CORRUPTION: San Pedro Perulapán, in El Salvador, is one of the most violent towns in one of the world’s most violent countries. The situation in the historic municipality has become so grave that the government has given it priority in its national security plan. But local authorities believe the key to combating the violence lies in promoting...

CULTURE. In El Salvador, the week of Easter is “Holy Week,” and the festivities revolve around Roman Catholic tradition. Roman Catholics account for nearly 60 percent of the population. Protestant (also called evangelical) churches account for slightly more than 20 percent.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. El Salvador is 75 percent Roman Catholic but has a growing Protestant movement. The Catholic Church returned to its traditional conservative stance after the end of the civil war. Among Protestant denominations, Pentecostal and fundamentalist sects—called evangelical churches—have had the largest growth. There are a number of reasons for the growth of evangelical churches in the last two decades of the twentieth century. First, Catholics were often targets of government repression for their "subversive" involvement in base Christian communities, while evangelicals were safe from government repression. Second, the evangelical emphasis on personal conversion is considered apolitical. 

In the capital San Salvador 1,750 millimetres (68 inches) of rain fall per year. From June to September it rains a lot, about 300 millimetres (12 inches) per month, distributed in 20 days; on the other hand, from December to March it almost never rains.