Location: Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras.
Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 85 00 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total:
129,494 kmē
land:
120,254 kmē
water:
9,240 kmē
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the state of New York
Land boundaries:
total:
1,231 km
border countries:
Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
Coastline: 910 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
25-nm security zone
continental shelf:
natural prolongation
territorial sea:
200 nautical miles
Climate: tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Terrain: extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes; Lake Nicaragua (or Lake Cocibolca) is the second largest lake in Latin America.
Elevation extremes:
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Mogoton 2,438 m
Natural resources: gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
Land use:
arable land:
9%
permanent crops:
1%
permanent pastures:
46%
forests and woodland:
27%
other:
17% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 880 kmē (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and occasionally severe hurricanes
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; Hurricane Mitch damage
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea