Somoto Canyon National Monument (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: Monumento Nacional Cañón de Somoto) is a

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

located in the

Madriz Department Madriz () is a department in Nicaragua. It covers an area of 1,708 km2 and has a population of 176,920 (2021 estimate). The capital is Somoto. Madriz was created from Nueva Segovia department in August 1936, and named after President Jos� ...

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 ...

. The Somoto Canyon National Monument protected area covers an area of approximately , of which are in the actual zone of the canyon. The confluence of the Tapacalí and Comali Rivers at the head of the canyon form the

Coco River River Wangki in Miskitu or Río Coco, in Spanish, formerly known as the Río Segovia, Cape River, or Yara River, is a river located on the border of northern Nicaragua and southern Honduras. It is the longest river that runs entirely within the Ce ...

, which flows through the canyon and onward to 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 ...

. The Somoto Canyon was declared a

national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

on November 29, 2006. The Somoto Canyon National Monument comprises one of 78

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 ...

and is managed by

Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA), is in charge of environmental protection and of the study, planning, and management of the Nicaragua's natural resources. It was formerly known as the Nicaraguan Institute of Natural R ...

(MARENA).

History

The Somoto Canyon had not been explored systematically until a group of scientists from the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and Nicaragua (INETER) "discovered" the canyon in 2004. The canyon is believed to have formed 5 to 13 million years ago during the

Miocene period The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

. After its discovery in 2004, the Somoto Canyon has been developing into a tourist attraction, further helping the growth of

tourism in Nicaragua Tourism in Nicaragua has grown considerably recently, and it is now the second largest industry in the nation. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has stated his intention to use tourism to combat poverty throughout the country. The growth in touri ...

. However, this has also had a negative effect with incidents such as

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

being written on the walls of the Canyon since its discovery. MARENA and INETER send technicians to clean and repair the

vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The term f ...

References

External links

Cañón de Somoto
{{Authority control Protected areas of Nicaragua Landforms of Nicaragua Madriz Department Canyons and gorges of North America Central American pine–oak forests

History

See also

References

External links