Ocotal () is the capital of the Nueva Segovia Department in

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 count ...

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. ...

and the municipal seat of Ocotal Municipality.

History

The region currently occupied by the city of Ocotal was occupied by different ethnic groups that had probably migrated from Mexico to Central America many centuries ago, speaking a variety of Nahuatl. The gold deposits that were found on the banks of the Choluteca River and other places, motivated the establishment of Spanish settlements. The city was founded in 1543 under the name of Nueva Segovia but this was later changed to Ocotal, a Nahuatl word that means "pine resin". In 1927, Ocotal suffered one of the first dive bombing attacks in history during a battle that pitted the American

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

and the

Nicaraguan National Guard The National Guard ( es, link=no, Guardia Nacional, otherwise known as ) was a militia and a gendarmerie created in 1925 during the occupation of Nicaragua by the United States. It became notorious for human rights abuses and corruption under ...

against

Sandinista The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a Socialism, socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after ...

rebels. Ocotal is the same city that was founded by Spanish colonialists in 1543, with the name Nueva Segovia. During the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis, ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya set up a government-in-exile in the city briefly in July during reconciliation negotiations with coup leaders.

Description

Ocotal is the capital of the Nueva Segovia Department in Nicaragua. The main production is coffee, and lumbering. The city, with a population of 39,450 (as of 2000), is located in a valley. The name comes from the nahuatl root "ocotl" for pine resin, and the Spanish suffix "al", due to the abundance of ocote pines. Ocotal was the third Spanish colony (after León and Granada) founded in what would eventually be called the Province of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Its original name was Nueva Ciudad Segovia (New Segovia) and its foundation is credited to Rodrigo de Contreras in 1543. Attractions include the Dipilto-Jalapa pine forests to the north, the Segovia River ( long) to the south, the indigenous and artisan town of Mozonte, as well as multiple hiking opportunities around its picturesque mountains. The old town center boasts some of the oldest colonial buildings in the region, such la Asuncion Parrish Church, as well as Plaza Central, a very well preserved garden in the middle of the commercial center featuring hundreds of species of flowers and tropical plants. Due to its valley location and close proximity to Nicaragua's highest mountains, enjoys cool weather, avoiding the extreme heat of the Pacific Zone in western Nicaragua. Some "yet-to-discover" activities also include hiking the majestic Mount Guásara, letting the Segovia or Coco River drag you down from "El Saltarin" all the way to Ocotal Bridge, or simply visiting one of the many surrounding coffee farms while enjoying the landscape. A day trip to El Rosario Waterfalls east from Ocotal is also worth visiting.

Geography

Characterised by steep hills in the north and south, plateaus in the west and a valley in the center. It lies at an altitude of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. The co ...

Administration

There are 29 neighbourhoods: José Santos Rodríguez, Sandino, Hermanos Zamora, Teodoro López, Monseñor Madrigal, José Santos Duarte, Danilo Ponce, Yelba María Antúnez, Anexo Yelba María Antunez, Noel Weelock, Enrique Lacayo Farfán, Anexo Laura Sofía, Roberto Gómez Montalvan, Laura Sofía Olivas Paz, Nicarao, Leonardo Matute, 26 de septiembre, Santa Ana, Carlos Manuel Jarquin, Ramón Augusto López, Nora Astorga, Cristo del Rosario, Nuevo Amanecer, María Auxiliadora, Dinamarca, Pueblos unidos (where the Colonia del Maestro y 8 de mayo zones have been built). 10 Municipal zones containing 22 Administrative areas

Sport

Ocotal has a well known soccer team known as Deportivo Ocotal

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Ocotal is twinned with:

Gallery

File:Ocotal 1.jpg File:Ocotal Church.JPG File:Ocotal Street.JPG File:Ocotal Independence Day Celebrations.JPG File:Ocotal Independence Day Parade.jpg File:Ocotal Estadio.JPG File:Ocotal palillonas.JPG

Map

A map of Ocotal is being created by the

OpenStreetMap OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free, open geographic database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveys, trace from aerial imagery and also import from other freely licensed ...

projec
here

External links

Radio Segovia

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080720162055/http://www.amigosdenicaragua.org/ocotal.htm Brief outline of Ocotal 1999
Battle of Ocotal

Groundwater study. Includes geography and history (.pdf)

Home page of Deportivo Ocotal (in Spanish)

includes reports from th

Nicaraguan Expat site

La Gruta de la Virgen de Guadalupe - Ocotal, Nicaragua

Urban planning - Hurricane Mitch
*

Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing over 11,000 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately 7,000 in Honduras and 3,800 in Nicaragua due to cataclysmic flooding from the slow motio ...

Report on Landmines Nicaragua page 123

References

{{Authority control Municipalities of the Nueva Segovia Department 1543 establishments in the Spanish Empire Populated places established in 1543