El Salvador (Spanish: República de El Salvador, literally meaning "Republic of the Savior") is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. It borders the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. It lies on the Gulf of Fonseca, as does Nicaragua further south. It has a population of approximately 5.7 million people as of 2009 on 21,000 km2. The capital city of San Salvador is the most important metropolis of the republic. El Salvador eliminated its currency, the colón, and adopted the U.S. dollar in 2001
