San Salvador, << san SAL vuh `dawr` >> is the capital of El Salvador. The municipality of San Salvador has a population of about 220,000. A municipality may include rural areas as well as the urban center. San Salvador lies near the center of the country about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the Pacific Ocean.
San Salvador’s chief products include chemicals, processed foods, and textiles. Highways connect the city with the rest of El Salvador. The Pan American Highway links San Salvador to other Central American cities and to cities in Mexico and the United States. An international airport also serves San Salvador.
San Salvador was founded in 1525. A few years later, the city was moved south to its present site in a valley near a volcano. Earthquakes in this area have greatly damaged the city on several occasions and killed thousands of people.
During the 1980’s, conflict between government troops and rebel forces in El Salvador developed into a civil war. Thousands of people fled the violence in rural areas of the country and settled in slums on the outskirts of San Salvador.
