Travel the World - Week 11

This is the eleventh week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.

This week's country is...

El Salvador

El Salvador is known as the “Land of the Volcanoes”. It has some of the most active volcanoes in the world.

El Salvador is also the only country in Central America not to have a Caribbean coastline.

If we compare areas, it is smaller than the state of Massachusetts.

The majority of El Salvador’s poor population lives in the countryside. These people face challenges related to the availability of running water and electricity in their homes. However, the wealthy people of the country live in apartments and houses.

El Salvador has only two seasons, unlike other countries that have four. The wet season runs from May to October, and the dry season runs from November to April.

El Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America.

Four species of sea turtles make the coasts of El Salvador their home

As part of El Salvador’s culture, it is polite for guests to try some of every dish that is served.

Food is always eaten with utensils. They use forks for eating fruits, too!

The country shares its land borders with only two other countries: Guatemala and Honduras.

El Salvador is known for the production of Anil, the plant producing the prized blue dye known as indigo. The extraction of the dye is done by pressing the plant with bare feet. 

It is a tradition in El Salvador for women to often pat each other on the right forearm or shoulder instead of shaking hands.  Men always shake hands with other men and with women, although they wait for the woman to extend her hand when greeting others as a sign of respect.

In El Salvador, only close friends may hug and kiss on the right cheek as a sign of respect in greeting others.

The use of first names is usually reserved for family and friends.

Never arrive on time when invited to a home. Although it may sound strange you should arrive a little later than invited.

The country is one of the most popular surfing destinations in the world. Many surfing competitions are hosted there every year.

National Park Cerro Verde in El Salvador is the home to 500 different species of birds and a rare species of black hawk-eagle. In the 505-hectare area of the national park, you can explore three volcanoes.

The country’s minimum wage is US $100-250 a month.

The U.S. dollar replaced the “colón” as the official currency of El Salvador in 2001.

San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, has the biggest shopping center in all of Central America. It is also famous for its many museums and cultural sites.

El Salvador is one of the countries with the highest murder rate in the world. It is almost 20 times deadlier than the US and 90 times deadlier than the UK. A record-breaking 4,246 homicides were recorded in El Salvador during the first eight months of 2015.

I decided to let this El Salvador fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Even though the country has tropical weather, snow has been spotted at the top of Cerro El Pital (the highest mountain in the country).

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp: Whipper Snapper Snow Showers stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black and 110# White and SU Orchid Opulence CS and Paper Studio Holiday Magic Polka DP

Embellishments: Foof-a-La Button, JoAnn's Holiday Ribbon, Recollections Rhinestones, and Towels from an unknown vendor