Rivas () is a
department of the Republic of
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean Sea, Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to ...
. It covers an area of 2,162 km
2 and has a population of 183,611 (2021 estimate). The department's capital is the city of
Rivas.
Overview
Rivas is known for its fertile soil and beautiful beaches. Throughout the department, there are many sugar cane, plantain, tobacco, and other crop plantations. The department borders
Lake Nicaragua
Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca or Granada ( es, Lago de Nicaragua, , or ) is a freshwater lake in Nicaragua. Of tectonic origin and with an area of , it is the largest lake in Central America, the 19th largest lake in the world (by area) and the t ...
to the east and the
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 contine ...
to the west. The southern part of the department borders with
Costa Rica. A small fishermen village, called San Juan del Sur, has turned into a popular tourist attraction because of the great beaches in the area. Another major tourist attraction is
Ometepe
Ometepe is an island formed by two volcanoes rising out of Lake Nicaragua in the Republic of Nicaragua. Its name derives from the Nahuatl words ''ome'' (two) and ''tepetl'' (mountain), meaning "two mountains". It is the largest island in Lake N ...
, a large volcanic island inhabited by about 32,000 people (2005 census). Some Nawat Nicarao tribals still live around small towns.
Municipalities
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Altagracia
:
:
:
Altagracia () is a municipality in the Rivas Department of Nicaragua.
It is the second largest town on the island of Ometepe. Its original name was Astagalpa, meaning ‘house of the herons’ in Nahuatl. This city also has a ferry port, P ...
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Belén
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Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the Capital city, capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata ...
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Cárdenas
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Moyogalpa
Moyogalpa () is a municipality in the Rivas department of Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean Sea, ...
#
Potosí
Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...
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Rivas
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San Jorge
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San Juan del Sur
San Juan del Sur is a municipality and coastal town on the Pacific Ocean, in the Rivas department in southwest Nicaragua. It is located south of Managua. San Juan del Sur is popular among surfers and is a vacation spot for many Nicaraguan ...
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Tola
External links
ViaNica.com - Rivas including photos, hotels, restaurants and local activities
References
Departments of Nicaragua
Costa Rica–Nicaragua border crossings
{{Nicaragua-geo-stub