Sonsonate Department
Sonsonate | |
|---|---|
Location within El Salvador | |
| Coordinates: 13°42′11″N 89°41′35″W / 13.703°N 89.693°W | |
| Country | El Salvador |
| Created (given current status) | 1824 |
| Seat | Sonsonate |
| Largest city | Izalco |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,225.8 km2 (473.3 sq mi) |
| • Rank | Ranked 9th |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 470,455 |
| • Rank | Ranked 6th |
| • Density | 380/km2 (990/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| ISO 3166 code | SV-SO |
Sonsonate (Spanish pronunciation: [sonsoˈnate]) is a department of El Salvador in the western part of the country. The capital is Sonsonate.
The department has an area of 1,226 km².
Created on June 12, 1824, the El Salvador National Parliament decided on January 29, 1859, to separate the cities of Apaneca, San Pedro Puxtla, Guaymango, and Jujutla from the department and transfer these cities to the Santa Ana Department.
Sonsonate was the second capital of the Federal Republic of Central America in 1834.
The department remains a center of Pipil culture in the country, preserving several ancient traditions and home to most of the few remaining Nahua speakers in El Salvador.
It is a predominantly agricultural area, with extremely fertile volcanic soils that were once the most valuable resource in Central America for the Spanish conquistadors, who profited from its ancient cacao plantations. Its name, meaning "Place of 400 rivers" or "Place of many waters," is fitting as the department receives well over 2,000mm (79 inches) of rain a year.