The minimum you must know

Located on the beautiful Pacific coast of Central America, the Republic of El Salvador is one of the most important immigration routes from Latin America to the United States. Currently the peace-loving Salvadoran population is flourishing, and largely remains in place. But the United States took in more than a million Salvadorans in previous decades. El Salvador used to be as overwhelmed with migrants as the United States. An estimated million people migrated north between 1980 and 1992, during a period of instability and internal civil conflict there. Many of those people started their journey from country’s to the south. So the United States and El Salvador have a considerable shared desire for order in departure countries, and for El Salvador to develop into an even more phenomenal country for residents and migrants, with effective borders on all sides.

El Salvador overcame years of instability to flourish as a comparably stable, modern democracy. There are no term limits there the way there are in the United States. But there is a perception of government legitimacy compared to during previous decades that’s helpful to the country’s stability. There used to be street protests put down by the government. And well before them, from 1979 to 1992, the United States sided with a military run government against a guerrilla insurgency. But negotiated peace agreements culminated in Chapultepec Peace Accords. And there has been real and lasting peace and calm in El Salvador recently.

El Salvador is exceptionally well represented by the Salvadoran government at the United Nations. President Nayib Armando Bukele spoke eloquently about his country's development. He used his annual address to share the progress of his people, and to be inviting of both diplomacy and tourism. He also expressed hope for other populations not enjoying similar success.

There is substantial devotion to the Church in El Salvador. The Vatican is important to the population because of enduring legacy of Archbishop Òscar Romero, who became canonized as a Saint in 2018 for his humanitarianism. He set an extraordinary example.

And El Salvador maintains peaceful friendly relations with its neighbors and the international community.