El Salvador Geography

What is the terrain and geography like in El Salvador?

Overview

El Salvador, with an area of 8,260 square miles, is the smallest independent state in Central America. El Salvador is rectangular in shape, 60 miles wide and 160 miles long.

El Salvador has 350 rivers. The largest, the Rio Lempa, flows 150 miles from northern to central El Salvador, forming one of the most important Pacific watersheds in Latin America. It is El Salvador's only navigable river.

The land is 90% volcanic in origin, and many places still bear the scars. The country’'s topography is rough and irregular from continuous volcanic activity, accounting for El Salvador’s rich soil. Two volcanic mountain ranges, a central one parallel to the Pacific and a northern one along the border with Honduras, run across almost the entire length of the country. The two ranges divide El Salvador into three distinct and progressively higher zones. The plains along the Pacific Ocean are at sea level; the central plateau is 2,000 feet above sea level; and the northern highlands rise more than 3,000 feet. Although the central plateau represents only 25% of the total area, it contains the heaviest concentration of population and the largest cities.

Geography - note

smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea

El Salvador Use of Natural Resources

Geographic Location Central America
Total Area 8,124 Square Miles
21,041 Square Kilometers
Land Area 8,000 Square Miles
20,721 Square Kilometers
Water Area 124 Square Miles
320 Square Kilometers
Land Boundaries 339 Miles
545 Kilometers
Irrigated Land 173 Square Miles
449 Square Kilometers
Border Countries Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
Coastline 191 Miles
307 Kilometers
Geographic Coordinates 13 50 N, 88 55 W
Terrain mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
Highest Point 2,730 Meters
Highest Point Location Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
Lowest Point Location Pacific Ocean 0 m
Natural Resources hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land
Time Zone UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
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