12°06N 86°18W, pop (2000e) 1 414 000. Commercial centre and capital city of Nicaragua, on the S shore of Lago de Managua, 45 km/28 mi inland from the Pacific Ocean; badly damaged by earthquake in 1931 and 1972; airport; railway; university (1961); textiles, matches, cigarettes, cement; archaeological site of Huellas de Acahualinca nearby; Fiesta of Santo Domingo (Aug).
text-align: center;">| Seal |
| Map of Managua | |
| Coordinates: 12°8′11.76″N, 86°15′5.04″W | |
|---|---|
| Country | Nicaragua |
| Department | Managua |
| Municipality | Managua |
| Founded | 1819 |
| Seat of the Government | 1852 |
| Capital of the Nation | 1857 |
| Mayor | Dionisio Marenco |
| Area | |
| - City | 544 km² |
| - Urban | 173.7 km² |
| Population | |
| - City () | 1,380,100 |
| - Density | 2,537/km² |
| Website: http://www.managua.gob.ni/ | |
Managua, with a population of about 1,380,100, is the capital city of Nicaragua. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Managua, at 12°9′N 86°16′W, the city was made the national capital in 1857; Asians — entirely Japanese and Chinese (both Mainlanders and Taiwanese) — recently there has also been a growing number of Americans moving to Managua and Nicaragua in general due to cheap real estate prices compared to neighbouring Costa Rica.
Managua is considered to be the safest city in Central America and one of the safest cities in all of the Americas, surprisingly much more than many North American cities. Nonetheless Managua has proved to be a tenacious city and still stands, as it continues to be an interesting and developing place, growing quite impressively.
Managua is also considered somewhat confusing for visitors, because street names are generally not used.
History
The name Managua originate from the term "Mana-ahuac", which in the indigenous Nahuatl language translated to - "adjacent to the water" or site "surrounded by water". Until the 1820s Managua was a small, unimportant fishing village, by 1819 the town was founded with the name of Leal Villa de Santiago de Managua. Efforts to make Managua Nicaragua's capital began in 1824, soon after the Central American nations became independent from Spain. Managua's location between the rival cities of León and Granada, whose forces fought for control through much of Nicaragua's history, made it an ideal compromise site.
But it was not until 1857, after Granada was destroyed by a U.S. mercenary army led by William Walker, that the capital was firmly established in Managua. Between 1852 and 1930 Managua grew extensively, urbanizing around the center of the city which based governance, infrastructure, and services. Managua had become Central America's most developed city. The earthquake caused many of Managua's residents to find refuge on the outskirts of the city, and for fear of future earthquakes the centre of the city was never entirely rebuilt. Essentially the once vibrant and exhilarating city centre of Managua, is still awaiting its reconstruction.
Geography
Managua is located on the Southern shores of Lake Xolotlan or Lake Managua, which is 1 048 square kilometers (477 square miles) in area; Lake Xolotlan used to make Managua one of the America's prettiest capitals;
Managua extends about 30 km (18 mi) along Lake Xolotlan at an altitude of 55 meters (165 ft) above sea level and then it gains altitude towards the Sierras de Managua where it is over 970 meters (2910 ft) above sea level. Another interesting aspect of Managua is the presence of no less than four smaller lakes or lagoons within the city limits.
Managua, like much of Western Nicaragua except for the Sierras, has a tropical climate with constant temperatures averaging between 28 and 32 degrees Celsius (82 and 90 Fahrenheit). During the rainy season (May to Nov) Managua becomes green and verdant because of the abundant rain and as it is one of the most arborized cities in America.
Education
Managua is the centre for most of the universities and higher educational institutions of Nicaragua. There are many schools in Managua some of the well known schools include: Lincoln International Academy, American Nicaraguan School, German-Nicaraguan School, French-Nicaraguan School, Colegio Centroamérica and Instituto Pedagógico La Salle. Likewise some of the more important universities are also in Managua including Central American University (UCA), University of Commercial Sciences (UCC), University of Engineering (UNI), American University (UAM), Catholic University (UNICA), the National Agrarian University (UNA) and the largest National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN).
Managua is also the home of the Instituto Centroamericano de Administracion de Empresas (INCAE), the Central American Institute of Business Administration, an institution which was founded in 1964 with the support of the government of the United States and the Central American countries .
Economy
The economy of Managua is the economic centre, and generator of services of the entire nation, though unlike many other Latin American countries it does not suffer from massive migration of country peasants looking for work in the city, since many other cities of Nicaragua have well established economic industries. It is the home of many factories which produce diverse products, particularly foreign companies as well as national companies have established many of their operations in Managua. Multinational companies like Wal-Mart, Telefonica, Union Fenosa, and Parmalat have offices, operations and factories in Managua, McDonalds, Burger King, and Subway are some of the fast food chains which have found their way into the growing and ever expanding fast-food market in Managua.
Managua is also home to all of the major banks of the nation, Banco de la Produccion (BANPRO), Banco de America Central (BAC), Banco Uno, Banco de Finanzas (BDF), Banco de Crédito Centroamericano (BANCENTRO) and its parent company the LAFISE Group. Several luxury hotels including Crowne Plaza, Best Western, InterContinental, Holiday Inn, and Hilton have hotels in Managua, there is a strong indication that more hotels will be opening in the near future around the city . As well as many hotels, Managua has experienced a boom in the opening of western style shopping centres or malls, such as is the case of Plaza Inter, Centro Comercial Metrocentro, Galerias Santo Domingo, and Multicentro Las Americas to name a few.
Managua is also currently experiencing high growth in real estate prices, this is because Managua currently suffers from a housing shortage, in addition to this, foreigners mainly from the North America and Europe are becoming interested in retiring in Nicaragua, while prices are currently low, they are on the rise, and are expected to continue to grow. There is a need for modern office space in downtown Managua, as the economy of Managua continues to grow so too will its demand for commercial spaces in several sections of the city. Construction is a very fast growing and expanding industry in Managua, the new office buildings that are currently being constructed along the Carretera Masaya and in Villa Fontana are growing in numbers, the most recent inauguration was that of the Edificio Invercasa.
Arts
The old Cathedral of Managua which was designed in, and shipped from Belgium in the 1920 . The cathedral was damaged due to the 1972 earthquake, and was in fact condemned, which led to the construction of the new cathedral of Managua, the newest cathedral of the entire world.
The Dr. Roberto Incer Barquero Library is located in Managua, and is designated to promote Nicaraguan culture.
Managua's most famous festival is that of its patron saint Santo Domingo de Guzmán.
Entertainment
Managua is also a vibrant, alive and entertaining city by night, Managua offers many bars, nightclubs, casinos, theaters, and cinemas. The national sport of Nicaragua is baseball followed closely by soccer, however for Managua baseball is by far the most popular of all sports, the Denis Martinez National Stadium is home to many baseball game of Managua's Boer team. As well as these sports, Managua has golf courses, various tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts in several sections of the city, which are also practiced. Most Managuans typically enjoy going out with friends more so dancing is a national enjoyment, nightclubs and bars are abundant for all social classes in all areas of Managua, the most popular area is the so called Zona Rosa near Metrocentro.
Aside for these activities Managua also has a wide selection to offer in shopping, including everything from peasant markets, to luxurious boutiques and department stores. The Mercado Huembes is probably one of the best markets in Managua, where shoppers can find everything from furniture, national arts and crafts, to fruits and vegetables, and clothing.
Transportation
Transportation-wise, Managua is one of Nicaragua’s best positioned cities. All of Nicaragua's main roads lead to Managua, and there are good public transportation connections to and from the capital. The first one is the Pan-American Highway that enters the city from the northern side, connecting Managua to the northern and central departments. The Southern Highway, or Carretera Sur, is another part of the Pan American highway, connecting Managua to the southern departments like Carazo and Rivas. Another highway, called Carretera Masaya, connects Managua to the departments of Masaya and Granada. Finally, a new highway connects Managua with León (Carretera Nueva a León).
Within Managua those who commute to and from work, will generally travel by bus or taxi, as of yet there are no suburban trains, trams or monorails in Managua. Recently with the assistance of the Japanese government, Managua has commenced operating new modern Mercedes-Benz buses on several bus routes , with the intention of modernizing the transport system of the city. Another project that is already underway is the so called “Municipal Tram System or Busway” in which transportation will be prioritized along Carretera Norte with the view to expand the system to other sections of the city in the future so as to alleviate some of the transportation problems of Managua. Managua has several bus terminals for inter-departmental travel, most of them located close to a market. Travelers that pass through Managua on their way from one city to another might need to transport themselves from one terminal to another within Managua. There was a train that operated from Managua to other departments, however this services ended and no trians are used in Managua or Nicaragua for that matter.
The Managua International Airport is the largest airport of Nicaragua and recently inaugurated its over US$52 million extensions and renovation partly financed by Spain. communication
In Managua, a water treatment plant is being constructed to clean Lake Managua. Also pending is a a mega-project to reconstruct the old centre of Managua, and to introduce a monorail system, to alleviate future transportation problems in Managua. Both of these projects will revitalize the old centre of Managua and boost tourism, commerce, infrastructure and economic development.
Managua is the home of most national broadcasting television channels as well as the major national newspapers. The newspaper La Prensa is based in Managua and is the largest newspaper of the nation, the other major newspaper is El Nuevo Diario which also has its offices in Managua, there are also many other smaller newspapers.
Managua also has several public hospitals as well some private hospitals, the largest of all hospitals is the private Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas. There is also a project underway to build a brand new and modern soccer stadium within the grounds of the Autonomous University in Managua.
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