Nicaragua Geography Profile 2008

Location

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Geographic coordinates

13 00 N, 85 00 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total: 129,494 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km
water: 9,240 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than the state of New York

Land boundaries

total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Coastline

910 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: natural prolongation

Climate

tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Terrain

extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m

Natural resources

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

Land use

arable land: 14.81%
permanent crops: 1.82%
other: 83.37% (2005)

Irrigated land

610 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

196.7 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 1.3 cu km/yr (15%/2%/83%)
per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note

largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua