Geography

Area

Climate

tropical in the lowland regions, with cooler conditions in the highlands

Terrain

broad Atlantic coastal plains ascending to central interior mountains; a narrow Pacific coastal plain disrupted by volcanoes

Land use

Location

Central America, situated between the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, neighboring Costa Rica and Honduras

Coastline

910 km

Elevation

Irrigated land

1,990 sq km (2012)

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Land boundaries

Maritime claims

Natural hazards

catastrophic earthquakes; volcanic activity; landslides; highly vulnerable to hurricanes

volcanism: notable volcanic activity; Cerro Negro (728 m) is among the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua; its lava flows and ash have been known to inflict considerable damage to agriculture and infrastructure; other historically active volcanoes include Concepcion, Cosiguina, Las Pilas, Masaya, Momotombo, San Cristobal, and Telica

Geography - note

the largest nation in Central America; home to the largest freshwater lake in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

Natural resources

gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

Area - comparative

slightly larger than the state of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than New York State

Geographic coordinates

13 00 N, 85 00 W

Population distribution

the vast majority of the population lives in the western portion of the country, with much of the urban expansion concentrated in the capital, Managua; coastal regions also exhibit significant population densities

Major lakes (area sq km)