The Difference between Living in the United States vs. El Salvador

People associate life in America to be a life full of reform, expansion, and industrialization. Anyone living in the United States perceives him/herself to be democratic as the country has a democratic government. It ranks among the best countries in terms of measures of well-being. The United States is racially and ethnically diverse as most citizens in the country come from other countries. On the other hand, El Salvador is the smallest Central American country, which is densely populated. Citizens of El Salvador are industrious and acclaimed artists. The paper will discuss the difference between living in the United States and El Salvador in terms of culture, geographical elements, health care, and the citizens of each country.

First, the United States has a population of 316,668,587, the capital city is Washington, DC with a population of 8,008,280. The United States is geographically diverse having rivers, mountains, lakes, coastlines, and deserts. Such diversity results to the many different kinds of weather during a year. The country experiences tropical storms, hurricanes, thunderstorms, and blizzards. Living in the United States one has to experience heat waves, as well as, cold spells. The different topology comes as a result of the different kinds of weather. The United States has approximately 12,000 miles of coastline (How the Last Decade Changed American Life). Conversely, El Salvador is a republic of 8,260 square miles, located in Central America, which borders with North Pacific Ocean between Honduras and Guatemala. There are mountains that separate El Salvador into plateaus, southern coastal belt, and central valleys. The country is warm most of the times.

 

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The United States has many immigrants who contribute to the different cultures in the country. The culture is primarily western. It is influenced by the Latin Americans, Polynesian, Africans, Asians, and the Native Americans. When one lives in the United States, especially as an immigrant, he or she needs to learn English as it is the main language in the country. The American culture contains liberal and conservative elements, political structure, religious and scientific competitiveness (How the Last Decade Changed American Life). To successfully live in the United States people need to be risk takers and practice free expression. El Salvador has slight cultural variations due to the different crops grown in each region. Coffee is grown in the mountains while cane is grown in the coastal regions. The ethnic make-up of El Salvador is 90 percent mestizo, 9% white and 1% Amerindian. San Salvador is the country’s capital city with a population of 525,990 (Living in El Salvador).

The United States is comprised of different cultures due to various language speaking citizens. The main language in the country is English. Individuals living in the United States must at least know basic English (Barna Group). Contrastingly the official language language in El Salvador is Spanish. College is the local Spanish vernacular, however, Nahuatl is an indigenous language used by small communities in Western El Salvador by the elderly. The country was first inhabited by Pipil before the Spanish conquest. Thus, very few Salvadorans speak an indigenous language (Living in El Salvador). Individuals wishing to live in El Salvador must at least understand basic Spanish.

In terms of the health care system, many Americans get access to health care as the government allows its citizen to benefit from a national health system. However, there are disparities in the provision of patient care. Several ethnic, racial, and minority groups face some problems while trying to access health insurance. These groups go without necessary patient care (Barna Group). The rich in El Salvador have access to medical care and drugs while the poor have no privileges. The health care system does not serve approximately 80% of the Salvadorans, it does not provide them access to adequate medical care as well as prescriptions for drugs. Government sponsored hospitals in the country do not offer prescription drugs to patients (Living in El Salvador). However, similarly to the United States the country has a national program to immunize children. Immunizations are free, and almost 100% of Salvadoran children get immunizations.

The tourism industry in the United States serves big amount of domestic and international tourists per year. The country has entertainment venues, natural wonders, and historic landmarks. El Salvador is a friendly and warm place with lots of treasures of nature, such as active volcanoes, cloud-forest trails and sparkling lakes. Anyone living in El Salvador has the advantage of visiting Punta Roca, which is the most famous surfing area in the world. The country has a rich tourism sector as it has galleries and museums. The country has a warmer weather compared to the United States.

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In terms of religion, majority of Americans comprising about 77% identify themselves as Christians. 52 % of them are Protestants, while 23% are Catholics. Other religions are Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Wicca, Buddhism, and Sikhism (Global Edge). The country has diverse religions and people have the freedom to choose from any. Similarly, the religions in El Salvador comprise 57.1% Roman Catholics, 21.2% Protestants, 1.9% Jehova’s Witnesses, 0.7% Mormon, 2.3% other religions and 16.8% the non religious (Living in El Salvador). Both countries have diverse religious groups, thus cater for their citizens.

Conclusively, the paper has dealt with aspects that are different in the United States and El Salvador. The different aspects show how life in the two countries is different and similar. For one to live in the United States or El Salvador, he or she has to learn the country’s official language and culture. However, American life is more advanced it terms of democracy and health care, but both countries have a tourist attraction, though El Salvador has a warmer weather than the United States.