Nicaragua’s history has been greatly influenced by its location in Central America, the oceans that sandwich it, the large lakes, and the mountains that divide it. It is the largest country in Central America with 129,494 square kilometers and a land area 120,254 square kilometers.
Nicaragua can be divided into three major geographic regions:
- The Pacific lowlands or western region is characterized by flat terrain broken by a line of active volcanoes between the Golfo de Fonseca and Lago de Nicaragua paralleling Pacific coast. Western Nicaragua is situated at the juncture between colliding tectonic plates, resulting in high incidence of earthquakes and volcanic activity. The two largest freshwater lakes in Central America (Lago de Managua and Lago de Nicaragua) are located in this region.
- The Caribbean lowlands (or eastern) region covers about half of the national territory; this region consists of tropical rain forest and pine savannas crossed by numerous rivers flowing to Caribbean.
- Between the Pacific lowlands and Caribbean lowlands are the central highlands, which are most extensive in the north.
The lessons in this section of the Resource Guide are structured to provide students with an essential understanding of Nicaragua’s climate and geography. In addition, the lessons focus on the impact climate and geography have had on Nicaragua’s growth and development.
- Passport to Nicaragua (
PDF file)
- ¿Qué puede decirnos una bandera? ( PDF file)
- Geography and Population ( PDF file)
