Chinandega is an administrative division and department in northwestern Nicaragua. It extends from the inland plains towards the Gulf of Fonseca in the Pacific coast. Its capital is Chinandega. The department is characterized by fertile plains, and coastal settlements including the major port Corinto.
Etymology
The name Chinandega is derived from Nahuatl language word "Chinantecal" which means "neighbour of Chinantlan". This comes from a combination of two words, "Chinan" meaning temporary housing and "tlan" which means a "place" literally meaning the "place of temporary housing".
History
The department was the location of the pre-Columbian Nahua kingdom of Teswatlan, and the indigenous inhabitants of Chinandega are the Chorotegas and the Nahuas. Nicaragua was occupied by the Spanish and the British later. Few of the colonial structures, that are referenced in early Christian ecclesiastical records from the 16th to the 18th centuries, still exist in the region. The department was formally established in 1839. Its capital is Chinandega, located from the national capital of Managua and from the Honduran border. The department includes thirteen municipalities: Chinandega, Chichigalpa, Cinco Pinos, Corinto, El Realejo, El Viejo, Posoltega, Puerto Morazán, San Pedro del Norte, Santo Tomás del Norte, San Juan de Cinco Pinos, Somotillo, and Villanueva. The port of Corinto functions as one of Nicaragua’s principal Pacific ports and functions as an important hub for exports.
The department's landscape consists of fertile inland plains, and coastal zones interspersed with wetlands and beaches. The Cosiguina Peninsula, extending into the Gulf of Fonseca, is located in the northwest corner of the department. There are several volcanic formations in the peninsula that form part of the Los Maribios volcanic complex. The San Cristóbal Volcano, at , is the highest volcano in the country. There are several hot springs, and estuarys along the coast.