San Miguel, El Salvador

San Miguel is the capital of San Miguel department in eastern El Salvador and one of the country's largest cities outside the capital region. It is a commercial center for the eastern lowlands, historically tied to cotton and cattle and later to remittance-driven commerce, and it lies near the base of the active San Miguel volcano, also called Chaparrastique. The city hosts the Carnaval de San Miguel each November, one of the largest annual festivals in Central America.