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Nicaragua Travel |
Managua NicaraguaManagua is the capital not only of Nicaragua but also the department and municipality bearing the same name as the city. The reason for Managua becoming the capital city is far from natural and it is a very unfriendly place since it has suffered two relatively recent earthquakes. Although Managua is considered to be the greenest capital of Central America tourist are advised to avoid the city due to a number of reasons. Managua is the normal starting point for those arriving to Nicaragua by plane but most does not stay longer than a couple of minutes. Continue to read if you want to learn more about Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. Managua Nicaragua – Some infoThe capital city of Nicaragua, Managua, covers 544 km², has about 1.400.000 inhabitants and is situated on the western centre of Nicaragua adjacent to the Lake Managua. The climate is tropical which means constant high temperature and high humidity. The city is the economical capital city when it comes to industry and services so a lot of global companies have established offices in the country for evaluating the possibility of both selling wares and erect factories in Nicaragua. The more or less exploding development of the city has left its infrastructure sort of a mess and most of both the air and Lake Managua is severely polluted. Steps are being taken to transform the city into a more hospitable place for visitors and the people living there but so far with unsatisfying results. Managua Nicaragua – HistoryThe city Managua was founded in 1819 to act as a fishing village, making use of Lake Managua as a source of food. The name Managua, originating from the Nahuatl language’s “Mana-ahuac”, means “adjacent to water” and makes the part of the fishing village even more believable. Being much older and having far more inhabitants and intellectuals both León and Granada fought for the title of capital city when the country became independent in 1824. In 1858 the two cities came to an agreement making the city in the middle of the two the capital of Nicaragua, the little fishing village known as Managua. Between 1852 and 1930 Managua exploded in size becoming a capital city to be reckoned with, this development came to a full halt when an earthquake destroyed the city in 1931 though. The city was rebuilt with new government buildings, industries and universities but had its centre districts destroyed once again in a catastrophical earthquake on December 23, 1972. After that the people was fed up with earthquakes and started to expand the city outwards instead of rebuilding the centre. Today nature rules much of which should be the centre of Managua, there are no parks or monuments but just pure jungle, a few ruins and some squatters leaving Managua with no actual centre at all. Managua Nicaragua – Tourist attractionsAlthough Managua is the capital of Nicaragua there is very little there to entertain the common tourist. The city is noisy, crowded and suffers from a high crime rate, the air is very polluted and the sights are few and far between. There are some sights worth seeing such as cathedrals, both new and in ruins, and the government buildings but not much else. The recommendation for most tourists is to visit their home embassy, if necessary, and then move on. Managua might not be the worst city ever but there sure is not much to stick around for. Managua Nicaragua – Getting thereGetting to Managua is a piece of cake since that is where the International Airport is located, those flying directly to Nicaragua will most probably end up in Managua. The capital city is also a hub for bus traffic so it is more or less possible to get anywhere once there. There is no train traffic in Nicaragua but if there ever will be it will most probably pass through Managua. In other words, all roads, in Nicaragua, leads to Managua.
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