Salvador, or San Salvador, a republic in Central America; on the coast of the Pacific; area, 7,225 square miles; pop. 651,130, mostly Spanish-speaking Indians and half-breeds. A range of volcanic peaks, varying in height from 4,000 to 9,000 feet, runs through the center of the country, dividing an interior valley from the lowlands, on the coast. The soil is remarkably fertile. Cattle-breeding is carried on, but not extensively. The manufactures are unimportant. The chief exports are coffee, indigo, silver, raw sugar, balsam of Peru, leather, etc. The established religion is Roman Catholicism. The government is carried on by a president and four ministers. There is a congress of 70 deputies elected by universal suffrage. The inhabitants had long the reputation of being the most industrious in Central America, and the State, in proportion to its size, is still the most densely peopled. Salvador remained under Spanish rule till 1821, when it asserted its independence and joined the Mexican Confederation. In 1823 it seceded; later, was part of the Republic of Central America; in 1853 became an independent republic; in 1906 was embroiled with Honduras in the war with Guatemala.
Entry from Everybody's Cyclopedia, 1912.