World Map › North America › El Salvador
Country
Map of El Salvador
North America · San Salvador
El Salvador lies on the Caribbean Plate. It has 16 volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years, 4 of which have erupted since 1900. Since 1900, 23 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 4,128 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 5.6 out of 10 (INFORM index), a high level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 4.4 out of 10.
- Capital
- San Salvador
- Population
- 6,029,976
- Area
- 21,041 km²
- Continent
- North America
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
Exposure to natural hazards according to the European Commission's INFORM index, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), overall and for each type of hazard.
Overall Risk Index
This overall score combines hazard exposure with the vulnerability of the population (4.6 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (3.7 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 13,386to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 13,386to destructive shaking (intensity VIII and above)
- 146to tsunamis
- 3,173to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 5,434to river floods
- 2,129to coastal floods
Overall Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- River FloodHigh
- Urban FloodHigh
- Coastal FloodHigh
- EarthquakeHigh
- LandslideHigh
- TsunamiHigh
- VolcanoHigh
- CycloneHigh
- Extreme HeatHigh
- WildfireHigh
- Water ScarcityMedium
Volcanoes (16)
Volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years; year of the last known eruption.
- San Miguel 2023
- Santa Ana Volcano 2005
- Izalco 1966
- San Salvador Volcano 1917
- Ilopango 1880
- Cerro Singüil ?
- Apaneca Range ?
- Coatepeque Caldera ?
- Cerro Cinotepeque ?
- Taburete ?
- San Vicente ?
- Usulután ?
- El Tigre ?
- Tecapa ?
- Chinameca ?
- Laguna Aramuaca ?
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 1951Jucuapa · M 6.51,100 deaths
- 1986San Salvador · M 5.41,100 deaths
- 2001El Salvador, Guatemala · M 7.7844 deaths
- 1936San Vicente400 deaths
- 2001San Juan Tepezontes-San Vicente-Cojutep · M 6.6315 deaths
- 1902El Salvador-Guatemala · M 7.0185 deaths
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
20 major tsunamis have reached El Salvador since 1900, killing 185 people in the country. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 1902Tsunami (El Salvador)185 deaths
- 2012Tsunami (El Salvador) · 6.3 m
- 1952Tsunami (Russia) · 0.6 m
- 2017Tsunami (Mexico) · 0.6 m
- 2011Tsunami (Japan) · 0.5 m
- 1960Tsunami (Chile) · 0.5 m
- 1957Tsunami (United States of America) · 0.5 m
- 1985Tsunami (Mexico) · 0.3 m
Tropical Cyclones
3 major tropical cyclones have made landfall in El Salvador since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 2020Hurricane Iota · 65 km/h
- 2022Hurricane Julia · 65 km/h
- 1997Tropical Storm Andres · 43 km/h
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution