Territory

Nicaragua, known as the land of lakes and volcanoes, is strategically located in the center of the Americas, bordered on the north by Honduras, on the south by Costa Rica, on the west by the Pacific Ocean and by the Caribbean Sea to the east.

The country’s land borders total 1,145 km, 833 km with Honduras to the north and 312 with Costa Rica to the south. Measured in a straight line, Nicaragua has 350 km of coast line in the Pacific and 450 km in the Caribbean.

Nicaragua has a land area of 130,373 km², making it the largest country in the Central American region. The spectacular geography of Nicaragua includes close to 800 km of coastline on the Atlantic and Pacific, 25 volcanic formations, 22,000 km² of natural reserves, more than 10,000 km² of lakes, lagoons and rivers, and 7 percent of the world’s biodiversity. Additionally, the country has three Biosphere Reserves declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):

• Bosawas Reserve
• Ometepe Island
• San Juan River

Nicaragua’s location is 13° 0' 0" N / 85° 0' 0" W and its time zone is UTC/GMT -6 hours.

The maximum average annual rainfall is 5,818 mm in the San Juan de Nicaragua area, while the minimum is 642 mm in the Santa Leonor, Palacagüina area. The average annual temperature is between 64° F (18° C) y 82° F (28° C).

Nicaragua has three geographical regions: the Pacific plains, the mountainous northern and central regions and the Atlantic or Caribbean Plains.

Administratively, Nicaragua is divided into 15 departments and two autonomous regions, with 153 municipalities.

View Map of Administrative Divisions.