Editing El Salvador (section)

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of El Salvador}}

[[File:El Salvador Topography.png|thumb|upright=1.3|El Salvador's topography]]
El Salvador lies in the isthmus of Central America between latitudes [[13th parallel north|13°]] and [[15th parallel north|15°N]], and longitudes [[87th meridian west|87°]] and [[91st meridian west|91°W]]. It stretches {{convert|168|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} from west-northwest to east-southeast and {{convert|88|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} north to south, with a total area of {{convert|21,041|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. As the smallest and most densely populated country in continental [[Americas|America]], El Salvador is affectionately called ''Pulgarcito de America'' (the "[[Tom Thumb]] of the Americas"). El Salvador shares borders with Guatemala and Honduras, as well as a coastline with the [[Pacific Ocean]]. The total national boundary length is {{convert|339|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}}: {{convert|126|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} with Guatemala and {{convert|213|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} with Honduras. It is the only Central American country that has no Caribbean coastline. The coastline on the Pacific is {{convert|191|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} long.

El Salvador has over 300 rivers, the most important of which is the [[Lempa River|Rio Lempa]]. Originating in Guatemala, the Rio Lempa cuts across the northern range of mountains, flows along much of the central plateau, and cuts through the southern volcanic range to empty into the Pacific. It is El Salvador's only navigable river. It and its tributaries drain about half of the country's area. Other rivers are generally short and drain the Pacific lowlands or flow from the central plateau through gaps in the southern mountain range to the Pacific. These include the [[Goascorán River|Goascorán]], [[Jiboa River|Jiboa]], [[Torola River|Torola]], [[Paz River|Paz]] and the [[Río Grande de San Miguel]].
[[File:Santa Ana - El Salvador (50899359306).jpg|thumb|Ilamatepec (Santa Ana) Volcano]]
The geography of El Salvador is volcanic. El Salvador is a country located on the [[Ring of Fire]], where the majority of the earth's volcanos and earthquakes occur.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Where do earthquakes occur? |url=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/discovering-geology/earth-hazards/earthquakes/where-do-earthquakes-occur/#:~:text=Over%2080%20per%20cent%20of,active%20zone%20in%20the%20world. |website=bgs.ac.uk}}</ref> The most notable volcano is [[San Miguel (volcano)|Volcan Chaparrastique]] (San Miguel Volcano), which also exhibits the most volcanic activity. The tallest volcano is [[Santa Ana Volcano|Ilamatepec]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Santa Ana Volcano |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Santa-Ana-Volcano |website=britannica.com}}</ref> (Santa Ana Volcano), reaching {{convert|7,821|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} above sea level. Along with these, [[List of volcanoes in El Salvador|there are 20 other volcanoes]], many which are active, or potentially active. El Salvador has the second highest number of volcanoes of any Central American country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Which countries have the most volcanoes? |url=https://volcano.si.edu/faq/index.cfm?question=countries |website=volcano.si.edu}}</ref>

There are several lakes enclosed by volcanic craters in El Salvador, the most important of which are [[Lake Ilopango]] ({{cvt|70|km2|disp=or}}) and [[Lake Coatepeque]] ({{cvt|26|km2|disp=or}}). [[Lake Güija]] is El Salvador's largest natural lake ({{cvt|44|km2|disp=or}}). Several artificial lakes were created by the damming of the Lempa, the largest of which is [[Cerrón Grande Reservoir]] ({{cvt|135|km2|disp=or}}). There are a total {{convert|123.6|sqmi|km2|order=flip|abbr=on}} of water within El Salvador's borders.

The highest point in El Salvador is [[Cerro El Pital]], at {{convert|8,957|ft|m|order=flip}}, on the border with Honduras. Two parallel mountain ranges cross El Salvador to the west with a central plateau between them and a narrow coastal plain hugging the Pacific. These physical features divide the country into two physiographic regions. The mountain ranges and central plateau, covering 85% of the land, comprise the interior highlands. The remaining coastal plains are referred to as the Pacific lowlands.

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of El Salvador}}
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map SLV present.svg|upright=1.3|thumb|Köppen climate classification of El Salvador]]

El Salvador has a [[tropical]] climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons.<ref name=":0" /> Temperatures vary primarily with elevation and show little seasonal change.<ref name=":0" /> The Pacific lowlands are uniformly hot and humid; the central plateau and mountain areas are more moderate.<ref name=":0" />

The rainy season, known locally as ''invierno'', extends from May to October.<ref name=":0" /> Almost all the annual rainfall during this time, and yearly rain totals, particularly on southern-facing mountain slopes, can be as high as {{convert|2000|mm|in|1|sp=us}}.<ref name=":0" /> Protected areas and the central plateau receive lesser, although still significant, amounts.<ref name=":0" /> Rainfall during this season generally comes from low pressure over the Pacific and usually falls in heavy afternoon thunderstorms.<ref name=":0" /> Although [[hurricane]]s occasionally form in the Pacific, they seldom affect El Salvador, with the notable exception of [[Hurricane Mitch]] in 1998 (which actually formed over the Atlantic Basin) and [[1973 Pacific hurricane season#Hurricane Emily|Hurricane Emily]] in 1973.<ref name=":0" />

From November through April, the northeast [[trade winds]] control weather patterns.<ref name=":0" /> During these months, air flowing from the Caribbean has lost most of its precipitation while passing over the mountains in Honduras.<ref name=":0" /> By the time this air reaches El Salvador, it is dry, hot, and hazy.<ref name=":0" /> This season is known locally as ''verano'', or summer.<ref name=":0" />

Temperatures vary little with season; elevation is the primary determinant.<ref name=":0" /> The Pacific lowlands are the hottest region, with annual averages ranging from {{convert|25|to|29|°C|°F|1}}.<ref name=":0" /> San Salvador is representative of the central plateau, with an annual average temperature of {{convert|23|°C}} and absolute high and low readings of {{convert|38|and|6|°C|°F|1}}, respectively.<ref name=":0" /> Mountain areas are the coolest, with annual averages from {{convert|12|to|23|°C|°F|1}} and minimum temperatures sometimes approaching freezing.<ref name=":0" />

===Natural disasters===

====Extreme weather events====
El Salvador's position on the Pacific Ocean also makes it subject to severe weather conditions, including heavy rainstorms and severe droughts, both of which may be made more extreme by the [[El Niño]] and [[La Niña]] effects.<ref>[http://cdkn.org/2013/12/el-salvador-builds-resilience-in-face-of-a-stormy-future/?loclang=en_gb El Salvador builds resilience in the face of a stormy future] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101000032/http://cdkn.org/2013/12/el-salvador-builds-resilience-in-face-of-a-stormy-future/?loclang=en_gb |date=1 January 2016 }} [[Climate & Development Knowledge Network]], 24 December 2013</ref> Hurricanes occasionally form in the Pacific with the notable exception of [[Hurricane Mitch]], which formed in the Atlantic and crossed Central America.

In the summer of 2001 a severe drought destroyed 80% of El Salvador's crops, causing famine in the countryside.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/elsalvador/photo6.html|title=Photo Essay: El Salvador, the Makings of a Gangland|publisher=Pbs.org|date=11 July 2006|access-date=2 May 2010|archive-date=16 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416015450/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/elsalvador/photo6.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fiu.edu/~oberbaue/el_salvador.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702202332/http://www.fiu.edu/~oberbaue/el_salvador.pdf|archive-date=2 July 2007|title=El Salvador|work=Fiu.edu|access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> On 4 October 2005, severe rains resulted in dangerous flooding and landslides, which caused at least 50 deaths.<ref name="tdfiyp"/>

====Earthquakes and volcanic activity====
[[File:Vulkan Chaparrastique, El Salvador 2013 01.JPG|thumb|[[San Miguel (volcano)|San Miguel]] volcano in 2013]]
El Salvador lies along the Pacific [[Ring of Fire]] and is thus subject to significant tectonic activity, including frequent [[earthquake]]s and [[volcano|volcanic]] activity. The capital San Salvador was destroyed in 1756 and 1854, and it suffered heavy damage in the 1919, 1982, and 1986 tremors. Recent examples include the earthquake on 13 January 2001 that measured 7.7 on the [[Richter magnitude scale]] and caused a [[landslide]] that killed more than 800 people;<ref name="tdfiyp">{{cite web |url=https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1109.html |title=El Salvador landslide |publisher=Travel.state.gov |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510070619/http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1109.html |archive-date=10 May 2010 }}</ref> and another earthquake only a month later, on 13 February 2001, that killed 255 people and damaged about 20% of the country's housing. A [[Moment magnitude scale|5.7 M<sub>w</sub>]] earthquake in 1986 resulted in 1,500 deaths, 10,000 injuries, and 100,000 people left homeless.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Harlow|first=David H.|year=1993|title=The San Salvador earthquake of 10 October 1986 and its historical context|url=http://bssa.geoscienceworld.org/content/83/4/1143.abstract|journal=Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America|volume=83|issue=4|pages=1143–1154|doi=10.1785/BSSA0830041143|bibcode=1993BuSSA..83.1143H|s2cid=130882786|access-date=29 July 2012|archive-date=13 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013005411/http://bssa.geoscienceworld.org/content/83/4/1143.abstract|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1 = Bommer|first1=Julian|year=1987|title=The San Salvador earthquake of 10th October 1986|journal=Disasters|volume=11 |issue=2|pages=83–95|doi=10.1111/j.1467-7717.1987.tb00620.x|last2=Ledbetter|first2=Stephen|bibcode=1987Disas..11...83B }}</ref>

El Salvador has over twenty volcanoes; two of them, San Miguel and [[Izalco (volcano)|Izalco]], have been active in recent years. From the early 19th century to the mid-1950s, Izalco erupted with a regularity that earned it the name "Lighthouse of the Pacific". Its brilliant flares were clearly visible for great distances at sea, and at night its glowing lava turned it into a brilliant luminous cone. The most recent destructive volcanic eruption took place on 1 October 2005, when the [[Santa Ana Volcano]] spewed a cloud of ash, hot mud and rocks that fell on nearby villages and caused two deaths. The most severe volcanic eruption in this area occurred in the 5th century AD when the [[Lake Ilopango|Ilopango]] volcano erupted with a [[Volcanic Explosivity Index|VEI]] strength of 6, producing widespread [[pyroclastic flow]]s and devastating [[Maya civilization|Mayan cities]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Dull|first=Robert A.|year=2001|title=Volcanism, Ecology and Culture: A Reassessment of the Volcan Ilopango Tbj eruption in the Southern Maya Realm|journal=Latin American Antiquity|volume=12 |issue=1|pages=25–44|doi=10.2307/971755|author2=Southon|author3=Sheets|jstor=971755|s2cid=163686184}}</ref>

===Flora and fauna===
[[File:Eumomota superciliosa.jpg|thumb|The [[torogoz]] is El Salvador's national bird.]]

It is estimated that there are 500 species of birds, 1,000 species of butterflies, 400 species of orchids, 800 species of trees, and 800 species of marine (saltwater) fish in El Salvador.

Of the eight species of sea turtles in the world, six of them nest on the coasts of Central America, and four make their home on the Salvadoran coast: the [[Leatherback sea turtle|leatherback turtle]], the [[Hawksbill sea turtle|hawksbill]], the [[green sea turtle]], and the [[olive ridley sea turtle|olive ridley]]. The hawksbill is critically endangered.

Recent conservation efforts provide hope for the future of the country's biological diversity. In 1997, the government established the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources. A general environmental framework law was approved by the National Assembly in 1999. Several non-governmental organizations are doing work to safeguard some of the country's most important forested areas. Foremost among these is SalvaNatura, which manages [[El Imposible National Park|El Imposible]], the country's largest national park under an agreement with El Salvador's environmental authorities.

El Salvador is home to six terrestrial ecosystems: [[Central American montane forests]], [[Sierra Madre de Chiapas moist forests]], [[Central American dry forests]], [[Central American pine-oak forests]], [[Gulf of Fonseca mangroves]], and [[Northern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref> It had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 4.06/10, ranking it 136th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}}</ref>