Location Middle 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 New York State

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

Coastline 910 km

Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 25-nm security zone
continental shelf: natural prolongation
territorial sea: 200 nm

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: 9%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 27%
other: 17% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land 880 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and occasionally severe hurricanes

Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

NOTE: The information regarding Nicaragua on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Nicaragua Geography 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Nicaragua Geography 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.