Ahuachapán

Ahuachapán
District
Our Lady of the Assumption Parish
Ahuachapán
Location in El Salvador
Coordinates: 13°55′01″N 89°51′00″W / 13.91694°N 89.85000°W / 13.91694; -89.85000
Country El Salvador
DepartmentAhuachapán Department
Founded1862
Area
  District
244.84 km2 (94.53 sq mi)
  Metro
244.84 km2 (94.53 sq mi)
Elevation
799 m (2,621 ft)
Population
  District
135,325
  Density550/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
  Urban
34,102
  Metro
135,325
Time zoneUTC-06:00 (CST)
Postal code
AH-01
Websitewww.alcaldiadeahuachapan.org.sv

Ahuachapán (Spanish pronunciation: [awatʃaˈpan]) is a city, district, and the capital of the Ahuachapán Department in western El Salvador. The district, 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 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.