Geography of El Salvador
Template:Short description El Salvador is a country in Central America. Situated at the meeting point of three tectonic plates, it is highly seismologically active and the location of numerous earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The country has a tropical climate.Template:Infobox country geography
Plate tectonics
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El Salvador, along with the rest of Central America, is one of the most seismologically active regions on earth, situated atop three of the large tectonic plates that constitute the Earth's surface.<ref name=":0">Template:Citation-attribution</ref> The motion of these plates causes the area's earthquake and volcanic activity.<ref name=":0" />
Most of Central America and the Caribbean Basin rests on the relatively motionless Caribbean Plate. The Pacific Ocean floor, however, is being carried northeast by the underlying motion of the Cocos Plate.<ref name=":0" /> Ocean floor material is largely composed of basalt, which is relatively dense; when it collides with the lighter granite rocks of Central America, the ocean floor is forced down under the land mass, creating the deep Middle America Trench that lies off the coast of El Salvador.<ref name=":0" />
The subduction of the Cocos Plate accounts for the frequency of earthquakes near the coast.<ref name=":0" /> As the rocks constituting the ocean floor are forced down, they melt, and the molten material pours up through weaknesses in the surface rock, producing volcanoes and geysers.<ref name=":0" />
North of El Salvador, Mexico and most of Guatemala are riding on the westward-moving North American Plate that butts against the northern edge of the stationary Caribbean Plate in southern Guatemala.<ref name=":0" /> The grinding action of these two plates creates a fault (similar to the San Andreas fault in California) that runs the length of the valley of the Río Motagua in Guatemala.<ref name=":0" /> Motion along this fault is the source of earthquakes in northernmost El Salvador.<ref name=":0" />
El Salvador has a long history of destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.<ref name=":0" /> San Salvador was destroyed in 1756 and 1854, and suffered heavy damage in the 1919, 1982, and 1986 tremors.<ref name=":0" /> The country has over twenty volcanoes, although only two, San Miguel and Izalco, have been active in recent years.<ref name=":0" /> From the early nineteenth century to the mid-1950s, Izalco erupted with a regularity that earned it the name "Lighthouse of the Pacific".<ref name=":0" /> Its brilliant flares were clearly visible for great distances at sea, and at night its glowing lava turned it into a brilliant luminous cone.<ref name=":0" />
Physical features
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View of Izalco (volcano) and Santa Ana Volcano from Cerro Verde
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View of San Salvador city and San Salvador (volcano)
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View of San Salvador city from San Salvador (volcano)
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View of Gulf of Fonseca from Conchagua (volcano)
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El Balsamar, La Libertad Department (El Salvador)
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Two parallel mountain ranges cross El Salvador to the west with a central plateau between them and a narrow coastal plain hugging the Pacific.<ref name=":0" /> These physical features divide the country into two physiographic regions.<ref name=":0" /> The mountain ranges and central plateau, covering 85 percent of the land, comprise the interior highlands.<ref name=":0" /> The remaining coastal plains are referred to as the Pacific lowlands.<ref name=":0" />
The northern range of mountains, the Sierra Madre, form a continuous chain along the border with Honduras. Elevations in this region range from 1,600 to 2,700 meters.<ref name=":0" /> The area was once heavily forested, but overexploitation led to extensive erosion, and it has become semibarren.<ref name=":0" /> As a result, it is the country's most sparsely populated zone, with little farming or other development.<ref name=":0" />
The southern range of mountains is actually a discontinuous chain of more than twenty volcanoes, clustered into five groups.<ref name=":0" /> The westernmost group, near the Guatemalan border, contains Izalco and Santa Ana, which at 2,365 meters is the highest volcano in El Salvador.<ref name=":0" /> Between the cones lie alluvial basins and rolling hills eroded from ash deposits.<ref name=":0" /> The volcanic soil is rich, and much of El Salvador's coffee is planted on these slopes.<ref name=":0" />
The central plateau constitutes only 25 percent of the land area but contains the heaviest concentration of population and the country's largest cities.<ref name=":0" /> This plain is about 50 kilometers wide and has an average elevation of 600 meters. Terrain here is rolling, with occasional escarpments, lava fields, and geysers.<ref name=":0" />
A narrow plain extends from the coastal volcanic range to the Pacific Ocean.<ref name=":0" /> This region has a width ranging from one to thirty-two kilometers with the widest section in the east, adjacent to the Golfo de Fonseca.<ref name=":0" /> Near La Libertad, however, the mass of the mountains pushes the lowlands out; the slopes of adjacent volcanoes come down directly to the ocean.<ref name=":0" /> Surfaces in the Pacific lowlands are generally flat or gently rolling and result from the alluvial deposits of nearby slopes.<ref name=":0" />
El Salvador has over 300 rivers, the most important of which is the Río Lempa.<ref name=":0" /> Rising in Guatemala, the Río Lempa cuts across the northern range of mountains, flows along much of the central plateau, and finally cuts through the southern volcanic range to empty into the Pacific.<ref name=":0" /> It is El Salvador's only navigable river; it and its tributaries drain about half the country.<ref name=":0" /> 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.<ref name=":0" />
Numerous lakes of volcanic origin are found in the interior highlands; many of these lakes are surrounded by mountains and have high, steep banks.<ref name=":0" /> The largest lake, the Lago de Ilopango, lies just to the east of the capital.<ref name=":0" /> Other large lakes include the Lago de Coatepeque in the west and the Lago de Güija on the Guatemalan border.<ref name=":0" /> The Cerrón Grande Dam on the Río Lempa has created a large reservoir, the Embalse Cerrón Grande, in northern El Salvador.<ref name=":0" />
Izalco has erupted at least 54 times since 1770.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> It earned the nickname "Lighthouse of the Pacific" because it served as a beacon for ships during the night.<ref name=":1" />
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Climate
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Corral de Mulas beach, Usulutan
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Los Cobanos beach in Sonsonate
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Sunzal beach, La Libertad, La Libertad
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Pacific sunset at Salinitas beach Sonsonate
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Meanguera island Gulf of Fonseca
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El Balsamar, La Libertad Department (El Salvador)
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El Sunzal beach in La Libertad, La Libertad
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El Zonte Beach
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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, or winter, 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 Template:Convert.<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 hurricanes 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 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 Template:Convert.<ref name=":0" /> San Salvador is representative of the central plateau, with an annual average temperature of Template:Convert and absolute high and low readings of Template:Convert, respectively.<ref name=":0" /> Mountain areas are the coolest, with annual averages from Template:Convert and minimum temperatures sometimes approaching freezing.<ref name=":0" />
Other facts
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Geothermal power plant in Ahuachapan Department
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Geothermal power center in the Usulután Department
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Central Hydroelectricity dam over the Lempa River
The total land area of El Salvador is 23,041 km2, with 20,721 km2 of land and 320 km2 of water. El Salvador is about the size of Israel and the U.S. states of New Jersey and Vermont, but has the population size of Libya and Lebanon. El Salvador has 590 km of borders, including 391 km of borders with Honduras and 199 km with Guatemala. El Salvador has a coastline of 307 km.
El Salvador claims a territorial sea of Template:Convert.
The lowest point of elevation in El Salvador is the Pacific Ocean, at sea level. The highest point is Cerro El Pital, at 2,730 m.
Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone:
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Natural resources: Hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land
Land use (2012 estimate) includes 34.03 percent arable land, 10.86 percent permanent crops, 55.12 percent other.
Irrigated land: 449.9 km2 (2003)
Total renewable water resources: 25.23 km3 (2011)
Natural hazards: El Salvador is known as the "Land of Volcanoes"; there are frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity;<ref name=kidsNG>Template:Cite web</ref> hurricanes rarely make direct landfall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Extreme points
[edit]- Northernmost point – north of El Limo, Santa Ana Department
- Southernmost point – El Jaguey, La Unión Department
- Westernmost point – border with Guatemala, Ahuachapán Department
- Easternmost point – island of Meanguera del Golfo, La Unión Department
- Highest point – Cerro El Pital: 2730 m
- Lowest point – Pacific Ocean: 0 m
Environmental issues
[edit]Deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes.
El Salvador is party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, CITES, Basel Convention, Partial Test Ban Treaty, Montreal Protocol, Ramsar Convention. El Salvador has signed, but not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
References
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Template:El Salvador topics Template:Geography of North America Template:North America topic