Department · El Salvador
# Sonsonate Department

Sonsonate Department is a department of El Salvador. It had an estimated 509,210 people in 2024 on 1,196 km² (about 426 per km²). Its main town is Sonsonate. It is divided into 4 municipalities. 385 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 847 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.
- 509,210 people (2024)
- 1,196 km²
- 4 municipalities
- 847 mapped services

## How many people live in Sonsonate Department?

Sonsonate Department had an estimated 509,210 people in 2024 — 8.0% of El Salvador, 4th of 14 departments. There are 1,115 women for every 1,000 men (below the El Salvador figure of 1,142). Spread over 1,196 km², that is about 426 people per km², 3rd of 14 departments.

25.8% of people are children under 15 and 8.1% are 65 or older; the median age is about 28 years (it is 29 across El Salvador). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 51 children and older people.
- 0–4 41,473
- 5–9 44,984
- 10–14 44,761
- 15–19 44,950
- 20–24 46,842
- 25–29 49,994
- 30–34 43,630
- 35–39 34,920
- 40–44 29,479
- 45–49 26,190
- 50–54 23,747
- 55–59 20,548
- 60–64 16,483
- 65–69 13,282
- 70–74 10,214
- 75–79 7,583
- 80+ 10,130

Source: El Salvador UNFPA country office and Dirección General de Estarística y Censos (DIGESTYC) via OCHA HDX, population 2024 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO).

## Where is Sonsonate Department?

Sonsonate Department lies in El Salvador. It borders 3 other departments: Ahuachapán Department, La Libertad Department and Santa Ana Department. By area it is the 10th largest of 14 departments in El Salvador. It covers 5.9% of El Salvador. The centre of Sonsonate Department is about 50 km in a straight line from San Salvador, the capital. The centre point is at 13.7121° N, 89.6465° W.

Source: National mapping agency via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO).

## Things to see in and around Sonsonate Department

OpenStreetMap lists 86 named sights in Sonsonate Department: 22 nature reserves; 17 beachs; 8 attractions; 8 waterfalls; 7 memorials; 5 museums; 4 monuments; 4 viewpoints; 3 national parks; 3 volcanos; 2 zoos; 2 ruins; 1 archaeological site.
- Casa de la cultura · museum
- Germinal Museo de la Imprenta · museum
- Museo de Arqueología y Etnografía · museum
- Museo del Ferrocarril · museum
- Museo del Ferrocarril · museum
- Tacuscalco - Los Cerritos · archaeological site
- 7 cascadas · waterfall
- Cascada Monterrey · waterfall
- Cascada de Talcomunca · waterfall
- El Bululú · waterfall
- La Golondrinera · waterfall
- Rainbox Waterfall · waterfall
- Salto El Escuco · waterfall
- Salto de Tepechapa · waterfall
- Area Natural Protegida Ajusate · national park
- Área Natural Protegida Complejo Los Farallones (sector Los Lagartos) · national park
- Área Natural Protegida Complejo Los Farallones (sector Santa Marta Las Trincheras) · national park
- Area Natural Protegida Las Hojas · nature reserve
- Area Natural Protegida Las Marías · nature reserve
- Parque Nacional Los Volcanes · nature reserve
- Reserva de La Biosfera Apaneca-Ilamatepec · nature reserve
- Área Natural Plan de Amayo · nature reserve
- Área Natural Protegida Cerro El Águila · nature reserve
- Área Natural Protegida Chiquileca · nature reserve
- Área Natural Protegida Complejo Barra de Santiago · nature reserve
- Área Natural Protegida Complejo Los Cóbanos · nature reserve
- Área Natural Protegida Complejo Los Farallones (sector El Carmen) · nature reserve
- Área Natural Protegida Complejo Los Farallones (sector Las Victorias) · nature reserve
- Área Natural Protegida Complejo San Marcelino (Porción Las Lajas) · nature reserve
- Área Natural Protegida Complejo San Marcelino (Porción Las Lajas) · nature reserve

…and 56 more.

Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements.

Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed.

## Know before you go: Sonsonate Department
- Time zone UTC−6, no daylight saving · America/El_Salvador
- Currency Dollar (USD)
- Country calling code +503
- Languages Spanish
- Plug types Type A, B · 115 V
- Driving side Right
- Postcode format 6 characters (CP ####)

### Nearest airports
- Ilopango International Airport (ILS) · San Salvador 57 km
- El Salvador International Airport Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (SAL) · San Salvador (San Luis Talpa) 70 km

### Nearest railway station

Armenia (En desuso) (Armenia), about 16 km from the centre.

### Daylight

Days are longest in Jun (about 12.9 hours, sunrise around 05:30) and shortest in Dec (about 11.3 hours, sunrise around 06:13, sunset around 17:33).
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
| Jan | 06:25 | 17:49 | 11.4 h |
| Feb | 06:22 | 18:03 | 11.7 h |
| Mar | 06:07 | 18:09 | 12.0 h |
| Apr | 05:46 | 18:11 | 12.4 h |
| May | 05:32 | 18:17 | 12.8 h |
| Jun | 05:30 | 18:26 | 12.9 h |
| Jul | 05:38 | 18:30 | 12.9 h |
| Aug | 05:45 | 18:21 | 12.6 h |
| Sep | 05:47 | 18:00 | 12.2 h |
| Oct | 05:48 | 17:39 | 11.8 h |
| Nov | 05:58 | 17:28 | 11.5 h |
| Dec | 06:13 | 17:33 | 11.3 h |

Source: GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03; OurAirports (public domain).

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 Sonsonate Department
| Municipality | Area km² | Districts | Services |
| Sonsonate Centro | 332 | 5 | 433 |
| Sonsonate Este | 521 | 6 | 118 |
| Sonsonate Norte | 193 | 4 | 181 |
| Sonsonate Oeste | 150 | 1 | 115 |

Source: National mapping agency via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO); GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features; Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

## Largest towns in Sonsonate Department
- Sonsonate 59,468
- Acajutla 22,763
- Izalco 19,197
- Sonzacate 15,446
- Armenia 14,997
- Juayúa 9,936
- San Antonio del Monte 9,135
- Nahuizalco 7,358

Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features.

Populations as recorded in GeoNames, which may be older than the estimates above.

## Landscape and landmarks of Sonsonate Department

Named natural and historic features inside Sonsonate Department, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

78 rivers and streams.
- Canal Río Copapayo
- Quebrada Agua Santa
- Quebrada Cacaguayo
- Quebrada Chutia
- Quebrada El Almorzadero
- Quebrada El Sunza
- Quebrada Iguaneras
- Quebrada La Marina
- Quebrada La Nancera
- Quebrada Las Cañas
- Quebrada Los Limones
- Quebrada Tapetoyo
- Quebrada del Camarón
- Rio Quisquillo
- Río Acachapa
- Río Agua Caliente
- Río Amayo
- Río Apancoyo
- Río Atecozol
- Río Banderas
- Río Barranca
- Río Bebedero
- Río Cauta
- Río Ceniza

…and 54 more.

### Coast and islands

3 beaches.
- Playa Las Flores
- Playa Los Cóbanos
- Playa Metalio

### Hills and mountains

9 mountains; 8 hills.
- Cerro El Aguila · 1,953 m
- Cerro Los Naranjos · 1,921 m
- Cerro Malacara · 1,836 m
- Cerro Cachío · 1,824 m
- Cerro Chino · 1,146 m
- Cerro Alto · 943 m
- Loma Peña Blanca · 739 m
- Cerro Masatepeque · 584 m
- Cerro Alto · 292 m
- Cerro Nicaragua · 253 m
- Cerro Caballeros · 127 m
- Cerro El Cuervo · 114 m
- Cerro Alto Iguanas · 73 m
- Cerro Tepetoro · 61 m
- Cerro El Corte · 58 m
- Cerro San Lorenzo · 58 m
- Cerro El Oratorio · 54 m

### Forests and nature

1 park.
- Parque Nacional Cerro Verde

### Getting around

1 port; 1 railway station.
- Estacíon Terrena
- Puerto de Acajutla

Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features.

Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate.

## Weather in Sonsonate Department and the best time to visit

In Sonsonate Department, the warmest month is Apr (average 28 °C) and the coolest is Nov (26 °C). About 1,489 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Sep (283 mm) and the driest Jan (4 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are November to March.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
| Month | Average °C | Rain mm |
| Jan | 26 | 4 |
| Feb | 27 | 5 |
| Mar | 28 | 8 |
| Apr | 28 | 39 |
| May | 28 | 193 |
| Jun | 27 | 232 |
| Jul | 27 | 197 |
| Aug | 27 | 246 |
| Sep | 26 | 283 |
| Oct | 26 | 226 |
| Nov | 26 | 48 |
| Dec | 26 | 10 |

Source: NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29.

## Hospitals, banks and other services in Sonsonate Department

Places mapped inside Sonsonate Department in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations.
- Hospitals 36
- Banks 34
- ATMs 3
- Petrol pumps 50
- Hotels 89
- Shopping malls 19
- Schools 126
- Colleges and universities 11
- Pharmacies 45
- Restaurants 386
- Police stations 19
- Dental clinics 29

Source: Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown.

## Quick answers
- Where is Sonsonate Department? In El Salvador
- What is the population of Sonsonate Department? 509,210 (2024 estimate)
- What is the median age in Sonsonate Department? About 28 years (2024 estimate)
- What is the population density of Sonsonate Department? About 426 people per km²
- What borders Sonsonate Department? Ahuachapán Department, La Libertad Department and Santa Ana Department
- What is there to see in Sonsonate Department? 7 cascadas, Area Natural Protegida Ajusate, Area Natural Protegida Las Hojas, Area Natural Protegida Las Marías
- What time zone is Sonsonate Department in? UTC−6
- What currency is used in Sonsonate Department? Dollar (USD)
- What language is spoken in Sonsonate Department? Spanish (main languages nationally)
- What is the largest town in Sonsonate Department? Sonsonate
- What is the highest point in Sonsonate Department? Cerro El Aguila (1,953 m, GeoNames elevation model)
- What is the best time to visit Sonsonate Department? November to March
- How many hospitals are in Sonsonate Department? 36 mapped
- How many banks are in Sonsonate Department? 34 mapped
- How many ATMs are in Sonsonate Department? 3 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in Sonsonate Department? 50 mapped
- What is the P-code of Sonsonate Department? SV13 (OCHA common operational dataset)

At a glance
- Type: Department
- Area: 1,195.8 km²
- P-code: SV13
- Main town: Sonsonate

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Canonical: https://wherepedia.org/el-salvador/sonsonate/ · Updated 2026-11-03 · Data: national censuses and statistics offices (sources named in each section); © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); Overture Maps; GeoNames; NASA POWER.