Rivas () is a department of the Republic of

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 coun ...

. It covers an area of 2,162 km² and has a population of 183,611 (2021 estimate). The department's capital is the city of Rivas.

Overview

Rivas is known for its fertile soil and beautiful beaches. Throughout the department, there are many sugar cane, plantain, tobacco, and other crop plantations. The department borders Lake Nicaragua to the east and the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

to the west. The southern part of the department borders with

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

. A small fishermen village, called San Juan del Sur, has turned into a popular tourist attraction because of the great beaches in the area. Another major tourist attraction is

Ometepe Ometepe is an island formed by two volcanoes rising out of Lake Nicaragua in the Republic of Nicaragua. Its name derives from the Nahuatl words ''ome'' (two) and ''tepetl'' (mountain), meaning "two mountains". It is the largest island in Lake N ...

, a large volcanic island inhabited by about 32,000 people (2005 census). Some Nawat Nicarao tribals still live around small towns.

Municipalities

Altagracia : : : Altagracia () is a municipality in the Rivas Department of Nicaragua. It is the second largest town on the island of Ometepe. Its original name was Astagalpa, meaning ‘house of the herons’ in Nahuatl. This city also has a ferry port, ...

# Belén #

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

# Cárdenas #

Moyogalpa Moyogalpa () is a municipality in the Rivas department of 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 ...

Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...

# Rivas # San Jorge # San Juan del Sur # Tola

External links

ViaNica.com - Rivas
including photos, hotels, restaurants and local activities

References

Departments of Nicaragua Costa Rica–Nicaragua border crossings {{Nicaragua-geo-stub