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 countr ...
(officially the Republic of Nicaragua es, República de Nicaragua ) is a country in
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
, bordering both the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
and the North
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, between
Costa Rica and
Honduras. Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America in square kilometers.
Nicaragua covers a total area of 130,370 square kilometers (119,990 square kilometers of which is land area) and contains a variety of climates and terrains.
The country's physical geography divides it into three major zones: the Pacific lowlands, the wetter, cooler central highlands, and the Caribbean lowlands.
Natural regions
The
natural region
A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate.
From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...
s of Nicaragua are the Pacific lowlands, central highlands, and Caribbean lowlands.
Pacific lowlands
The Pacific lowlands extend about 75 kilometers inland from the Pacific coast.
Most of the area is flat, except for a line of young
volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Ear ...
es, many of which are still active, running between the
Golfo de Fonseca and
Lago de Nicaragua.
These peaks lie just west of a large crustal fracture or structural rift that forms a long, narrow depression passing southeast across the isthmus from the Golfo de Fonseca to the
Río San Juan.
The rift is occupied in part by the largest freshwater lakes in Central America:
Lago de Managua (56 kilometers long and 24 kilometers wide) and Lago de Nicaragua (about 160 kilometers long and 75 kilometers wide).
These two lakes are joined by the Río Tipitapa, which flows south into Lago de Nicaragua.
Lago de Nicaragua in turn drains into the Río San Juan (the boundary between
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 countr ...
and
Costa Rica), which flows through the southern part of the rift lowlands to the Caribbean Sea.
The valley of the Río San Juan forms a natural passageway close to sea level across the Nicaraguan isthmus from the Caribbean Sea to Lago de Nicaragua and the rift.
From the southwest edge of Lago de Nicaragua, it is only nineteen kilometers to the Pacific Ocean.
This route was considered as a possible alternative to the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...
at various times in the past.
Surrounding the lakes and extending northwest of them along the rift valley to the Golfo de Fonseca are fertile lowland plains highly enriched with
volcanic ash
Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to refer ...
from nearby volcanoes.
These lowlands are densely populated and well cultivated.
The natural vegetation of the Pacific lowlands is
dry forest
Dry or dryness most often refers to:
* Lack of rainfall, which may refer to
**Arid regions
**Drought
* Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages
* Dry humor, deadpan
* Dryness (medical)
* ...
, but much of it has been converted to agriculture or pasture. More directly west of the lake region is a narrow line of ash-covered hills and volcanoes that separate the lakes from the Pacific Ocean.
This line is highest in the central portion near the cities of León and
Managua
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Because Western Nicaragua is located where two major
tectonic plate
Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large te ...
s collide, it is subject to
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
s and volcanic eruptions.
Although periodic volcanic eruptions have caused agricultural damage from fumes and ash, earthquakes have been by far more destructive to life and property.
Hundreds of shocks occur each year, some of which cause severe damage.
The capital city of
Managua
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was virtually destroyed in 1931 and again in 1972.
Central highlands
The triangular area known as the central highlands lies northeast and east of the Pacific lowlands.
These rugged mountains are composed of ridges 900 to 1,800 meters high and a
mixed forest of oak and pine alternating with deep valleys that drain primarily toward the
Caribbean.
Very few significant streams flow west to the Pacific Ocean.
Those that do are steep, short, and flow intermittently.
The relatively dry western slopes of the central highlands, protected by the ridges of the highlands from the moist winds of the Caribbean, have drawn farmers from the Pacific region since colonial times.
The eastern slopes of the highlands are covered with
montane rain forests and are lightly populated with pioneer agriculturalists and small communities of indigenous people.
Caribbean lowlands
The eastern Caribbean lowlands of Nicaragua form the extensive (occupying more than 50 percent of national territory) and still sparsely settled lowland area known as the Costa de Mosquitos (
Miskito Coast
The Mosquito Coast, also known as the Mosquitia or Mosquito Shore, historically included the area along the eastern coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras. It formed part of the Western Caribbean Zone. It was named after the local Miski ...
).
The Caribbean lowlands are sometimes considered synonymous with the former department of
Zelaya, which is now divided into the
North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region
The North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It was created by the Autonomy Statute of 7 September 1987. It covers an area of 33,106 km2 and has a population of 541,189 (2021 estimate). It is the ...
(Región Autónoma de la Costa Caribe Norte, RACCN) and the
South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region
The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It covers an area of and has a population of 420,935 (2021 estimate). The capital is Bluefields. Bordering the Caribbean Sea, it contains part of the re ...
(Región Autónoma de la Costa Caribe Sur, RACCS) and constitutes about 45 percent of Nicaragua's territory.
These lowlands are a hot, humid area that includes coastal plains, the eastern spurs of the central highlands, and the lower portion of the
Río San Juan basin.
The soil is generally leached and infertile.
Pine and palm savannas predominate along the Caribbean coast as far south as the
Laguna de Perlas
Pearl Lagoon is a municipality that is often time called just Lagoon and was historically known as English Bank. It is located in the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. It is the most important town of the largest coastal lagoon ...
.
There are extensive areas of tropical rain forest, including the
Isthmian–Atlantic moist forests extending southwards from the Laguna de Perlas past the Río San Juan into Costa Rica, and the
Central American Atlantic moist forests lying between the savannas and the central highlands, and along rivers through the savannas.
Fertile soils are found only along the natural levees and narrow floodplains of the numerous rivers, including the Escondido, the Río Grande de Matagalpa, the
Prinzapolka
Prinzapolka () is a Miskito municipality in the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the ...
, and the
Coco, and along the many lesser streams that rise in the central highlands and cross the region en route to the complex of shallow
bays,
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...
s, and
salt marsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...
es of the Caribbean coast.
Climate
Temperature varies little with the seasons in Nicaragua and is largely a function of elevation.
The ''tierra cliente,'' or "hot land", is characteristic of the foothills and lowlands from sea level to about of elevation.
Here, daytime temperatures average , and night temperatures drop to most of the year.
The ''tierra templada'', or "temperate land", is characteristic of most of the central highlands, where elevations range between .
Here, daytime temperatures are mild (, and nights are cool ().
''Tierra fria'', the "cold land" at elevations above , is found only on and near the highest peaks of the central highlands.
Daytime averages in this region are , with nighttime lows below .
Rainfall
Rainfall varies greatly in Nicaragua.
The Caribbean lowlands are the wettest section of Central America, receiving between of rain annually.
The western slopes of the central highlands and the Pacific lowlands receive considerably less annual rainfall, being protected from moisture-laden Caribbean trade winds by the peaks of the central highlands.
Mean annual precipitation for the rift valley and western slopes of the highlands ranges from .
Rainfall is seasonal—May through October is the rainy season, and December through April is the driest period.
During the rainy season, Eastern Nicaragua is subject to heavy flooding along the upper and middle reaches of all major rivers.
Near the coast, where river courses widen and river banks and natural levees are low, floodwaters spill over onto the floodplains until large sections of the lowlands become continuous sheets of water.
River bank agricultural plots are often heavily damaged, and considerable numbers of savanna animals die during these floods.
The coast is also subject to destructive tropical storms and hurricanes, particularly from July through October.
The high winds and floods, accompanying these storms often cause considerable destruction of property.
In addition, heavy rains (called papagayo storms) accompanying the passage of a cold front or a low-pressure area may sweep from the north through both eastern and western Nicaragua (particularly the rift valley) from November through March.
Hurricanes or heavy rains in the central highlands where agriculture has destroyed much of the natural vegetation also cause considerable crop damage and
soil erosion.
In 1988,
Hurricane Joan
Hurricane Joan was a long lived and powerful tropical cyclone that caused death and destruction in over a dozen countries in the Caribbean and Central America. Moving on a due west course for nearly two weeks in October 1988, Hurricane Joan caus ...
forced hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans to flee their homes and caused more than US$1 billion in damage, most of it along the Caribbean coast.
In November 2020, two major hurricanes:
Eta
Eta (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἦτα ''ē̂ta'' or ell, ήτα ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative in most dialects, ...
and
Iota
Iota (; uppercase: Ι, lowercase: ι; ) is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh. Letters that arose from this letter include the Latin I and J, the Cyrillic І (І, і), Yi (Ї, ї), and ...
, made landfall on the nation in nearly same locations in consecutive weeks, causing hundreds of deaths throughout the caribbean region and causing millions of dollars in damage.
Examples
Environment
Nicaragua is subject to destructive
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
s,
volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Ear ...
es,
landslides, and occasionally severe
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s.
It currently faces
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...
, soil erosion, and water pollution. It is a party to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established an international environmental treaty to combat "dangerous human interference with the climate system", in part by stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in ...
, the
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, the
Nuclear Test Ban
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty to ban nuclear weapons test explosions and any other nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. It was adopted by the United Nation ...
, and the
Ozone Layer Protection, and has signed but not ratified the
Law of the Sea.
Extreme points
* Northernmost point: North of
Liwa Sirpe
* Southernmost point: Trinidad,
Río San Juan
* Westernmost point: Pacific coast at
Gulf of Fonseca
The Gulf of Fonseca ( es, Golfo de Fonseca; ), a part of the Pacific Ocean, is a gulf in Central America, bordering El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
History
Fonseca Bay was discovered for Europeans in 1522 by Gil González de Ávil ...
,
Chinandega Department
Chinandega () is a department in Nicaragua, located on the border with Honduras. It covers an area of 4,822 km2 and has a population of 441,897 (2021 estimate). The capital is the city of Chinandega.
Largely agricultural, it produces rum f ...
* Easternmost point:
Miskito Cays
The Miskito Cays (Spanish: Cayos Miskitos) are an archipelago with an area of 27 km2 located off shore in the northeastern Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, part of the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region. The Miskito Cays are composed of 7 ...
archipelago,
North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region
The North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It was created by the Autonomy Statute of 7 September 1987. It covers an area of 33,106 km2 and has a population of 541,189 (2021 estimate). It is the ...
* Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
* Highest point:
Mogotón 2,085 m
Maritime claims
* Contiguous zone:
* Territorial sea:
*
Exclusive economic zone:
See also
*
List of ecoregions in Nicaragua
*
List of islands of Nicaragua
*
List of rivers of Nicaragua
The majority of rivers in Nicaragua are located on the Caribbean coast and empty out into the Caribbean Sea. The San Juan River (Nicaragua), Río San Juan is one of the most important rivers in Nicaragua, it borders Costa Rica and connects the Ca ...
*
List of volcanoes in Nicaragua
This is a list of active and extinct volcanoes in Nicaragua.
Volcanoes
See also
* Central America Volcanic Arc
* List of volcanoes in Costa Rica
* List of volcanoes in El Salvador
* List of volcanoes in Guatemala
* List of volcanoes ...
*
Protected areas of Nicaragua
The protected areas of Nicaragua are areas that have natural beauty or significance and are protected by Nicaragua. Nicaragua has 78 protected areas that cover 22,422 km2, about 17.3% of the nations landmass. The National System of Protected Area ...
*
Territorial disputes of Nicaragua
*
Water resources management in Nicaragua
Water resources management in Nicaragua is carried out by the National water utility and regulated by the Nicaraguan Institute of water. Nicaragua has ample water supplies in rivers, groundwater, lagoons, and significant rainfall. Distribution of ...
References
{{North America topic, Climate of