Santa Ana Volcano

The first one in Top 10 Highest Mountains in El Salvador that Toplist would like to introduce to you is Santa Ana Volcano. The Santa Ana Volcano, also known as Ilamatepec (Spanish: volcán de Santa Ana), is a huge stratovolcano in El Salvador's Santa Ana province. It is the country's highest volcano, rising 2,381 meters (7,812 feet) above sea level. It is situated to the west of the Coatepeque Caldera.

The volcano served as inspiration for one of the active volcanoes in Antoine de Saint-famous Exupéry's French book (The Little Prince), which was based on his life with his Salvadoran wife Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry, who played the role of The Rose in the story.

Santa Ana's summit has four nested calderas and volcanic craters, the innermost of which contains a small crater lake. The collapse of the peak during the late Pleistocene (the highest age limit is estimated to be no more than 57,000 years ago based on underlying soil samples) resulted in a major debris avalanche that reached the Pacific Ocean, establishing the Acajutla Peninsula. The edifice has been largely reconstructed by subsequent eruptions.

Since the 16th century, there have been numerous historical eruptions, both at the summit and from cinder cones on the lower flanks, as well as the flank vents of San Marcelino east of Santa Ana. In 1722, the San Marcelino vents erupted and flowed for 11 kilometers eastward, demolishing the town of San Juan Tecpan.

The volcano erupted in October 2005, killing at least two people and injuring seven more, forcing many others to abandon their homes. The volcano spewed rocks the size of vehicles for almost 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles). Hurricane Stan caused further damage as a result of the eruption. The last prior eruption occurred in 1904.

Location: in the Santa Ana department of El Salvador

Elevation: 2,381 m (7,812 ft)