Central America · North America

Nicaragua

Discover Nicaragua - the land of lakes and volcanoes, where you can surf active volcanoes, explore colonial cities, and find Central America's best-kept secret.

Where Is Nicaragua?

Nicaragua is a country in Central America, North America. Its capital is Managua.

Where Nicaragua isCentral America · Capital Managua

Capital Managua
Population 7.01M
Area 130,373 km²

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America and, for a long stretch, one of its most turbulent. Revolution, civil war, hurricanes, and earthquakes have all shaped the national character. But this is also a country of extraordinary natural beauty - a chain of active volcanoes runs down the Pacific coast, Lake Nicaragua is the largest in Central America and home to the world's only freshwater sharks, and the Caribbean Mosquito Coast remains one of the most remote and wild stretches of coastline in the Americas.

Nicaraguans call their country "the land of lakes and volcanoes," but they could just as easily call it the land of poets. Ruben Dario, the father of Spanish modernist poetry, is from here, and poetry is taken so seriously that taxi drivers quote verses. Colonial Granada and Leon are two of the most beautiful Spanish colonial cities in the hemisphere, volcano boarding down Cerro Negro is one of the most unusual adventure sports on Earth, and the whole country costs a fraction of neighboring Costa Rica. Nicaragua is Central America before the crowds found it.

At a glance

Language

Spanish

Currency

Cordoba Oro (NIO)

Calling Code

+505

Drives On

Right

Internet

.ni

Timezone

CST (UTC-6)

Script

Latin

Government

Presidential Republic

Independence

1821

By population

Largest cities in Nicaragua

Managua

The capital that never recovered its downtown after the 1972 earthquake, a sprawling city without a traditional center

1,050,000

Leon

Intellectual capital and university city, home to the largest cathedral in Central America and revolutionary murals

210,000

Granada

One of the oldest European-founded cities in the Americas, a stunning colonial gem on the shores of Lake Nicaragua

130,000

Masaya

Cradle of Nicaraguan folklore and crafts, sitting beside the Masaya Volcano with its visible lava lake

170,000

Matagalpa

Mountain coffee capital in the cool northern highlands, surrounded by cloud forest and coffee plantations

150,000

People

Famous people from Nicaragua

Ruben Dario
Literature
Father of the Modernismo literary movement in Spanish, considered the most influential Spanish-language poet since Cervantes
Augusto Cesar Sandino
Politics
Guerrilla leader who resisted US occupation in the 1930s, national hero whose name was later adopted by the Sandinista movement
Bianca Jagger
Other
Nicaraguan-born human rights advocate and former wife of Mick Jagger, prominent campaigner for social justice
Alexis Arguello
Sport
Three-weight world boxing champion nicknamed El Flaco Explosivo, considered one of the greatest boxers in history
Gioconda Belli
Literature
Poet and novelist whose work blends feminism, eroticism, and revolution, one of Latin America's most celebrated living writers

Food

Traditional cuisine of Nicaragua

Gallo Pinto: Nicaragua's national breakfast - rice and red beans fried together, served with eggs, cheese, plantains, and cream
Nacatamal: Massive tamale of seasoned corn masa stuffed with pork, rice, potatoes, and olives wrapped in banana leaves
Vigoron: Street food of boiled yuca, chicharron (fried pork rind), and curtido cabbage salad served on a banana leaf
Quesillo: Pickled onion and string cheese wrapped in a warm tortilla with sour cream, sold from roadside stands across the country
Indio Viejo: Thick stew of shredded meat, ground corn masa, tomatoes, and sour orange, one of Nicaragua's most traditional dishes

Nature

Nature and landmarks in Nicaragua

Masaya VolcanoMountain: One of the few volcanoes on Earth where you can drive to the crater rim and peer into an active lava lake
Lake NicaraguaLake: Central America's largest lake, home to freshwater bull sharks and the volcanic island of Ometepe
Ometepe IslandIsland: Magical figure-eight shaped island formed by two volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Corn IslandsIsland: Caribbean paradise of coconut palms and turquoise water off the Mosquito Coast, with a distinct English-Creole culture
Cerro NegroMountain: Young active volcano where visitors can go volcano boarding - sliding down the black ash slopes at up to 90 km/h

Sport

Sports in Nicaragua

Baseball: Nicaragua's true national sport, the only Central American country where baseball dominates over football, producing MLB players like Dennis Martinez
Boxing: Produced world champions across multiple weight classes, led by the legendary Alexis Arguello and Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez
Football: Growing football culture with an improving national team and passionate local following

Facts

Did you know?

Nicaragua is the only country in the world where you can go volcano boarding - sliding down an active volcano on a wooden sled
Lake Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake in the world known to have bull sharks, which swim up the San Juan River from the Caribbean
The Basilica of the Assumption in Leon is the largest cathedral in Central America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Dennis Martinez from Granada was the first Nicaraguan to play in Major League Baseball and threw a perfect game in 1991
Ometepe Island is formed by two volcanoes connected by an isthmus and has been inhabited for at least 3,500 years
Nicaragua's flag is one of only two national flags that feature the color purple (the other is Dominica)

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