Back to the Beginning
The settlement of El Salvador begins long ago around the year 3000 BC. In addition to this, there is also evidence of indigenous paintings on cave walls assumed to have originated near the year 8000 BC; these drawings can still be seen today. Although the year of early settlement may not be clear, it is evident that people have been living in the area for many years. The history of El Salvador is rich with the settlement of early Paleo-Indians, the invasion of Spanish conquistadors, and the fight for independence. The Pipil warriors have been known to settle in the area in the early years of El Salvador's origination. Along with this tribe include the Pocomans and the Lenca. The Pipil tribe were descendants of the Aztecs. The early tribes lived in the area and the Pipils were still there when Spanish conquistadors invaded. In 1524, Pedro de Alvarado made his first attempt to conquer the area. However, the tribes upheld the confrontation and forced Alvarado to leave. The following year, Alvarado overcame the tribes and founded San Salvador. Today, this still remains as the capital of the country. After years of Spanish settlement, the drive for independence became clear on November 5, 1821. Father José Matías Delgado was ambitious toward the cause however independence was not received until September 15, 1821. Starting out as a newly independent country, El Salvador declared Manuel José Arce as its president.
Photo: The Pipil Indians settled in western El Salvador and called their home Cuzcatlán. (Rivera, 2008)
Learn more about the beginnings of El Salvador at: http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/El-Salvador-HISTORY.html
Photo: The Pipil Indians settled in western El Salvador and called their home Cuzcatlán. (Rivera, 2008)
Learn more about the beginnings of El Salvador at: http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/El-Salvador-HISTORY.html
Population
Although the country is small, it is very heavily populated. El Salvador is known for being the most densely populated country in Central America. This map displays the entire country using variations of the color orange to demonstrate where more people can be found. The scale of the map is determined by the persons per kilometer and persons per square mile. The map shows that the most populated area is the capital, San Salvador. This is also the only location throughout the country that has nearly 518 people per square mile. It is also evident that there are few areas where there is little to no population. ("Population," 2000) Click here to learn more about the settlement patterns of El Salvador. |
Resources
El Salvador is a highly agricultural country. Even when the first settlers lived in the land, agriculture was the main source of trade and living. Among this popular source of trade was coffee. This continued to be the main resource of trade until recently when competition posed a threat. The map demonstrates the majority of El Salvador's land is cultivated in order to grow resources such as coffee, cotton, sugarcane, cereals, and fiber crops. ("Vegetation and land," 2000)
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El Salvador's Early Settlement
Overview of Events
Check out the timeline to the right to see pictures, links to more information, and deeper descriptions of each event! 3000 BC- Many indigenous tribes were living in the area. 1524 - Pedro de Alvarado invades El Salvador. 1525 - One year after invading the country, Alvarado defeats the Pipil warriors. 1811- El Salvador fought its first battle for independence against Spain on November 5, 1811. 1821 - El Salvador gains independence from Spain. 1840 - El Salvador finally is fully independent. This timeline was created using Dipity.com. |
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Population Pyramids
These two pyramids of El Salvador's population demonstrate that there is a larger population of youth and young adults in the country. It seems to deplete over time. In the space of twenty years, the amount of young children decreases as they begin to grow older. In addition, the amount of young children simply decreases overall. A plausible cause for this decrease could be the use of birth control in the country. In 1980, the life expectancy was near 80-84 years old. However, in 2000 the average life expectancy is between the ages of 90-94. A reasonable explanation for this change could be the use of technology in the country. Technological uses in the medical world could contribute to the increase in life expectancy over the twenty years.
More on Population
The following images depict the life expectancy, ratio of male to female, and percentage of agriculture laborers in El Salvador. The data shows that El Salvador is continuously evolving throughout the years at a slow rate. Each image is a shot from a current year to portray how the country is like today. This helps those who have never traveled here before get an idea of what the country's population is like. Life expectancy has changed the most throughout the years. El Salvador experienced a change from an average of 45 years old in 1950 to 72 in 2011. This is quite the change in a little over 60 years. However, agriculture has always remained a large resource of labor. There were a few years where the amount of workers in agriculture decreased dramatically; despite this, there was an immediate increase. These changes may be cause by wars and other outside influences. Lastly, the sex ratio in El Salvador is rather constant. This is interesting because other countries were seen to have experienced more change.
Images from gapminder.org
Images from gapminder.org
El Salvador's life expectancy is 72 years old. This ranks near the top compared to the low average of 48 in Sierra Leone and the higher average of 83 in Japan.
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This map shows the sex ratio of El Salvador in comparison to countries around the world. There is not a large difference in ratio. In addition, El Salvador's ratio barely changes over time. It's ratio in 1950 is nearly the same as it is in 2013.
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The image depicts the amount of workers laboring in the agriculture work force. Approximately 19% of all workers are a part of agriculture.
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