San Salvador

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Capital of El Salvador and of San Salvador department; situated at the foot of San Salvador volcano (2,548 m/8,360 ft) on the River Acelhuate, 48 km/30 mi from the Pacific Ocean; population (2005) 507,700. Industries include coffee, food-processing, pharmaceuticals, and textiles. One-third of the country's industrial output comes from the city. Founded in 1525, it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1854 and rebuilt on the present site. It is now a modern city with architecture conditioned to seismic activity, to which the region is prone, although many buildings collapsed during a further earthquake in 1986.

It was capital of the Central American Foundation 1831–38, and became the national capital in 1839.

Black and red recall the tunics worn by soldiers during the Napoleonic wars. Gold was added to create a flag similar to the French tricolour, a symbol of revolution. Effective date: 23 May 1949. >>