Books in Discovering South America: History, Politics, and Culture series

El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. The country has had many problems since gaining independence from Spain in 1821. Political unrest and coup d'tat were common, and a violent civil war that raged from 1980 until 1992 resulted in more than 75,000 deaths and 1 million Salvadorans displaced from their homes. The turmoil in El Salvador is not only political: the country is located in an area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, where two tectonic plates meet. As a result, the country experiences frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In addition, its geographic location makes it subject to damage from severe storms coming from both the Pacific and Caribbean. Nonetheless, El Salvador enjoys a mild climate ideal for growing coffee and other important crops. There's a lot to discover about El Salvador! Each title in this series contains color photos, maps, a chronology of events related to the country, recipes, list of festivals, ideas for projects and reports, and back matter including: an index, further reading lists for books and internet resources, and a series glossary. Mason Crests editorial team has placed Key Icons to Look for throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are then used in the prose throughout that chapter, and are emboldened, so that the reader is able to reference back to the definitions- building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content rich mat