Rivas Department

Rivas Department extends across 2,162 square kilometers between Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean, containing ten municipalities and numerous agricultural plantations.

The territory belonged to indigenous Nicarao people who established the chiefdoms of Kwawkapolkan and Kakawatan before Spanish colonization in the sixteenth century.

The Nawat Nicarao communities maintain their ancestral practices while cultivating traditional crops such as sugar cane, plantain, and tobacco across the region.

San Jorge serves as the main transportation hub with regular ferries connecting to Ometepe Island, while San Juan del Sur provides access to Pacific beaches.

The department includes Ometepe, a volcanic island within Lake Nicaragua that houses 32,000 residents and features two distinct volcanoes.

Location: Nicaragua

Capital city: Rivas

GPS coordinates: 11.43891,-85.82874

Latest update: March 2, 2025 20:50