El Salvador

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El Salvador

El Salvador is a Central American country. The country's capital and largest city is San Salvador. El Salvador is home to an estimated 500 bird species, 1,000 butterfly species, 400 orchid species, 800 tree species and 800 marine fish species. Of the eight species of sea turtles in the world, six nest off the coast of Central America and four nest off the coast of El Salvador. These are the Leatherback Turtle, the Green Sea Turtle, the Olive Ridley, and the Hawksbill, which is critically endangered. The country's recent conservation efforts give hope for the future of its biodiversity. The government established the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in 1997, and The National Assembly approved a general environmental framework law in 1999. Several non-governmental organizations are working to protect the country's most important forest areas. The first of these is SalvaNatura, which manages El Impossible, the largest national park in the country, on the basis of an agreement with the environmental authorities of El Salvador. The country is home to six terrestrial ecosystems: Central American montane forests, Sierra Madre de Chiapas moist forests, Central American dry forests, Central American pine-oak forests, Gulf of Fonseca mangroves, and Northern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves. El Salvador is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire and is therefore subject to major tectonic activity, including frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. El Salvador has more than 20 volcanoes, two of which, San Miguel and Izalco, were active in the last few years.