# Chalatenango

> city in El Salvador

**Wikidata**: [Q2290501](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2290501)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalatenango,_El_Salvador)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/chalatenango

## Summary
Chalatenango is a city and district of El Salvador that serves as the capital of both the Chalatenango Department and the Southern Chalatenango region. Founded in 1786, it covers 131.8 square kilometres at an elevation of 400 metres above sea level. The city has a population of 30,679 as of the 2024 census and is home to the Estadio José Gregorio Martínez, a stadium inaugurated in January 1975.

## Key Facts
- Official classification: City and district of El Salvador
- Location: Southern Chalatenango region, coordinates 14.0414°N, 88.9394°W
- Country: El Salvador (sovereign state in Central America, inception February 2, 1841)
- Foundation: Inception in 1786
- Area: 131.8 square kilometres
- Elevation: 400 metres above sea level
- Timezone: UTC−06:00
- Capital of: Chalatenango Department (inception February 14, 1855) and Southern Chalatenango
- Population: 29,048 (1992 census), 29,271 (2007 census), 30,679 (2024 census)
- Patron saint: Christ Child
- UN/LOCODE: SVCNG
- Notable infrastructure: Estadio José Gregorio Martínez (stadium, inception January 1975)
- VIAF ID: 130174076
- GeoNames ID: 3587091

## FAQs

**Where is Chalatenango located?**
Chalatenango is located in the Southern Chalatenango region of El Salvador, positioned at coordinates 14.0414°N and 88.9394°W at an elevation of 400 metres above sea level. It operates within the UTC−06:00 timezone.

**What is Chalatenango the capital of?**
The city serves as the capital of the Chalatenango Department, which was established on February 14, 1855, and also functions as the capital of the Southern Chalatenango region.

**How has Chalatenango's population changed over time?**
Census records document a gradual increase from 29,048 residents in 1992 to 29,271 in 2007, with the most recent 2024 census recording 30,679 inhabitants.

**What sports facilities exist in Chalatenango?**
Estadio José Gregorio Martínez is a stadium located in Chalatenango that was inaugurated in January 1975.

## Why It Matters
Chalatenango holds administrative significance as the capital of the Chalatenango Department, one of El Salvador's departmental divisions established in the mid-19th century. Its consistent population growth across three census periods (1992, 2007, 2024) demonstrates ongoing urban development and regional importance. The city's infrastructure, including the Estadio José Gregorio Martínez, supports civic and sporting activities. Its extensive cataloguing across major international knowledge systems—including Encyclopædia Britannica, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Library of Congress, and Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana—confirms its status as a recognised geographical entity worthy of global reference documentation.

## Notable For
- Serving as the administrative capital of the Chalatenango Department since its 1855 establishment
- Foundation dating to 1786, making it a historically rooted settlement in Central America
- Documented in Encyclopædia Britannica Online (ID: place/Chalatenango)
- Wikipedia coverage in 29 languages, from Belarusian to Chinese variants
- Recognition across multiple national library systems: Bibliothèque nationale de France (14560393g), Library of Congress (n79079957), and National Library of Israel (987007548088605171)
- Identification in ecological monitoring through iNaturalist Place ID 44012
- Assignment of UN/LOCODE SVCNG for trade and transport identification

## Body

### Administrative and Political Status
Chalatenango is classified as both a city and a district of El Salvador. A city is defined as a large human settlement, a classification supported by 252 sitelinks across knowledge platforms. The Chalatenango Department, which the city serves as capital, was officially established on February 14, 1855. El Salvador itself became a sovereign state on February 2, 1841, with this date documented through multiple constitutional and academic sources, including the 1841 Political Constitution hosted at Cervantes Virtual and records from the University of El Salvador.

### Geography and Physical Characteristics
The municipality spans 131.8 square kilometres and sits at an elevation of 400 metres above sea level. Its geographic coordinates are 14.041355555555555°N latitude and -88.93941111111111°W longitude, referenced from OpenStreetMap. The city operates within the UTC−06:00 timezone.

### Demographics
Census-based population data documents three measurement points:
- 1992: 29,048 residents
- 2007: 29,271 residents (sourced from Salvadoran census records, )
- 2024: 30,679 residents (preferred value, sourced from )

All figures were determined through census methodology.

### Infrastructure and Landmarks
Estadio José Gregorio Martínez is a stadium situated in Chalatenango with an inception date of January 1975. The city's visual identity includes a flag (Flag_of_Chalatenango.svg), a locator map (Distrito_de_Chalatenango.svg), and imagery of the Catedral de Chalatenango.

### Cultural Identity
The designated patron saint of Chalatenango is the Christ Child, as documented in German Wikipedia sources.

### International Identification Systems
Chalatenango holds identifiers across numerous global systems:
- **Library and authority systems:** VIAF 130174076, FAST ID 1205813, Library of Congress Authority ID n79079957, BnF ID 14560393g, National Library of Israel J9U ID 987007548088605171
- **Geographic systems:** GeoNames 3587091, GNS Unique Feature ID -1144339, GADM ID SLV.3.4_1, Who's On First ID 421194513
- **Mapping platforms:** OpenStreetMap Node ID 507951907, OpenStreetMap Relation ID 19563800
- **Knowledge bases:** Freebase ID /m/0780cw, Yale LUX ID place/17c37b4e-5471-44dd-98bc-e90ccba6186f, Wolfram Language Entity Code Entity["AdministrativeDivision", {"Chalatenango", "Chalatenango", "ElSalvador"}]
- **Encyclopedic references:** Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID place/Chalatenango, Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana ID chalatenango (former scheme 0420983), Proleksis Enciklopedija ID 52763
- **Other systems:** UN/LOCODE SVCNG, OpenWeatherMap City ID 3587091, iNaturalist Place ID 44012

### Digital and Wikimedia Presence
Chalatenango maintains 30 sitelinks across Wikimedia projects. Its Wikipedia title is "Chalatenango, El Salvador," and articles exist in 29 languages: Belarusian, Catalan, Cebuano, Danish, German, Greek, English, Spanish, Basque, Persian, French, Galician, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Lithuanian, Moksha, Dutch, Polish, Pipling, Portuguese, Russian, Simple English, Silesian, Ukrainian, Urdu, Chinese, and Min Nan Chinese. The main Wikimedia Commons category is "Chalatenango," and a Wikivoyage page banner is available (Chalatenango_banner.jpg). The topic's main category on Wikimedia is Category:Chalatenango.

### Connected Entities
Two primary related entities are documented:
- **Chalatenango Department:** A Thing entity classified as a department of El Salvador, established February 14, 1855, with 39 sitelinks
- **El Salvador:** The sovereign state encompassing Chalatenango, with 283 sitelinks and inception dated February 2, 1841

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. 2007 Salvadoran census
4. 2024 Salvadoran census
5. GeoNames
6. [Source](https://service.unece.org/trade/locode/sv.htm)
7. [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/places/inaturalist-places.csv.zip)
8. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File