Santa Ana

Periodic warm Californian wind.

Santa Ana

Commercial city in northwest El Salvador, capital of Santa Ana department and second-largest city in the country; population (2005) 178,600. It lies in a fertile basin on the northeast slopes of the Santa Ana volcano (2,381 m/7,812 ft), the highest in the country. Coffee and sugar cane are grown in the region. The city has some colonial architecture, including a neo-Gothic cathedral.

Santa Ana

Department in the northwest of El Salvador; area 1,992 sq km/769 sq mi; population (1995) 237,600. It lies in a large fertile valley, through which many rivers flow, and is crossed by several mountain ranges, including the Sierra Apaneca Lamatepeque, Cordillera Joya Grande, and Cordillera Metapán Alotepeque. Santa Ana is the richest coffee-growing area in El Salvador; sugar cane is also a major product. The slopes of the volcano Santa Ana are fertile and in the lower regions crops are grown. Iron and lead are mined on a small scale near the town of Metapan. Tourism is a growing industry. The capital is Santa Ana.

The countryside is spectacular and unspoilt, and includes several lakes, among them Lake Coatepeque and the Laguna de Güija, whose waters are rich in minerals.

Santa Ana

City and administrative headquarters of Orange County, southwest California, USA; population (1990) 293,700. It is situated on the Santa Ana River, 70 km/43 mi southeast of Los Angeles, and at the southwestern base of the Santa Ana Mountains. It is the commercial and financial centre of the irrigated Santa Ana Valley. The city's varied manufactures include aircraft, computer and electronic parts, plastics, sporting and rubber goods, metal products, and fibreglass. It is home to Santa Rancho Santiago Community College (1915).

Founded in 1869 on the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, it was connected to Los Angeles in 1878 by the Southern Pacific Railroad, and became a processing and market centre for the valley's produce. In the 1920s nearby oilfields brought wealth to the community. After World War II freeway connections stimulated residential and industrial growth. The city is part of the metropolitan area of Anaheim–Santa Ana–Garden Grove. The city has almost doubled in population since 1970.