El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America, with its capital at San Salvador. El Salvador was settled by Spain during the 16th century and was a part of Mexico from 1821 to 1823 and the Federal Republic of Central America from 1823 to 1841, when it gained independence. El Salvador would briefly be united with Honduras and Nicaragua as a part of the Greater Republic of Central America from 1895 to 1898, when the republic once again dissolved. El Salvador had chronic economic and political instability during the 20th century, resulting in the Salvadoran Civil War of 1979-1992. The socialist Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front emerged victorious, creating a multi-party democracy. In 2001, the country adopted the US dollar as its currency, replacing the Colon. The country struggled with high rates of poverty, inequality, and crime during the 21st century, having one of the highest crime rates in the world; the MS-13 gang originated in El Salvador. In 2015, El Salvador had a population of 6,377,195 people.
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