Tiscapa Lagoon is a

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

of volcanic origin that formed over 10,000 years ago. It is located in the capital city of

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, ...

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 ...

, and covers an area of 0.13 km². Tiscapa Lagoon was protected as a

natural reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologi ...

(

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Reserva Natural Laguna de Tiscapa'') on October 31, 1991. The reserve is managed by the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA) and comprises one of the 78

protected areas of Nicaragua The protected areas of Nicaragua are areas that have natural beauty or significance and are protected by Nicaragua. Nicaragua has 78 protected areas that cover 22,422 km2, about 17.3% of the nations landmass. The National System of Protected Area ...

. The reserve is located within city limits of the capital, Managua, and is a popular

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

attraction. Restaurants and stores line the walls of the lagoon, while canopy rides provide a panoramic view of the old downtown where only a few buildings survived the 1972 earthquake that destroyed 90 percent of the capital city. Of course, many new buildings and shopping malls have been built since then. Many pre-Columbian artifacts have been found in and around lagoon and reserve. The lagoon has its unique ecosystem with its own characteristic flora and fauna and height.

References

External links

Laguna de Tiscapa

Virtual Tour Tiscapa Lagoon
{{Nicaragua topics Volcanic crater lakes Lagoons of Nicaragua Managua Protected areas of Nicaragua Pleistocene volcanoes Volcanoes of Nicaragua

See also

References

External links