SAN SALVADOR

capital of El Salvador, on the Ro Ace Chaute in the Valle de las Hamacas (Valley of the Hammocks) at an altitude of 2,238 ft (682 m). San Salvador Volcano is 7 mi (11 km) west-northwest. Founded near Suchitoto in 1525 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado, it was moved 20 mi southwest to its present site in 1528 and was declared a city in 1546. San Salvador served as capital of the colonial province of Cuscatln and as capital (183439) of the United Provinces of Central America; it has been the Salvadorean capital since 1839. Ruined by earthquakes in 1854, 1873, and 1917 and by heavy floods in 1934, it has been reconstructed with modern government buildings and scenic parks and plazas. There are no colonial buildings remaining in the city. San Salvador is the nation's leading financial, commercial, and industrial centre; transportation is also focussed there, with railroads and highways linking it with the Pacific ports of Acajutla, La Unin (Cutuco), and La Libertad. Manufactures include textiles, clothing, leather goods, wood products, pharmaceuticals, cigarettes, and cigars; meat-packing and liquor distilling are also important. The city has a small cathedral and several libraries and is the site of the National Museum of Science and Industry (1883) and the National Museum of El Salvador (1940; with numerous Mayan relics). The National University of El Salvador was founded there in 1841 as Colegio de la Asuncin. San Salvador is also the seat of the Central American University of Jos Simen Caas (1965). During the late 1970s the city became the focus of violence between the government and left-wing political groups. Among the city's rapidly growing suburbs are Mejicanos, Villa Delgado, and Soyapango. A new international airport was built at nearby Comalpa in the late 1970s. Lake Ilopango, a summer resort area, is 12 miles (19 km) east. Pop. (1985 est.) 459,902. departamento, central El Salvador, extending from near the Pacific coast on the south to the deep Ro Lempa Valley on the north, with an area of 342 sq mi (886 sq km). In the west is the massive San Salvador Volcano, 6,430 ft (1,960 m) high; part of Lake Ilopango lies in the east. During the Spanish colonial era, San Salvador occupied a larger area and developed as a province; it was raised to the rank of intendencia (intendency) in 1786 but was reduced to its present size in 1859 when it was reorganized as a department. Sugarcane, coffee, grain, tobacco, and fruits are grown, and livestock and poultry raising have some importance. Considerable manufacturing is concentrated in and around the departmental and national capital, San Salvador. Pop. (1981 est.) 979,683.