El Salvador

Main article: Music of El Salvador

El Salvador is a Central American country whose culture is a mixture of Pipil and Spanish. Its music includes religious songs (mostly Roman Catholic) used to celebrate Christmas and other holidays, especially feast days of the saints. Satirical rural lyrical themes are common. Due to the Americanization of El Salvador, popular English music is played on most national radio stations. In 2007, census showed that 67% of the music played on the most popular radio station, consisted of English music.^{[citation needed]}

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Demographics

Main article: Demographics of El Salvador

The 2008 estimated population is 7,066,403.^[18] El Salvador has lacked authoritative demographic data for many years due to the fact that until 2007, a national census had not been undertaken since 1992. Prior to the 2007 census, patterns in population growth led many officials (including within the Salvadoran government) to estimate the country's size at between 6.7 and 6.9 million people ^[19]. However, on May 12, 2008, El Salvador's Ministry of Economy finally released statistics gathered in the census of the previous May. These data present a surprisingly low figure for the total population - 5,744,113. Challenges to the 2007 census on a number of grounds are forthcoming.

90% of Salvadorans are mestizo (mixed Native American and Spanish origin). 9% report their race as being White; this population is mostly of Spanish descent. There are also some of French, German, Swiss, and Italian descent. El Salvador is 1% indigenous, mostly Pipil, Lenca and Kakawira (Cacaopera). Very few Native Americans have retained their native customs, traditions, or languages, especially in the wake of the deliberate 1932 massacres in which the Salvadoran military murdered somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 peasants. El Salvador is the only Central American country that has no visible African population because of its lack of an Atlantic coast and access to the slave trade that occurred along the east coast of the continent. In addition, General Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez instituted race laws in 1930 that prohibited blacks from entering the country; this changed during the 1980s and the law was removed.^[20].^[21]

Among the few immigrant groups that reached El Salvador, Palestinian Christians stand out. ^[22]. Though few in number, their descendants have attained great economic and political power in the country, as evidenced by President Antonio Saca — whose opponent in the 2004 election, Schafik Handal, was likewise of Palestinian descent — and the flourishing commercial, industrial, and construction firms owned by them.

Spanish is the official language and therefore spoken by virtually all inhabitants (some of the indigenous still speak their native tongues, but all speak Spanish). English is also spoken by some throughout the republic. Many have studied or lived in English speaking countries (primarily the U.S., but also Canada and Australia), including many young Salvadorans deported from the United States, many of whom had grown up speaking only English. Furthermore, today all public schools teach English as a required course in both primary and secondary school.

Although the majority of El Salvador's residents are Roman Catholic, Protestantism is growing rapidly and is already representing more than 20% of the population.^[23] Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist churches are all growing rapidly, as are Pentecostals and Mormons.

The capital city of San Salvador has about 2.1 million people; an estimated 42% of El Salvador's population live in rural areas. Urbanization expanded at a phenomenal rate in El Salvador since the 1960s, driving millions to the cities and creating growth problems for cities around the country.

According to the most recent United Nations survey, life expectancy for men was 68 years and 74 years for women. Education in El Salvador is free through ninth grade. The national literacy rate is 84.1%.

As of 2004, there were approximately 3.2 million Salvadorans living outside El Salvador, some of whom are undocumented immigrants in the United States. Many other Salvadoran Americans are legal immigrants, many becoming citizens or residents through the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.^{[citation needed]} The USA has traditionally been the destination of choice for Salvadorans looking for greater economic opportunity. Salvadorans also live in nearby Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.^[24] The majority of expatriates emigrated during the civil war of the 1980s for political reasons and later because of adverse economic and social conditions. Other countries with notable Salvadoran communities include Canada, Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Sweden, Italy, and Australia.

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References

^ ^a ^b ^c El Salvador
^ ERUPCIÓN EN SANTA ANA | La Prensa Gráfica
^ Wide Angle . 18 with a Bullet . Photo Essay: El Salvador, the Makings of a Gangland | PBS
^ http://www.fiu.edu/~oberbaue/el_salvador.pdf
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29
^ Rank Order - GDP - per capita (PPP). U.S. Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
^ Gross Domestic Product, annual rates, main economic sectors. Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
^ Saldos a fin de año o mes (Spanish). Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
^ http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1109.html Country Specific Information,U.S. State Department,2007.
^ Trade Balance, Annual and Monthly Accumulated. Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
^ Family Remittances. Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
^ "Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio". Retrieved on 2007-05-23. (Spanish)
^ Money Earned in U.S. Pushes Up Prices in El Salvador
^ ::- CEPA- Aeropuerto Internacional de El Salvador ::
^ http://www.elsalvadorturismo.gob.sv/boletin2006.pdf/
^ http://www.elsalvadorturismo.gob.sv/MARZO2007.pdf/
^ http://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/2003/10/31/nacional/nacio7.html.
^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/es.html#People
^ El Salvador (01/08)
^ Elena Salamanca. NO a “los otros” (Spanish). La Prensa Gráfica. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
^ Montgomery, Tommie Sue (1995). Revolution in El Salvador: from civil strife to civil peace. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-0071-1.
^ Marín-Guzmán, Roberto (2000). A Century of Palestinian Immigration into Central America: A study of their economic and cultural contributions. San Jose, CR: Universidad de Costa Rica.
^ International Religious Freedom Report 2005
^ "Comunidad Salvadorena: Republica de Nicaragua", Minsterio de Relaciones Exteriores de El Salvador. Retrieved on 2008-01-06.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2033.htm "Background Notes"], Background Notes: El Salvador, January, 2008. Accessed March 06, 2008.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/es.html "CIA World Factbook"], El Salvador, February 28, 2008. Accessed March 06, 2008.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1109.html "Country Specific Information"], U.S. State Department, October 03, 2007. Accessed March 06, 2008

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Bibliography

Bonner, Raymond. Weakness and Deceit: U.S. Policy and El Salvador. New York: Times Books, 1984.
Danner, Mark. The Massacre at El Mozote: A Parable of the Cold War. New York: Vintage Books, 1994.
Vilas, Carlos. Between Earthquakes and Volcanoes: Market, State, and the Revolution America. New York: Monthly Review Press. 1995.