Ahuachapán
Ahuachapán (Spanish pronunciation: [awatʃaˈpan]) is a city, and municipality, and the capital of the Ahuachapán Department in western El Salvador. The municipality, including the city, covers an area of 244.84 km2 and as of 2007 has a population of 110,511 people. Situated near the Guatemalan border, it is the westernmost city in the country and is the center of an agricultural region producing primarily coffee.
Ahuachapán | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
Our Lady of the Assumption Parish | |
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Flag | |
Ahuachapán Location in El Salvador | |
| Coordinates: 13°55′01″N 89°51′00″W | |
| Country | El Salvador |
| Department | Ahuachapán Department |
| Founded | 1862 |
| Area | |
| • Municipality | 244.84 km2 (94.53 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 244.84 km2 (94.53 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 799 m (2,621 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Municipality | 38,108 |
| • Density | 160/km2 (400/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 110,511 |
| • Metro density | 450/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
| Postal code | AH-01 |
| Website | www |
Ahuachapán is the site of a geothermal power plant and a hydroelectric station. The local geothermal activity produces many steam vents, visible throughout the surrounding mountains.
Among other things, Ahuachapan is also the birthplace of notable Salvadoran poet Alfredo Espino and is about an hour's drive from the national wildlife park El Imposible.