People

The principal ethnic majority are the Mestizos who are of mixed Spanish and AmerIndian descent and account for 90% of the population. AmerIndians account for 5% while another 5% are Whites mainly Spanish. Other ethnic groups include the Lebanese, Swiss, Turks, Syrians, Germans and Chinese.
Relgions

Mostly Christians with around 93% of the population Roman Catholic while other religious minorities include Protestants, Pentecosts and Jews.
Population 

6,122,515 (July 2000 est.)
Languages of El Salvador

Republic of El Salvador, República de El Salvador. National or official language: Spanish. 6,032,000 (1998 UN).  Also includes Central Pokomam, Turkish 500, Chinese 1,300. Christian, secular.  The number of spoken languages listed for El Salvador is 5. Of those, 5 are living languages and 1 is extinct. Diversity index 0.00.

Spoken living languages

KEKCHÍ [KEK] 12,286 in El Salvador.   Alternate names: QUECCHÍ, CACCHÉ.  Classification: Mayan, Quichean-Mamean, Greater Quichean, Kekchi. 

LENCA [LEN] (36,858 in ethnic group in El Salvador, 1987; or .6% of the population; 1982 Barrett).  Town of Chilango. Classification: Unclassified. 

PIPIL [PPL] 20 speakers approximately, all older people, out of 196,576 in ethnic group (1987). Population total both countries 20.  Alternate names: NAHUAT, NAWAT.  Classification: Uto-Aztecan, Southern Uto-Aztecan, Aztecan, General Aztec, Pipil. 

SPANISH [SPN] 5,900,000 in El Salvador (1995), or 92.3% of the population (1982 Barrett).   Alternate names: ESPAÑOL, CASTELLANO.  Classification: Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian. 

Extinct languages

CACAOPERA [CCR]   Department of Morazán. Classification: Misumalpan.
[back to main page]
>The Truth<
1