El Salvador is a small Central American country of about 6.4 million people, with San Salvador as its capital and largest city. Its political system is a unitary presidential republic under a 1983 constitution, and Nayib Bukele is the current president.
The country’s modern history was shaped by the civil war of the 1980s, fought between the military-led government and the FMLN guerrilla coalition, with heavy involvement by the United States. The war ended with the Chapultepec Peace Accords of 1992, after which the FMLN became a political party.
Since then El Salvador has moved from an agriculture-based economy toward manufacturing and services. In 2001 it adopted the US dollar as its currency, and in 2021 it became the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. The country is a member of the Central American Integration System (SICA).
Gang violence has long been a major security challenge, and poverty and inequality remain persistent problems despite the country’s economic transformation.
Related reading: Nicaragua: Central American Revolution History, Central American Federation’s Academic Triumph, and Salvadoran Success: A Roadmap to Higher Education Triumphs.

