El-salvador

[el sal-vuh-dawr; Spanish el sahl-vah-th awr] /ɛl ˈsæl vəˌdɔr; Spanish ɛl ˌsɑl vɑˈðɔr/

noun
1.
a republic in NW Central America. 13,176 sq. mi. (34,125 sq. km).
Capital: San Salvador.
/ɛl ˈsælvəˌdɔː/
noun
1.
a republic in Central America, on the Pacific: colonized by the Spanish from 1524; declared independence in 1841, becoming a republic in 1856. It consists of coastal lowlands rising to a central plateau. Coffee constitutes over a third of the total exports. Official language: Spanish. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: US dollar. Capital: San Salvador. Pop: 6 108 590 (2013 est). Area: 21 393 sq km (8236 sq miles)

Republic on the Pacific coast of Central America, bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the north and east by Honduras, and to the south by the Pacific Ocean. San Salvador is its capital and largest city.

Note: Torn by civil unrest and characterized by guerrilla warfare and terrorism (which has included the murder of American civilians), El Salvador became in the 1980s a controversial focus of an American foreign policy that sought to protect American interests in Central America. Unrest eased in the 1990s.