Fun Facts About El Salvador: The Little Thumb of America

El Salvador — known as the land of volcanoes as well as “the little thumb of America” — is the smallest but most densely populated country in Central America.

We’d love to share some more fun facts about El Salvador with you! As you dive into these facts, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the culture and traditions of this beautiful country where over 70,000 Compassion assisted children live.

Fun Facts About El Salvador

Here are some quick facts you should know about El Salvador:

• Population: 6.3 million (May 2024).
• Capital: San Salvador.
• Official language: Spanish
• Area: 8,123 square miles (21,041 square kilometers) — that’s about the size of New Jersey.
• Economy: Agricultural products include coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum, beef and dairy. Industries include food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles and furniture.

What Does El Salvador Look Like?

El Salvador is a tropical country that shares borders with Honduras and Guatemala and boasts a beautiful Pacific Ocean coastline. From mysterious Mayan ruins and striking colonial architecture to deep crater lakes and enchanting beaches, El Salvador is full of wonders.

Culture and Traditions of El Salvador

El Salvador culture is a beautiful mix of Latin American and Native American traditions.

General Culture

Salvadorans are welcoming, warm and friendly. Salvadorans love to crack jokes, play soccer and share delicious meals together. Family is of top priority in this country.

Fun fact: Almost every home in El Salvador has a hammock hung on the porch. In fact, the country is a large exporter of hammocks, and the valley San Salvador sits in is nicknamed “The Valley of the Hammocks.”

Religion

Religion plays a large role in El Salvador, where 43.3% of people identify as Roman Catholic and 33.9% are evangelical Christian, while 18.6% are nonreligious.

Learn about Easter and Christmas celebrations in El Salvador!

Traditional Clothing of El Salvador

How do Salvadorans dress? Clothing in El Salvador is contemporary, similar to that worn in the United States. Cotton T-shirts, jeans and dresses are normal everyday garments, while business suits are common for professional events. Salvadorans dress modestly in lightweight fabrics. Clothing varies by season and regional climate.

Traditional clothing is generally reserved for formal occasions or holidays, and the bright blue and white colors of the flag are often featured.

Men wear elegant double-pleated shirts known as guayaberas along with sandals or boots and cowboy hats. Cotton headscarves and shawls with dresses or skirts are popular choices for women.

El Salvador Traditional Dance

El Salvador may be small, but the country has an exciting culture of music and dance. If you visited, you would hear guitars, marimbas, xylophones, trumpets, flutes, bells and drums.

While much of the popular music is imported from other parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, El Salvador maintains its own folk music traditions.

Salvadoran folk music has been influenced primarily by the Mayas and the Spanish. These traditional songs were often religious or performed for festivals. Songs were written to celebrate rural everyday life and sometimes poked fun at the rich and powerful.

There are a variety of traditional dances in El Salvador, including the dance of the chapetones, the dance of the little mare, the dance of the Moors and Christians, the dance of the wild pig, the dance of the tiger and the dance of los cumpas.

The dance of the little bull is one of the most popular in the country. Masked dancers play the roles of bullfighters and a little bull. To the rhythm of drums and whistles, these dancers act out a bullfight.

Food and Drink of El Salvador

Salvadoran cuisine often features corn, rice, red beans and black beans. It also features a variety of delicious fresh fruits like coconuts, bananas, pineapples, mangos and papayas. Here are just a few dishes to introduce you to the diet of El Salvador!

• Pupusas are a delicious Salvadoran comfort food. This traditional dish is a thick griddlecake or flatbread filled with cheese, beans and sometimes meat. Want to try pupusas? Learn to make them here!
• Sopa de pata is a hearty traditional soup made from tripe, cow’s feet, yuca, corn, plantains, beans, tomatoes, onions and cabbage. Garlic, lemon, salt, pepper and chili powder are used to season the dish.
• Quesadilla Salvadorena is a rich pound cake made from queso fresco cheese, butter, eggs, milk, flour and sugar. This delicious dessert makes a perfect snack to accompany a morning cup of coffee.
• Fresco de ensalada is a refreshing Salvadoran beverage made from chopped fruit. The ingredients include pineapple, mango, orange, lemon juice and sugar.

A Story From El Salvador: Erick the Architect

Let us introduce you to Erick, a young man living in El Salvador who conquered the challenges of poverty to become an architect.

Erick’s life was challenging from the start. By the time he turned 2 years old, Erick had already undergone surgery to remove a kidney and a cancerous tumor.

When tutors visited his home in San Salvador to register him in the Compassion program at the local church, Erick was 3 years old, sickly and bald.

Erick and his older sister, Claudia, were both enrolled in the program. When they arrived at the center together, they were always welcomed with hugs. Even though Erick looked a bit different because of his illness, the children warmly accepted him.

Claudia shares, “Children at the center always looked after Erick. Instead of bullying him, he was treated with love and gentleness.”

As a result, Erick grew up with confidence in himself and without repercussions from his illness. But he still faced challenges from his community.

Erick lives in a semi-rural town that has become dominated by gangs. Some gang members were Erick’s neighbors and childhood friends. Sonia, the Compassion center director, feared that Erick would be recruited into a gang, but he stayed firm in his convictions and continued to faithfully attend school and church.

Because of the care and love he experienced in the Compassion program, Erick was not tempted to join the gangs. Erick states, “In my interactions with [gang members] I was reserved and told them that I was on my way to school or to church. I think they saw that I had no interest in the gangs, really.”

Because of his perseverance, the Compassion center gave Erick a full scholarship to continue in the program after age 18 until age 22. With this extra support, he chose to pursue a technical career in architecture. His outstanding performance and grades earned him an internship with the Public Works Ministry of El Salvador.

Erick completed the Compassion program and his internship and graduated with a technical degree in architecture — the first in his family to obtain a professional degree! He’s now able to support his family with a full-time job at the Public Works Ministry.

Erick and his family all continue to attend the Compassion partner church that once welcomed them with so much love and support.

Want to help children like Erick break the bonds of poverty? Learn more about sponsoring a child in El Salvador!

Photos of What Daily Life Is Like in El Salvador

What’s daily life like in El Salvador? Below are some of our favorite pictures of this vibrant country and the people who call it home.

Learn More About El Salvador With Compassion

Want to keep learning even more fun facts about El Salvador? Take a digital journey with us to discover more about this country.