Central America: All about El Salvador Quiz

Answer: Wales

Like Wales, El Salvador is around 8,110 square miles (21,000 square km) in area. El Salvador is the smallest country of Central America. It is also the only country of Central America that does not have a Caribbean coastline.

Answer: Honduras

Cerro El Pital is approximately 8,960 feet (2,730 m) high. It is the third-highest peak of Honduras, and the coldest place in El Salvador.

The El Salvador-Honduras border is approximately 160 miles (255 km) long. This was established in the 1840s when El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua were all part of the former country, the Federal Republic of Central America. The three countries split in 1856, establishing the modern borders of these countries.

Answer: Ahuachapan

Located near El Salvador's border with Guatemala, Ahuachapán is the capital city of the Ahuachapán Department in the west of the country.

Ahuachapán sees a lot of geothermal activity, with steam vents active on the surrounding mountains. A geothermal energy plant is located in the city as well as a hydroelectric plant.

Ahuachapán is the home town of Salvadoran poet, Alfredo Espino (1900-1928) who died before his poetry could be published and critically acclaimed.

Answer: San Miguel

The city of San Miguel is located in the east of El Salvador. In 1655, the city was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Legends have it that only a portrait of the Virgin Mary survived the disaster.

The San Miguel volcano is only just over 9 miles (15 km) south-west of the city. It is around 6,990 feet (2,130 m) high.

On January 13 2001, a 7.8-7.9 magnitude earthquake struck El Salvador. Around 5,550 were injured, 945 died and over 10,000 homes were destroyed. Every department of El Salvador was affected by the earthquake, but the departments of La Libertad and Usulután particularly suffered. The tremors were felt as far away as Colombia and Mexico. It spread to Guatemala, where it killed eight people.

El Salvador lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, as well as being atop two tectonic plates: the Cocoas Plate, which is being subducted by the Caribbean Plate. This makes the area prone to earthquakes, and also caused one in El Salvador in 1982, as well as the Nicaragua earthquake of 1992.

Answer: Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior, also known as San Salvador Cathedral, was established around 1842. It has undergone considerable renovations, with artist Fernando Llort adorning a festive tiled facade across the cathedral in 1999. However, by 2012, José Luis Escobar Alas (the Archbishop of San Salvador) had the tiles removed without consulting the artist nor El Salvador's government.

Óscar Romero was the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador. Nobody was ever convicted for his murder. He was shot while taking part in Mass. During his funeral at the San Salvador Cathedral, between 30-50 people were killed by gunfire and bombs exploding. Again, nobody was convicted for this atrocity.

Answer: Usulutan

Usulután Department has an approximate are of 820 square miles (2,130 square km), and is located in the south-east of El Salvador. The capital city of the same name, Usulután, boasts Sergio Torres Stadium, the only stadium of El Salvador wholly owned by its football club (C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo - or just "Firpo").

Answer: Joya de Cerén

Located in the Zapotitán Valley, Joya de Cerén was a pre-Columbian Mayan farming village that was covered by a volcanic eruption. Joya de Cerén was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993. Because of the low temperature of the ash falling, the site has been well preserved. However, no human remains were discovered at the site, leading archaeologists to believe that the site was abandoned long before the volcano eruption that covered the area.

The site was discovered in 1976.

Answer: La Palma

Fernando Llort (1949-2018) was often coined "El Salvador's National Artist." He has a colourful style, sometimes even child-like.

La Palma is close to El Salvador's border with Honduras. He taught the citizens of this town how to make a living through creating art, and to this day art is still widely created and appreciated here.

Answer: San Vicente

San Vicente is 7,160 feet (2,180 m) high. It has a double summit and is known as "the mountain of the two breasts" (or "Chichontepec" in the Nawat language) due to the mountain resembling a woman's bosom. There are two craters on each summit.

In 1995, Aviateca Flight 901 crashed into San Vincente, killing all 65 people on board.

The Santa Ana Volcano is approximately 7,810 feet (2,380 m) high.

Answer: San Miguel

Between 2004-2015 the prison only housed members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang. However, since the Covid-19 pandemic rival gangs such as 18th Street have been housed alongside MS-13. This has caused controversy, as has overcrowding; the prison capacity is 800 people, yet it regularly houses over 2,500 prisoners. Guards at this prison have been reported as unwilling to attempt to control the prisoners, as there are around 50 prisoners for every guard.