Chinandega () is a

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

, located on the border with

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

. It covers an area of 4,822 km² and has a population of 441,897 (2021 estimate). The capital is the city of

Chinandega Chinandega () is a city and the departmental seat of Chinandega department in Nicaragua. It is also the administrative centre of the surrounding municipality of the same name. It is Nicaragua's 2nd most important city (economy) and 6th largest c ...

. Largely agricultural, it produces

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

from

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

; other products are

bananas A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

and

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

. The port of Corinto, in Chinandega, is the most important in Western Nicaragua.

Municipalities

Chichigalpa Chichigalpa () is a town and municipality in the Chinandega Department of Nicaragua. History Pre-Columbian It is presumed that Chichigalpa's first inhabitants arrived from the north. While their civilizations were not as advanced as those of the A ...

* Corinto *

El Realejo El Realejo is a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua. History The town of El Realejo was constructed in 1532, during the first years of Spanish colonization. During this period it served as Nicaragua's principal port, and rema ...

El Viejo El Viejo is a city and a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua. El Viejo is a small city near the city of Chinandega, noted for its particular gastronomic specialties, which include ''rosquillas'' ( a type of doughnut), ''cajet ...

Posoltega Posoltega () is a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua. The town and surrounding area suffered severe damage from Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing over 11,000 fa ...

Puerto Morazán Puerto Morazán () is a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, ...

San Francisco del Norte San Francisco del Norte () is a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to ...

San Juan de Cinco Pinos San Juan de Cinco Pinos, colloquially known as Cinco Pinos, is a town and a municipality in the north of the Chinandega Department in Nicaragua, situated between San Pedro del Norte and Santo Tomás del Norte. History The town was founded in 187 ...

San Pedro del Norte San Pedro del Norte () is a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the ...

Santo Tomás del Norte Santo Tomás del Norte is a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the ...

Somotillo Somotillo is a town and a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the ea ...

* Villanueva

References

Departments of Nicaragua {{Nicaragua-geo-stub