Geography of Nicaragua
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) |
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 |