NICARAGUA: MAJOR TOWNS AND OTHER IMPORTANT FEATURES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83B00851R000300080003-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 2, 2009
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: October 1, 1982
• Content Type: REPORT

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DIA review
completed.
Intelligence
Directorate of Secret
Important Features
Nicaragua:
Major Towns and Other
State Dept. review completed
Secret
GI 82-10225
October 1982
Copy 3 9 1
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Secret
GI 82-10225
October 1982
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Directorate of 1Secret
Intelligence
Nicaragua:
Major Towns and Other
Important Features
Information available as of 7 October 1982
has been used in the preparation of this report.
This paper was prepared by
welcome and may be directed to the Chief,
Geography Division, OGI,
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Nicaragua:
Major Towns and Other Important Features
Nicaragua is the largest of the Central American
republics, comparable in size to Iowa. Its population
of 2.6 million, however, is less than half that of
Guatemala, Central America's most populous state.
Most of the people, predominantly Spanish-speaking
mestizos, live on the more highly developed Pacific
side of the country, especially in and around Mana-
gua. The central highlands are less densely settled,
and the eastern lowlands-mostly rain forests, pine
flats, marshes, and swamps-are only sparsely inhab-
ited. Zelaya Department, which includes a portion of
the highlands and almost all of the eastern lowlands,
is a vast, isolated region long noted for its separatist
tendencies. It has a total population of about
200,000-including new arrivals from western Nica-
ragua, most of them in the highlands; English-speak-
ing descendants of West Indian blacks, principally
along the coast; and Miskito and other Indians on the
coast, along major streams, and in interior relocation
sites away from the Honduran border.
The following cities and towns are the most important
populated places in Nicaragua. The figures in paren-
theses are based principally on Government of Nica-
ragua population estimates drawn from the 1980
Anuario Estadistico de Nicaragua. They are only
approximations; no census has been conducted in
Nicaragua since 1971.
Bluefields -G10- (20,000), an east coast port on the
Bahia de Bluefields, is the capital of sparsely populat-
ed Zelaya Department. Its predominantly black popu-
lation and strong Protestant influence contrast sharp-
ly with the typical mestizo villages of western
Nicaragua. Antigovernment demonstrations occurred
in 1980 over the introduction of large numbers of
Cuban teachers, medical personnel, and construction
workers. The port has limited facilities and handles
primarily local traffic; it exports timber and agricul-
tural produce and supports a small but growing
fishing industry.
Boaco -F6- (9,500), capital of the department of the
same name, is in a sparsely settled semiarid portion of
the central highlands. Coffee and cattle are produced
in the surrounding region. Boaco is linked by paved
road to the Rama Road, which connects the Rama
river port in the Caribbean lowlands to the western
departments.
Chinandega -F3- (50,000), capital of Chinandega
Department, serves the rich agricultural region in
which most of the country's important sugar and
cotton exports are grown. Road and rail lines connect
the city with the main port at Corinto and with other
major urban centers to the south. El Regate, a major
Sandinista Po ular Army (EPS) installation, is south-
west of town. 25X1
Corinto -F3- (18,000), Nicaragua's principal port, is
on a Pacific coast island at the northwestern terminus25X1
of the nation's rail system. Deepwater berths are
capable of handling both conventional and container
vessels. Corinto serves as the maritime outlet for the
leading agricultural area and handles more than four-
fifths of the country's oceangoing commerce. Railroad
causeways and highway bridges linkin Corinto to the
mainland are subject to flood damage.
Diriamba -H5- (19,000), on a rolling plain in the cool
highlands south of Managua, serves the surrounding
coffee growing region as a processing and marketing
center.
Esteli -E4- (29,000), is strategically located on the 25X1
Inter-American Highway halfway between Manna,ia
and the Honduran border in a cattle and coffee 25X1
producing area. Media accounts indicate that the city
suffered extensive damage during the 1979 civil war.
Although some reconstruction has taken place, many
of the shops remain closed and the town's commercial
importance is in decline. A departmental capital,
Esteli also serves as headquarters of Military
Region I.
El Bluff -G10- (400), the principal Caribbean port, is
on a peninsula across the bay from Bluefields. Fishing
and fish processing dominate the local economy. The
port has facilities for berthing small oceangoing ves-
sels. Larger ships must anchor offshore and transfer
cargo to shallow-draft vessels for shipment to the river
port of Rama (Arlen Siu). Access to port facilities is
limited by a controlling depth of about 3 meters in the
entrance channel.
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Granada -H5- (63,000), is the country's third-largest
city, principal lake port, and southeastern terminus of
the national rail system. It is the major commercial
center and market for the surrounding agricultural
region. Founded in the 1520s, Granada is the tradi-
tional cultural rival of Leon, the country's second-
largest city
Jinotega -E5- (15,500), capital of Jinotega Depart-
ment, is located in a highland valley north of
Matagalpa. At an elevation slightly over 1,000 me-
ters, it is the country's highest city. Extension of a
paved road to Jinotega in the early 1960s greatly
increased its importance as a commercial outlet for
livestock and coffee. Nearby, on the Rio Tuma, is an
important hydroelectric facility; its reservoir, Lago de
Apanas, is a tourist attraction. Eastern Jinotega De-
partment has been the scene of considerable anti-
Sandinista activity.
Jinotepe -H5- (23,000), capital of the densely popu-
lated Carazo Department, is located along the Inter-
American Highway in the highlands southwest of
Managua where much of the country's coffee is
produced. It serves as a processing and marketing
center for the surrounding region.
Juigalpa -G6- (15,000), capital of Chontales Depart-
ment, is on the country's main east-west highway in a
cattle producing region.
According to Nicaraguan press reports, the govern-
ment has recently taken steps to reactivate a gold
mine at La Libertad, about 25 kilometers northeast of
Juigalpa.
La Rosita -C8- (800) is in the gold- and silver-mining
triangle of northern Zelaya Department along the
recently constructed Matagalpa-Puerto Cabezas
La Tronquera -B9- (700), a small lumbering settle-
ment in the sparsely populated northeast, is near the
seasonal road that connects Puerto Cabezas on the
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Leon -G3- (91,000), Nicaragua's second-largest city,
is considered its intellectual and cultural capital. It
serves as the transport hub for a densely populated
cotton and cattle region. Founded by Spanish conquis-
tador Hernandez de Cordoba in 1524, it was moved in
1610 after an earthquake destroyed the original site
near Volcan Momotombo. Intense fighting took place
here during the 1979 civil war. Press reports indicate
that the USSR has offered to conduct extensive
surveying in a 4,000-square-kilometer area around an
old gold mine, La Cruz de la India, in the eastern
portion of the department. The government hopes to
reopen the mine and thereby significantly increase the
country's gold production. Leon now serves as head-
quarters of Military Region II
Managua -G4- (615,000), the nation's capital and
chief commercial and industrial center (producing
chemicals, textiles, and metal products), is on the
southern shore of Lago de Managua. It has twice been
destroyed by earthquakes and was heavily damaged
during the 1979 civil war. Much of the central part of
the city is empty, but since the 1972 earthquake a
number of commercial developments have grown up
along transport arteries to the south. Present-day
Managua houses an estimated one-fourth of the na-
tion's population. The city is the hub of the nation's
rail and road system and of the growing military
infrastructure.
Masaya -H5- (54,000), which suffered severely dur-
ing the 1979 civil war and has a tradition of rebel-
liousness, was the site of recent antigovernment pro-
tests by Catholic secondary students and local
residents. It has a large Indian population and is
famous for its folklore observances and indigenous
industries-tapestries, pottery, and other handicrafts.
The city is linked by rail, road, and close economic
ties to Managua. It is the capital of a department of
Matagalpa -F5- (30,000), the principal commercial
center for an extensive area, is in a relatively densely
populated part of the highlands. Its hinterland is one
of the country's most important coffee producing
regions; cattle raising and general farming are also
practiced. The city's main industrial facility is a
Nestle powdered milk plant. The town is linked to the
Inter-American Highway at Sebaco by paved road.
Matagalpa was an anti-Somoza stronghold during the
civil war.
Montelimar -H4- (500), the site of a former Somoza 25X1
sugar plantation and refinery near the coast southwest25X1
of Managua, has been converted to the Sandinista
Popular Army's major training installation and,
will
serve as the headquarters for Air and Air Defense
Ocotal -D4- (13,500), a former gold mining town,
serves as the capital of Nueva Segovia Department. It
is located on a plateau about 20 kilometers from the
Honduran border and is the first sizable settlement
south of Las Manos border crossing. The town is
linked by paved road with the Inter-American High-
way to the southwest; a bridge over the Rio Coco to
the south of town was damaged in March by anti- 25X1
Sandinista forces, who are active throughout the
department.
Prinzapolka -D10- (7,500), formerly important for
shipping forest and agricultural products, is situated
along the Caribbean coast on a hot, humid, poorly
drained site at the mouth of the Rio Prinzapolka.
Puerto Isabel, a minor port with limited facilities, is 5
Puerto Cabezas -C10- (7,500) is a regionally impor-
tant market town in a predominantly Miskito Indian
area. It was the site of considerable anti-Cuban
violence in early 1981. Locally milled lumber is
shipped from the port,
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Puerto Sandino -G3- (1,500), formerly Puerto So-
moza, is a small but strategically located Pacific coast
seaport 70 kilometers from Managua. A pipeline from
the port carries crude oil to an Esso refinery in
Managua, the only petroleum refinery in the country.
Embassy reporting indicates that Nicaraguan plans
call for repairs to port facilities and dredging opera-
tions in the harbor.
Rama (Arlen Sin) -G9- (3,500) is a river port on the
Rio Escondido about 100 kilometers upstream from
Bluefields. It is at the eastern end of the road network
linking the isolated Caribbean lowlands to the Pacific
core area. The port's limited facilities include a short
ramp used to service Nicaragua's small roll-on/roll-
off vessels. Rama is an important transshipment point
for arms and is sometimes closed to commercial
shipping. Rama is a major port for transatlantic/
Caribbean shipping, the river and highway network to
western Nicaragua serving as an alternative to transit
through the Panama Canal. Colonization by mestizos
from Pacific departments is taking place along the
highway to the town and to the south at Nueva
Guinea, according to academic studies
Rivas -I 5- (18,000), capital of a department of the
same name, is an important commercial center; many
small villages dot the farming and cattle growing
region surrounding the town. It is located just off the
Inter-American Highway, 35 kilometers from the
Costa Rican border.
San Carlos -18- (4,000), the capital of Rio San Juan
Department, is at the southern end of Lago de
Nicaragua near the head of the Rio San Juan; it is a
lake port and a commercial and recreational fishing
center.
the eastern Pacific
San Juan del Sur -15- (4,000), a minor Pacific coast
lighterage port near the Nicaragua-Costa Rica bor-
der, handles fish, sugar, coffee, and lumber exports.
Nicaragua recently concluded an agreement with the
USSR for the construction at the port of a repair
facility to service the Soviet Pacific fishing fleet,
according to Nicaraguan press reports. Plans call for
the construction of a drydock and the leasing of
warehouse facilities. The USSR has no repair bases in
Somotillo -E3- (3,000) is a small town in the north of
Chinandega Department on what was, until the recent
flooding, the most heavily trafficked commercial
route between Nicaragua and Honduras. It is the last
town before the Rio Guasaule border crossing. Earlier
this year it was isolated from the rest of the country
when a bridge over the Rio Negro south of town was
destroyed by anti-Sandinistas. Floods destroyed both
the earth-road bypass over the Rio Negro and the
bridge over the Rio Guasaule, diverting cross-border
traffic, at least temporarily, to El Espino on the Inter-
American Highway.
Somoto -D4- (8,000), capital of Madriz Department,
is strategically located in the-northern part of the
central highlands on the Inter-American Highway
just east of the Honduras border. It is the commercial
center for the surrounding subsistence agricultural
region and the country's pitch pine industry. The
border area to the west has been a focus for anti-
Sandinista activity. Somoto Army Headquarters, a
major military facility, is located nearby. An addi-
tional road to the Honduran border intersects the
Inter-American Highway near Somoto.
Villa Nueva -E3- (2,000) is a small town in a sparsely
populated portion of Chinandega Department.
A spur road links the town
with the major cross-border route to the west.
Waspam -B9- (300), which was the largest border
town in Miskito Indian territory, is one of the last
inhabited villages in the eastern Nicaragua-Honduras
border zone. The removal of the Indian population
from the zone has been part of the government policy
to prevent infiltration and Miskito cooperation with
anti-Sandinista guerrillas.
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Major Transport Routes
The Inter-American Highway, extending from El
Espino on the Honduran border to Penas Blancas on
the Costa Rican border, is the country's major north-
south highway; it is completely paved. Important spur
roads intersect the highway near Somoto and Sebaco
in the central highlands and near Managua in the
Matagalpa-Puerto Cabezas Road, an improved all-
weather road, connects western Nicaragua with Puer-
to Cabezas on the Caribbean. The road, which is
surgency operations.
deployment of troops to the northeast for counterin-
being built with Cuban assistance, will facilitate
Transnational Rama Road, the country's main east-
west route, runs from the river port of Rama, in the
Caribbean lowlands, to San Benito where it connects
with the Inter-American Highway. It was opened in
1966. F 25X1
Pacific Railroad of Nicaragua is a narrow-gauge
government-owned railroad with a trunk line running
from the port of Corinto through the country's indus-
trial and agricultural heartland to Granada; branch
lines go to Rio Grande in the highlands and to Puerto
Sandino on the Pacific coast. Seasonal lines extend
into the coffee-producing highlands near Diriamba
and the farming region southwest of Chinandega.
Although the railroad serves only a small area, most
of Nicaragua's principal exports depend heavily on it
for transportation. 25X1
Lago de Managua -G4- drains into Lago de Nicara-
gua via the Rio Tipitapa. A freshwater lake, its
contamination has been a public health problem
since the early 1960s. Volcan Momotombo, on the
northern shore, is the site of a 35,000-kW geothermal
power plant scheduled to begin production in late
1982.1 25X1
Lago de Nicaragua -I 6- drains into the Caribbean
via the Rio San Juan. The lake is dotted with islands,
many of which-including Isla Ometepe-are inhab-
ited. Transport on the lake has declined with improve-
2bA1
Rio Coco -B8- forms more than half of the Hondu-
ras-Nicaragua boundary. It is the largest river and
principal transport artery in the northeast. Until their
forced removal, many Miskito Indians lived along the
Rio San Juan -J8- forms the southeastern boundary
between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Once important
as a transisthmus route, it is now used mainly for local
traffic. Nicaragua exercises sovereignty over the en-
tire river, but Costa Rica has treaty rights to free
navigation. Nicaraguan interference with Costa Ri-
can traffic-to curb alleged anti-Sandinista activi-
ty-has strained relations between the two govern-
ments.
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