# Chalatenango Department, El Salvador – Population > Source: https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/chalatenango/ Department · El Salvador # Chalatenango Department Chalatenango Department is a department of El Salvador. It had an estimated **177,552 people** in 2024 on 1,949 km² (about 91 per km²). Its main town is Chalatenango. It is divided into 4 municipalities. 302 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 293 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools. - 177,552people (2024) - 1,949km² - 4municipalities - 293mapped services ## How many people live in Chalatenango Department? Chalatenango Department had an estimated **177,552 people** in 2024 — 2.8% of El Salvador, 12th of 14 departments. There are 1,152 women for every 1,000 men (close to the El Salvador figure of 1,142). Spread over 1,949 km², that is about **91 people per km²**, the least densely populated of 14 departments. 29.0% of people are children under 15 and 9.3% are 65 or older; the median age is about 27 years (it is 29 across El Salvador). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 62 children and older people. 0–4 ****16,730** 5–9 ****17,419** 10–14 ****17,300** 15–19 ****15,773** 20–24 ****15,823** 25–29 ****18,481** 30–34 ****17,597** 35–39 ****11,666** 40–44 ****6,394** 45–49 ****5,811** 50–54 ****6,533** 55–59 ****6,017** 60–64 ****5,543** 65–69 ****4,797** 70–74 ****4,100** 75–79 ****3,252** 80+ ****4,316** Source: [El Salvador UNFPA country office and Dirección General de Estarística y Censos (DIGESTYC) via OCHA HDX, population 2024 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-slv). ## Where is Chalatenango Department? Chalatenango Department lies in [El Salvador](https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/). It borders 5 other departments: [Cabañas Department](https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/cabanas/), [Cuscatlán Department](https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/cuscatlan/), [La Libertad Department](https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/la-libertad/), [San Salvador Department](https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/san-salvador/) and [Santa Ana Department](https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/santa-ana/). By area it is the 5th largest of 14 departments in El Salvador. It covers 9.5% of [El Salvador](https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/). The centre of Chalatenango Department is about 53 km in a straight line from San Salvador, the capital. The centre point is at 14.1626° N, 89.1113° W. Source: [National mapping agency via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-slv). ## Things to see in and around Chalatenango Department OpenStreetMap lists 24 named sights in Chalatenango Department: 9 attractions; 4 nature reserves; 4 viewpoints; 2 memorials; 2 ruins; 1 museum; 1 monument; 1 cave. - Museo Fernando Llort · museum - Reserva Natural Pañanalapa · nature reserve - Área Natural Protegida Cerro Negro - María Antonia Arriaga · nature reserve - Área Natural Protegida Colima · nature reserve - Área Natural Protegida Santa Bárbara · nature reserve - Mirador · viewpoint - Mirador del Valle · viewpoint - Mirador del Valle · viewpoint - Rock Viewpoint · viewpoint - Cerro el candelero · attraction - El Barcaje · attraction - La Montañona · attraction - Market · attraction - Parque · attraction - Paty (make and view artisian handicrafts) · attraction - Puerto San Juan · attraction - TikucosTours · attraction - Turicentro Puerto San Juan · attraction - Fernando Lopez · memorial - Monumento a la Santa Cruz · monument - Monumento a la Virgen de Concepción · memorial - Ruinas de El Salitre · ruins - Ruinas de El Trozo · ruins - Tatu · cave Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright). Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed. ## Know before you go: Chalatenango Department - Time zoneUTC−6, no daylight saving · America/El_Salvador - CurrencyDollar (USD) - Country calling code+503 - LanguagesSpanish - Plug typesType A, B · 115 V - Driving sideRight - Postcode format6 characters (CP ####) ### Nearest airports - Ilopango International Airport (ILS) · San Salvador51 km - El Salvador International Airport Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (SAL) · San Salvador (San Luis Talpa)80 km ### Daylight Days are longest in Jun (about 13.0 hours, sunrise around 05:27) and shortest in Dec (about 11.3 hours, sunrise around 06:12, sunset around 17:30). Month Sunrise Sunset Daylight Jan 06:23 17:46 11.4 h Feb 06:20 18:00 11.7 h Mar 06:05 18:07 12.0 h Apr 05:43 18:09 12.4 h May 05:29 18:15 12.8 h Jun 05:27 18:25 13.0 h Jul 05:35 18:28 12.9 h Aug 05:43 18:19 12.6 h Sep 05:44 17:58 12.2 h Oct 05:46 17:37 11.8 h Nov 05:56 17:25 11.5 h Dec 06:12 17:30 11.3 h Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/). Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling. ## Municipalities of Chalatenango Department Municipality Area km² Districts Services [Chalatenango Centro](https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/chalatenango/chalatenango-centro/) 996 10 86 [Chalatenango Norte](https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/chalatenango/chalatenango-norte/) 201 3 49 [Chalatenango Sur](https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/chalatenango/chalatenango-sur/) 597 20 130 [Embalse Cerron Grande](https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/chalatenango/embalse-cerron-grande/) 155 1 28 Source: [National mapping agency via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-slv); [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). ## Largest towns in Chalatenango Department - Chalatenango19,364 - Nueva Concepción9,990 - San Francisco Morazán506 Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Populations as recorded in GeoNames, which may be older than the estimates above. ## Landscape and landmarks of Chalatenango Department Named natural and historic features inside Chalatenango Department, from the GeoNames gazetteer. ### Water 43 rivers and streams; 4 reservoirs and tanks. - Cerrón Grande Dam - Embalse Cerrón Grande - Embalse Presa Cinco de Noviembre - Presa Cinco de Noviembre - Quebrada El Tibio - Quebrada Honda - Quebrada La Bruja - Quebrada Las Crucitas - Quebrada Mangos - Quebrada Ojos de Agua - Río Acelhuate - Río Agua Caliente - Río Amayo - Río Amayo - Río Azambio - Río Chiquito - Río Concepción - Río Copinolapa - Río Cujinicuil - Río El Almendro - Río El Pital - Río El Potrero - Río El Salitre - Río El Sauce …and 23 more. ### Coast and islands 1 island. - Isla de León ### Hills and mountains 28 hills; 8 mountains; 3 valleys. - Cerro El Volcancillo · 1,493 m - Cerro El Teosinte · 904 m - Cerro Eramón · 804 m - Valle El Paterno · 702 m - Cerro Pacho · 671 m - Cerro Agua Helada · 625 m - Cerro Las Tablas · 610 m - Valle El Hormiguero · 580 m - Cerro Las Visiones · 576 m - Valle El Potrero · 555 m - Cerro Las Pavas · 523 m - Cerro Rajado · 523 m - Cerro de La Víbora · 523 m - Cerro La Montañita · 488 m - Cerro Las Mesas · 441 m - Cerro Crucitas · 435 m - Loma Pacha · 408 m - Cerro El Higo · 399 m - Cerro Las Campanas · 399 m - Cerro Las Piletas · 399 m - Cerro Macacio · 396 m - Cerro El Llanote · 394 m - Cerro Los Potrerillos · 344 m - Cerro Gavilán · 331 m …and 15 more. Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/). Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate. ## Weather in Chalatenango Department and the best time to visit In Chalatenango Department, the warmest month is Apr (average 27 °C) and the coolest is Nov (22 °C). About 1,298 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Sep (240 mm) and the driest Feb (9 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **November to April**. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec Month Average °C Rain mm Jan 23 10 Feb 24 9 Mar 26 10 Apr 27 35 May 26 161 Jun 24 202 Jul 25 175 Aug 24 213 Sep 24 240 Oct 23 179 Nov 22 47 Dec 22 17 Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/). ## Hospitals, banks and other services in Chalatenango Department Places mapped inside Chalatenango Department in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations. - Hospitals18 - Banks6 - Petrol pumps15 - Hotels50 - Shopping malls8 - Schools35 - Colleges and universities6 - Pharmacies8 - Restaurants123 - Police stations7 - Dental clinics17 Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/). Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown. ## Quick answers - Where is Chalatenango Department?In El Salvador - What is the population of Chalatenango Department?177,552 (2024 estimate) - What is the median age in Chalatenango Department?About 27 years (2024 estimate) - What is the population density of Chalatenango Department?About 91 people per km² - What borders Chalatenango Department?Cabañas Department, Cuscatlán Department, La Libertad Department, San Salvador Department and Santa Ana Department - What is there to see in Chalatenango Department?Cerro el candelero, El Barcaje, Fernando Lopez, La Montañona - What time zone is Chalatenango Department in?UTC−6 - What currency is used in Chalatenango Department?Dollar (USD) - What language is spoken in Chalatenango Department?Spanish (main languages nationally) - What is the largest town in Chalatenango Department?Chalatenango - How many reservoirs and tanks are in Chalatenango Department?4 named in GeoNames - What is the highest point in Chalatenango Department?Cerro El Volcancillo (1,493 m, GeoNames elevation model) - What is the best time to visit Chalatenango Department?November to April - How many hospitals are in Chalatenango Department?18 mapped - How many banks are in Chalatenango Department?6 mapped - How many petrol pumps are in Chalatenango Department?15 mapped - What is the P-code of Chalatenango Department?SV03 (OCHA common operational dataset)