San Miguel Department (El Salvador)

{{Short description|Department of El Salvador}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = San Miguel

| settlement_type = Department

| image_skyline=Vista desde el valle de la ciudad de San Miguel.jpg

| image_caption=

| image_flag = Flag of San Miguel Department.png

| image_shield = Escudo de la ciudad de San miguel.gif

| image_map = San Miguel in El Salvador.svg

| mapsize = frameless

| map_caption = Location within El Salvador

| coordinates = {{coord|13.522|-88.234|region:SV_type:adm1st|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{flag|El Salvador}}

| established_title = Created
{{nobold|{{small|(given current status)}}}}

| established_date = 1824

| seat_type = Capital

| seat = San Miguel

| area_total_km2 = 2077.1

| area_footnotes =

| area_rank = Ranked 2nd

| population_total = 447625

| population_as_of = 2024 census{{cite web|url=https://censo2024.bcr.gob.sv/wp-content/uploads/tablas-geoportal/2025/Informe%20_VII_Censo_de_Poblacion_y_VI_de_Vivienda_marzo_2025.pdf|title=Censo de Población y Vivienda 2024|access-date=2025-04-29|publisher=Banco Central de Reserva de El Salvador|lang=es|archive-date=2025-04-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405064936/https://censo2024.bcr.gob.sv/wp-content/uploads/tablas-geoportal/2025/Informe%20_VII_Censo_de_Poblacion_y_VI_de_Vivienda_marzo_2025.pdf|pages=117-123}}

| population_density_km2 = auto

| population_footnotes =

| population_rank = Ranked 3rd

| timezone = CST

| utc_offset = −6

| area_code_type = Calling code

| area_code =

| iso_code = SV-SM

| website =

}}

San Miguel ({{IPA|es|ˈsam miˈɣel}}) is a department in the eastern part of El Salvador. The capital is San Miguel. The department is 2,077 km² in area and has a population of over 678,000.

Before the Spanish conquest of El Salvador, the territory that now consists of the departments of San Miguel, La Unión and Morazán was the Lenca kingdom of Chaparrastique (Place of Beautiful Orchids).{{cite book|first = Roy|last = Boland|title = Culture and Customs of El Salvador|location = London|publisher = Greenwood Press|year = 2001|page = [https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00bola/page/13 13]|isbn = 0-313-30620-6|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00bola/page/13}}

San Miguel was first known as San Miguel de la Frontera. The city was founded by Luis de Moscoso on May 8, 1530, where it is now Santa Elena. On July 11, 1812, the city was given the title of "Noble y Leal Ciudad" (noble and loyal city). It was made a department on June 12, 1824.

It is the location of Ciudad Barrios, the birthplace of Archbishop Óscar Romero.