El Salvador Travel Guide

El Salvador — Country and Tourist Information

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Country Facts

Location: Central America.
Language: The official language is Spanish. English is widely spoken.
Area: 21,040 sq km (8,124 sq miles).
Time Zone: GMT - 6.
Electricity: 115 volts AC, 60Hz. Flat two-pin plugs, with or without circular grounding pin.
Population: 7 million (2005).
Population Density: 322.7 per sq km.
Capital City: San Salvador. Population: 2.2 million.
Government: Republic.
Head of State: President Carlos Mauricio Funes since 2009.
Religion: The majority (57%) is Roman Catholic; a growing number (currently 21%) are Protestant.

Recent History

Funes, a former CNN journalist and popular TV host, won a historic victory in the elections of March 2009 when he became El Salvador's first left-wing president as head of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). Two months earlier, the party had won a large number of seats in the National Assembly, but not an overall majority. He inherited a country at peace, but politically polarized and with mounting domestic problems, including rising unemployment and organized crime.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +503.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with some international mobile phone companies. Coverage is variable.

Internet

Internet access is readily available in San Salvador and the main tourist destinations.

Media

Press freedom is guaranteed under El Salvador's constitution. Most radio and TV stations are privately run. There are some 70 radio stations in the capital alone. Cable TV is available across much of the country and carries a wide range of international channels.

Post

Airmail to Europe takes up to two weeks. The main branch is in Centro de Gobierno.Mon-Fri 0830-1600.

Press

• Among the daily newspapers published in San Salvador are El Diario de Hoy, El Mundo and La Prensa Gráfica.
• There are several provincial papers.

Radio

•Radio El Salvador is state run.
• Radio YSKL, FM Globo, Femenina 102.5 and Radio Cadena Central are commercial stations.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day
31 Dec New Year’s Eve

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
22 Apr - 25 Apr Easter
2 May Labor Day
3 Aug Fiesta de San Salvador
6 Aug Fiestas Patronales
15 Sep Independence Day
10 Oct Día de la Raza
3 Nov All Souls’ Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
31 Dec New Year’s Eve

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
8 Apr - 9 Apr Easter
1 May Labor Day
3 Aug Fiesta de San Salvador
6 Aug Fiestas Patronales
15 Sep Independence Day
15 Oct Día de la Raza
2 Nov All Souls’ Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
31 Dec New Year’s Eve

Contact Information

Corporacion Salvadoreña de Turismo (CORSATUR) (Salvadorian Tourism Corporation)

Edificio Carbonel 1, Colonia Roma, Alameda Dr Manuel Enrique Araujo y Pasaje Carbonel, San Salvador, El Salvador
Tel: 2243 7835 ext. 165 or 166.
Website: www.elsalvadorturismo.gob.sv
Promotes El Salvador abroad.