Nicaragua is a unitary republic, divided for administrative purposes into fifteen departments (Spanish: departamentos) and two autonomous regions (Spanish: regiones autónomas).
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, divided for administrative purposes into fifteen departments (Spanish: departamentos) and two autonomous regions (Spanish: regiones autónomas).
The North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It was created along with the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region by the Autonomy Statute of 7 September 1987 through a division of the former Zelaya Department. It covers an area of 33,106 km and has a population of 541,189 (2021 estimate). It is the largest autonomous region or department in Nicaragua. The capital is Puerto Cabezas. It contains part of the region known as the Mosquito Coast.
The North Autonomous Caribbean Coast has a Regional Council of representatives of different political parties, such as the Sandinistas (FSLN) and YATAMA (ethnic indigenous party), as well as all the municipalities. They hold sessions in an Assembly in Puerto Cabezas.
The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It was created along with the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region by the Autonomy Statute of 7 September 1987 through a division of the former Zelaya Department. It covers an area of 27,260 km (10,530 sq mi) and has a population of 420,935 (2021 estimate). The capital is Bluefields. Bordering the Caribbean Sea, it contains part of the region known as Moskitia.
It is divided into 12 municipalities: Bluefields, the Corn Islands, Desembocadura de Río Grande, El Ayote, El Tortuguero, Kukra Hill, La Cruz de Río Grande, Muelle de los Bueyes, Nueva Guinea, Paiwas, Pearl Lagoon, and Rama. Eight languages are spoken in the region, with English Creole and Spanish being dominant. The regional official languages are: Spanish (national official language of Nicaragua), Creole (Moskitian Creole and Rama Cay Creole), Sumo (Mayangna and Ulwa), Rama, Miskito, and Garifuna.
Telica (Spanish: Volcán Telica) is a stratovolcano, one of several volcanoes of the Nicaraguan volcanic front. It is located in Telica municipality, in the León department of Nicaragua, within the Volcán Telica Rota Natural Reserve.
One of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes, Telica has erupted frequently, and ash from those frequent eruptions keeps the slopes of its cone bare of vegetation.
Managua (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈna.ɣwa]) is a department in Nicaragua. It covers an area of 3,465 km and has a population of 1,559,774 (2021 estimate), making it the country's most populated department. The capital is the city of Managua, which is also the capital of Nicaragua. The department has two coastlines, on the Pacific Ocean and on Lake Managua, but does not border Lake Nicaragua. The Nahua chiefdom of Tekwantepek was located in the Managua department. According to Spanish conquistador and historian Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, Tekwantepek was one of the last chiefdoms in present-day Nicaragua to fall to the conquistadors and their central-Mexican allies. The chiefdom's name is a combination of the Nawat words tēkwani (jaguar), and tepek (hill), therefore the translation of Tekwantepek is "hill of jaguars" or "jaguar hill". The municipality of Ticuantepe located in the department is likely named after this chiefdom. The Indigenous inhabitants of Managua are the Chorotegas and Nahuas.
Zelaya was a department in Nicaragua. The department was located along the Mosquito Coast bordering the Caribbean Sea and was named after former President of Nicaragua José Santos Zelaya, who conquered the region for Nicaragua from the Mosquito Coast, then a British protectorate and indigenous monarchy, in 1894. The capital was Bluefields.
In 1987 it was divided into two autonomous regions: