Description

El Salvador is a country in Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. Several small rivers flow through El Salvador into the Pacific Ocean, including the Goascoran, Jiboa, Torola, Paz and the Ri­o Grande de San Miguel. Only the largest river, the Lempa River, flowing from Honduras across El Salvador to the ocean, is navigable for commercial traffic. Volcanic craters enclose lakes, the most important of which are Lake Ilopango and Lake Coatepeque. 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.
 
Politics of El Salvador takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of El Salvador is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Legislative Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The Nationalist Republican Alliance party, known popularly as ARENA (Spanish: Alianza Republicana Nacionalista), is El Salvador's leading political party.
 
Spanish is the official language of El Salvador, but some locals also speak English. The Roman Catholic Church plays an important role in the Salvadoran culture. Painting, ceramics and textile goods are the main manual artistic expressions. El Salvador's most notable dish is the pupusa. Pupusas are a thick hand-made corn tortilla stuffed with one or more of the following: cheese, fried pork rind, chicken, refried beans, and cheese with loroco. Loroco is a vine flower bud native to Central America. Its music includes religious songs (mostly Roman Catholic) used to celebrate Christmas and other holidays, especially feast days of the saints. Satirical and rural lyrical themes are common. El Salvador continues to grow as an attraction. 40% of El Salvador visitors want to enjoy the sun and the country's beautiful beaches; 38% of El Salvador visitors enjoy the colonial structures and the country's history; and 22% enjoy the nature and El Salvador Mountains.

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