New Delhi: If you are not interested in studying about (or watching) volcanoes, there is an off-chance that you wouldn’t have heard about this smallest and most densely populated of the seven Central American countries – El Salvador. That is until today. A bizarre offer has been made by the country to the United States, in which they have offered to open up their shores to house dangerous criminals from the US or otherwise, for exchange of a sum. It is this news which has brought El Salvador back to the front pages. Although it is unclear how the transactional relationship will work, and whether legal challenges will act as a roadblock to this oddity, El Salvador has certainly made a name for itself.

Bordered by the picturesque Honduras on the north-east, and by Guatemala on the northwest, Salvador’s population in 2024 was estimated to be 6 million. The GDP is around $35 billion. The economy may not have been on a freefall but the growth has been stagnant for this nation that is known mostly for its active volcanoes (that cause more havoc and damage than anything else). Being the smallest of Central American countries, Salvador has experienced relatively lower rates of GDP growth than its other neighbours. It is classified as a country that falls in the ‘middle income’ category but a significant proportion of the population is still living under poverty line, and faces challenges of meeting basic amenities.

The reason we are talking about the economics of this region is to bring us closer to what could possibly have driven such a bizarre decision by the current administration of........

© News9Live