9781422286548

(Opposite) Lago de Coatepeque is a large lake that formed in the crater of an extinct volcano near Santa Ana. (Right) Ruins of a Mayan city at Tazumal. This ancient city in the high- lands of El Salvador was inhabited from about 300 to 1200 CE . 1

A Small, Struggling Land

¡HOLA! ARE YOU DISCOVERING the Republic of El Salvador? El Salvador is a tropical land of mountains, cone-shaped volcanoes, green val- leys, and scenic lakes, surrounded by cloud-misted hills. Unfortunately, however, El Salvador has also suffered repeatedly from natural catastro- phes . Earthquakes have badly damaged or destroyed the city of San Salvador 14 times. Hurricanes are rare, but severe droughts have caused widespread losses. Small, but Populous Lying on the western side of the Central American isthmus , El Salvador is the only Central American nation without a Caribbean coast. The Pacific Ocean lies to its south, Guatemala to its northwest, and Honduras to its

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