Santo Tomás is a town and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

Chontales Department Chontales () () is a Departments of Nicaragua, department in Nicaragua. It covers an area of and has a population of 191,856. The capital is Juigalpa. Some of land overlooks Lake Cocibolca (Lake Nicaragua) on the western side. The department i ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

. It is located from

Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...

and from Juigalpa on the paved highway to

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

, en route to the Atlantic Coast. The main economic activities are agriculture and livestock. Many of the businesses located in Santo Tomás consist of small stores owned by individuals that live next to their commercial properties. One of the oldest pharmacies in the region, Lopez Pharmacy, whose owner was cofounder of the Red Cross in Santo Tomás, is located in the town. This town is the "quesillo capitol" of Nicaragua, where the rivers run with milk and the rocks are made of the local cheese: donde los ríos son de leche y las piedras de cuajada.

Climate

The climate is generally hot, but much more pleasant and breezy than the scorching lowlands of Managua and Leon. The rainy season typically starts in late May and runs until December. Global climate change has adversely affected the rainy seasons, negatively impacting crop production and health of livestock. In November and December, the temperature cools down considerably.

Demographic

The municipality has a population of 19,342 (2022 estimate). 48.7% of the population are males and 51.3% females.

Religion

The majority of the people are Catholic, with a growing number of evangelical church members. There are several evangelical churches and a Catholic church in Santo Thomás. The town boasts two patron saint days to honor and celebrate.

Education

There is a central park with free wi-fi. There are private schools and public schools in the area. Students seeking continuing education attend a private university or travel to the national universities in the department seat of Juigapla or the capital city of Managua.

International relationships

Santo Tomás has relationships with two international sister communities: with the non-profit organization Thurston-Santo Tomás Sister County Association (incorporated in 1989) based in Olympia, WA, USA, and an official sister city relationship with Mol, Belgium (since 1985).

Security

Santo Tomás is a relatively safe town, where most people get along well and know their neighbors. While there is no endemic malaria in Santo Tomás, the presence of dengue and chikungunya throughout Central America necessitate preventative measures such as mosquito repellents and nighttime use of "mosquiteros".

References

Municipalities of the Chontales Department {{Nicaragua-geo-stub