El Salvador:
In January, 2001, a devastating earthquake hit El Salvador, killing about 700 people and making thousands homeless. Then, a month later, another earthquake occurred, killing about 250 people. People heading there now are probably more interested in helping the injured and homeless than in being tourists.
Visitors to El Salvador now head for the beautiful beaches on the Pacific Coast, and hotels are being built to accommodate them. There are also about 20 volcanoes in El Salvador. Most of the rainforest was cut down for agriculture, so there isn't much left to hike through. In fact, apart from Haiti, El Salvador is the most densely populated country in the Americas, with 80 per cent of the land under cultivation.
Unfortunately, there are still land mines buried in the ground, and after all those years of civil war (in which about 70,000 people were killed), the rich people still rule over the poor people. The people of this besieged country are known to be very friendly. The dark side is that these days muggings, robbery, and rape happen frequently, and tourists are not exempt. Travellers are advised not to go out at night, and not to travel around the countryside without an El Salvadorean escort.
There is some good news, however. According to the United Nations Human Development Index, the adult literacy rate rose from 76 to 80 per cent from 1992 to 1998, and infant mortality dropped from 41 per 1,000 live births to 35
In an election in March, 2000, former leftist guerillas won more seats in congress than the right-wing governing party.
This page last updated February 18, 2001.