Carazo () is a department in

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

. It covers an area of 1,081 km² and has a population of 198,395 (2021 estimate). The capital is

Jinotepe Jinotepe () is a city and municipality in the Carazo department of Nicaragua. It borders with Managua, Masaya, Granada, and Rivas. Toponymy Jinotepe comes from the náhuatl "xilotl" (“tender corn”), "tepetl" (“hill”) y "-k" (“place� ...

Geography

Much of the department consists of a large plain sloping gently down towards the Pacific Ocean. The main urban centres are

Diriamba Diriamba is a city and a municipality in the Carazo department of Nicaragua, with a population of 64,757 (2020 estimate). It is located 41 km south of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. Geography The city's elevation (just above 500 mete ...

and

in the interior. The adjoining departments are

Managua ) , settlement_type = Capital city , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Nicar ...

Masaya Masaya () is the capital city of Masaya Department in Nicaragua. It is situated approximately 14 km west of Granada and 31 km southeast of Managua. It is located just east of the Masaya Volcano, an active volcano from which the ...

, Granada and Rivas. The climate is

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

with the temperature varying between 28 and 32 °C (82 and 90 °F). The hottest months are April and May. The rain falls mainly between May and October and the rest of the year is dry.

Economy and tourism

The inland part of the department produces a variety of agricultural crops including high quality coffee and near the ocean the subtropical climate suits citrus trees and sugar cane. Livestock and cereal crops are also produced there and stone of volcanic origin is quarried. The Pacific coast offers beaches with tourist facilities. Other tourist destinations include the Salto de la Culebra Waterfall, and the Centro Ecoturístico La Máquina, a private nature reserve, both near

. The Museo Ecológico de Trópico Seco is a museum in Diriamba which has displays on the flora and fauna of the department.

Wildlife Reserve Río Escalante-Chacocente

The Río Escalante-Chacocente Wildlife Reserve is situated near Santa Teresa and is one of the most important dry tropical reserves in Nicaragua. A half kilometre stretch of beach attracts large numbers of

olive ridley sea turtle The olive ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys olivacea''), also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is the second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in ...

s (''Lepidochelys olivacea''), known locally as paslama turtles. These come on land on several consecutive nights at certain phases of the moon between July and December to dig holes in the sand and lay their eggs. Park rangers are on hand to prevent the eggs being collected and sold locally for food. The incubation period is about 48 days and after that time, millions of juvenile turtles dig their way out of the nests and try to make their way down to the sea. Predatory birds engage in a feeding frenzy at this time, so to keep them safe, some of the eggs are transported to special nursery areas where the young turtles can be protected when they hatch. Other beaches in the park have Hawksbill sea turtles (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') and green sea turtles (''Chelonia mydas'') nesting. The park is 4,645 hectares in area and has simple accommodation facilities in tents or at a hostel. Trails lead through the park and there are a wide variety of trees, flowering plants, birds and animals to be seen.

Municipalities

# Dolores # El Rosario #

# La Conquista # La Paz de Carazo #

San Marcos San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to: Towns and cities Argentina * San Marcos, Salta Colombia * San Marcos, Antioquia * San Marcos, Sucre Costa Rica * San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú) ...

# Santa Teresa

References

{{Authority control Departments of Nicaragua