San Salvador is the capital city of El Salvador, and the capital of the San Salvador department. It is the country's most populated municipality as well as its most important political, cultural, educational and financial center. The San Salvador Metro Area is the core nucleus of El Salvador and is one of the largest urban centers in the Central America isthmus. As a gamma global city, San Salvador is also an important financial center hub within Central America. The city is home to the Concejo de Ministros de El Salvador, La Asamblea Legislativa, the Corte Suprema de Justicia, and other governmental institutions, as well as the official residence of the president of the Republic. San Salvador is located in the Salvadoran highlands, surrounded by volcanoes and prone to earthquakes. The Spaniards called the area "El Valle de Las Hamacas", a translation of the name given it by the native Pipil people in allusion to the need for beds that would sway with the earth's movements during an earthquake. With a population of 567,698, it is the fifth most populated city in Central America, and its metropolitan area is the second most populated. The city is also home to the Catholic Archdiocese, as well as many Protestant branches of Christianity, including Evangelicals, Latter-day Saints, Baptists, and Pentecostals. San Salvador has the second largest Jewish community in Central America, and a small Muslim community. Spanish is spoken by the entire population, and a high percentage speaks English.[citation needed]San Salvador has been the host city for various regional and international sporting, political, and social events. It hosted the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1935 and 2002, and the Central American Games in 1977 and 1994, as well as the Miss Universe 1975 pageant. The Olympic Committee of El Salvador has expressed interest in bidding for the 2019 Pan American Games; if successful, it will be the first time the Pan American Games have been hosted in Central America. El Salvador has placed a bid for the 2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. San Salvador has also been the host city of the 18th Ibero-American Summit, held October 29–31, 2008—this is the most important sociopolitical event in the Spanish and Portuguese sphere. The Central American Integration System has its headquarters in San Salvador. In 1991, the institutional framework of SICA included Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Belize joined in 2000 as a full member, while the Dominican Republic became an associated state in 2004. The Central American Bank for Economic Integration also has its headquarters in San Salvador.
