• Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios, ESEN

Local Foundations and NGOs are fostering further education development.

[edit] International rankings

Organization	Survey	Ranking
Institute for Economics and Peace[2]	Global Peace Index[52]	94 out of 144
United Nations Development Programme	Human Development Index	106 out of 182
Transparency International	Corruption Perceptions Index	84 out of 180
World Economic Forum	Global Competitiveness Report	77 out of 133

[edit] See also

El Salvador portal

Main article: Outline of El Salvador

• Index of El Salvador-related articles

[edit] References

1. ^ Garner, Bryan A. (2003). "Denizen Labels". Garner’s Modern American Usage. Oxford University Press. pp. g. 235. ISBN 0-19-516191-2. "Salvadoran"
2. ^ Gob.sv (Spanish)
3. ^ ^{a b c d} "El Salvador". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2006&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=253&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr1.x=62&pr1.y=4. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
4. ^ "Human Development Report 2009. Human development index trends: Table G". The United Nations. http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
5. ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/es.html
6. ^ UNDP.org
7. ^ Politics in Central America, Thomas P. Anderson
8. ^ Central Intelligence Agency (2009). "El Salvador". The World Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/es.html. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
9. ^ "El Salvador Country Brief". World Bank. 2008. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/ELSALVADOREXTN/0,,menuPK:295253~pagePK:141132~piPK:141107~theSitePK:295244,00.html.
10. ^ "Funes saca a luz corrupción en gobiernos de ARENA" (in Spanish). Diario CoLatino. 2009. http://www.diariocolatino.com/es/20090612/nacionales/67865/.
11. ^ ^{a b c} El Salvador landslide
12. ^ Lomnitz, Cinna; S (1 April 1966). "The San Salvador earthquake of May 3, 1965". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 56 (2): 561–575. http://bssa.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/56/2/561.
13. ^ Harlow, David H. (1993). "The San Salvador earthquake of 10 October 1986 and its historical context". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 83 (4): 1143–1154.
14. ^ Bommer, Julian; Ledbetter, Stephen (1987). "The San Salvador earthquake of 10th October 1986". Disasters 11 (2): 83–95. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7717.1987.tb00620.x.
15. ^ Erupción en Santa Ana | La Prensa Gráfica
16. ^ Dull, Robert A.; Southon; Sheets (2001). "Volcanism, Ecology and Culture: A Reassessment of the Volcan Ilopango Tbj eruption in the Southern Maya Realm". Latin American Antiquity 12 (1): 25–44. doi:10.2307/971755.
17. ^ Photo Essay: El Salvador, the Makings of a Gangland
18. ^ Fiu.edu
19. ^ List of countries by GDP (nominal)
20. ^ "Rank Order - GDP - per capita (PPP)". U.S. Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
21. ^ "Gross Domestic Product, annual rates, main economic sectors". Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador. http://www.bcr.gob.sv/ingles/estadisticas/sr_produccion.html. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
22. ^ "Saldos a fin de año o mes" (in Spanish). Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador. http://www.bcr.gob.sv/estadisticas/Sector_externo/sectorexterno_reservasint_anual.html. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
23. ^ Country Specific Information, U.S. State Department, 2007.
24. ^ "Trade Balance, Annual and Monthly Accumulated". Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador. http://www.bcr.gob.sv/ingles/estadisticas/se_balanzacom.html. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
25. ^ "Family Remittances". Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador. http://www.bcr.gob.sv/ingles/estadisticas/se_remesas.html. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
26. ^ "Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio" (in Spanish). http://www.redsolidaria.gob.sv/content/view/677/46/1/1/. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
27. ^ Washington Post
28. ^ Population figures
29. ^ "PCN desconfía del censo poblacional". La Prensa Grafica. http://www.laprensagrafica.com/nacion/1075588.asp. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
30. ^ "Censo y padron no coinciden". http://www.laprensagrafica.com/nacion/1056295.asp.
31. ^ PDDH de El Salvador. "Censo de población y vivienda invisibiliza la existencia de los pueblos indígenas de El Salvador". http://www.pddh.gob.sv/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=148.
32. ^ Elena Salamanca (October 23, 2005). "NO a “los otros”" (in Spanish). La Prensa Gráfica. http://www.laprensagrafica.com/dominical/318769.asp. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
33. ^ Montgomery, Tommie Sue (1995). Revolution in El Salvador: from civil strife to civil peace. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-0071-1.
34. ^ Marín-Guzmán, Roberto (2000). A Century of Palestinian Immigration into Central America: A study of their economic and cultural contributions. San Jose, CR: Universidad de Costa Rica.
35. ^ "Disminuye delincuencia según la PNC" (in Spanish). http://www.elsalvador.com/mwedh/nota/nota_completa.asp?idCat=2913&idArt=1562092. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
36. ^ Elsalvador.com
37. ^ "Comunidad Salvadorena: Republica de Nicaragua" (PDF). Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de El Salvador. http://www.rree.gob.sv/sitio/img.nsf/vista/informes/$file/nicaragua.pdf. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
38. ^ Thedialogue.org
39. ^ International Religious Freedom Report 2009
40. ^ List of countries by birth rate
41. ^ Who.int
42. ^ Undp.org
43. ^ CEPA - Aeropuerto Internacional de El Salvador
44. ^ Elsalvadorturismo.gob.sv (Spanish)
45. ^ Elsalvadorturismo.gob.sv (Spanish)
46. ^ App.com
47. ^ elsalvador.com
48. ^ Elsalvador.com
49. ^ UFG.edu.sv (Spanish)
50. ^ UDB.edu.sv (Spanish)
51. ^ UNAB.edu.sv (Spanish)
52. ^ "Vision of Humanity". Vision of Humanity. http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/home.php. Retrieved 2010-02-04.

• Nationsencyclopedia.com

[edit] Further reading

• "Background Notes", Background Notes: El Salvador, January 2008. Accessed March 6, 2008.
• Bonner, Raymond. Weakness and Deceit: U.S. Policy and El Salvador. New York: Times Books, 1984.
• CIA World Factbook, "El Salvador", February 28, 2008. Accessed March 6, 2008.
• Danner, Mark. The Massacre at El Mozote: A Parable of the Cold War. New York: Vintage Books, 1994.
• "Country Specific Information", U.S. State Department, October 3, 2007. Accessed March 6, 2008.
• Vilas, Carlos. Between Earthquakes and Volcanoes: Market, State, and the Revolution America. New York: Monthly Review Press. 1995.
• Foley, Erin. 'Cultures of the world, El Salvador. 1995

[edit] External links

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• Embassy of El Salvador in London - Content rich site about every aspect of Salvadorean life, government, business, and politics.
• Chief of State and Cabinet Members
• El Salvador entry at The World Factbook
• El Salvador at UCB Libraries GovPubs
• Elsalvador.sk (Slovak), at Slovak El Salvador travel guide
• El Salvador at the Open Directory Project
• Wikimedia Atlas of El Salvador
• El Salvador travel guide from Wikitravel

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