Carazo () is a department in

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

. It covers an area of 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. The Indigenous inhabitants of Jinotepe are the Chorotegas and Nahuas. It borders with Managua, Masaya, Granada, and Rivas. Toponymy Jinotepe comes from the Nawat ...

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 65,243 (2022 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 Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...

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

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

and Rivas. The climate is

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

with the temperature varying between . 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 t ...

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 turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution that is largel ...

s (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') and

green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...

s (''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 # Santa Teresa

References

{{Authority control Departments of Nicaragua