San Salvador

American  

[san sal-vuh-dawr, sahn sahl-vah-thawr] / sæn ˈsæl vəˌdɔr, sɑn ˌsɑl vɑˈðɔr /

noun

1. Also called Watling Island.  an island in the E central Bahamas: long held to be the first land in the New World sighted by Christopher Columbus 1492. 60 sq. mi. (155 sq. km).

2. a city in and the capital of El Salvador.

---

San Salvador British  

/ san salβaˈðɔr, sæn ˈsælvəˌdɔː /

noun

1. the capital of El Salvador, situated in the SW central part: became capital in 1841; ruined by earthquakes in 1854 and 1873; university (1841). Pop: 1 472 000 (2005 est)

---

San Salvador Cultural  

1. Capital of El Salvador and the largest city in the country, located in central El Salvador.

---

Discover More

The city has suffered from recurrent and severe earthquakes.

Example Sentences

I’d flown 35 hours to be here, playing Frogger with San Salvador traffic, dodging motorbikes, arms already open for a hug I’d been planning for years.

From Slate • Apr. 12, 2026

Benavides, also a lawyer, spoke with AFP on Sunday, before delivering medicine for Lopez at the Izalco prison farm, 60 kilometers from San Salvador.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

In part, the reason can be found in neighbourhoods of San Salvador like 10 de Octubre.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2025

“We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system,” Bukele wrote online in February, following Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to San Salvador.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2025

An insurrection has broken out in the States of San Salvador and Guatemala.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, vol 1-98, 1850-1899 None by Harper, Various (magazine)