the capital of El Salvador and the country’s economic and cultural center. San Salvador is a railroad and highway junction, situated on the Pan American Highway; it lies in the valley of the Hamacas River, at the base of San Salvador volcano, at an altitude of about 700 m. The climate is tropical. The average temperature in December is 22°C, and in April (the hottest month), 24.6°C. The average annual precipitation is 1,788 mm. Area, 80 sq km. Population, 550,000 (1975, including suburbs).
San Salvador was founded in April 1525 by Spanish conquistadores. After El Salvador declared its independence in 1821, San Salvador became the country’s capital. Since the early 20th century, San Salvador has been a center of workers’ struggles and the scene of large demonstrations, especially in 1932, 1944, 1946, and 1960.
San Salvador’s industries account for more than one-quarter of the country’s entire industrial production. The city has a textile industry; large factories produce cotton fabrics and henequen coffee bags. It also has food and condiments and metal-working industries.
After earthquakes in 1798, 1854, 1873, and 1965, San Salvador has been rebuilt several times, always in a regular pattern, with broad, straight streets and large parks. Most residential buildings are one or two stories high and made of wood or reinforced concrete. Since the mid-20th century, high-rise hotels, banks, and office buildings have appeared; the buildings of the university are done in a strictly rational style. Slums lie on the city’s outskirts.
San Salvador’s architectural monuments include two churches from the colonial period: the churches of St. Joseph (1783) and Jesus Christ (1785). Bolívar Plaza and Bolívar Park, with its National Palace (1902–07), occupy the city center. San Salvador has the National Theater and Presidential Theater (plays, operas, and ballets and concerts of the State Symphony Orchestra) and the University Theater. It also has a conservatory.