http://www.nicaragua.com/blog/ en 2012-05-14T03:05:12-05:00 hourly 6 2012-05-14T03:05:12-05:00 http://www.nicaragua.com/blog/colorado-beach-to-host-surfing-championship 2012-05-14T03:05:12-05:00 en Editor News After carefully considering three different venues to hold the ISA World Masters Surfing Championship, ISA officials have chosen Nicaragua's Colorado Beach for the event which will take place on July 14-22, 2012. President of the ISA (International Surfing Organization) Fernando Aguerre noted that taking into account all the variables that influence the quality of the waves, Colorado Beach at Hacienda Iguana proved to be the best option for the championship. http://www.nicaragua.com/blog/ecological-battalion-protects-nicaraguas-natural-resources 2012-04-30T02:32:04-05:00 en Editor Features In a country with more than seventy nature reserves, clearly the majority of Nicaraguans appreciate their natural heritage and want to protect it. Since January 2012, in Central America's first initiative using military forces to combat climate change, Nicaragua put Operation Green Gold into action. The newly formed Ecological Battalion (BECO), consisting of 580 soldiers has already had some success in slowing down unlawful logging by confiscating 3,165 cubic meters of lumber felled by illegal loggers in the South Atlantic autonomous region's Wawashang Reserve. http://www.nicaragua.com/blog/enjoy-the-tranquility-of-los-cajones-beach 2012-04-16T03:57:24-05:00 en Editor Features Located between the beaches of Costa Azul and Quizalá in Nicaragua's Managua Department, Los Cajones Beach is less busy than most, although it is popular with locals and gets quite crowded on Sundays and during Holy Week. The stretch of beach is bordered by three distinctly different communities, being holiday homes, rural haciendas, and the bars, cafés and palapas catering for visitors. This area has structures in two parallel rows ending right on the beach. Some palapas – open-sided dwellings made of local materials such as dried palm leaves - are hired out to visitors, providing shade and easy access to the beach. http://www.nicaragua.com/blog/cueva-la-conga-revealing-historic-culture 2012-04-02T04:12:58-05:00 en Editor Features Located in the east central region of Nicaragua's Jinotega Department, Cueva La Conga is a network of limestone caves featuring fascinating prehistoric paintings which have been the subject of a research project run by Suzanne M. Baker since 2006. The caves are the first of their kind to be discovered so far south within the Mesoamerican area, which includes areas from central Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Mesoamerica is defined by shared cultural traits which flourished prior to the colonization of the region by the Spanish in the 15th and 16th centuries. http://www.nicaragua.com/blog/cosiguina-wetlands-hiking-trail 2012-03-19T02:56:40-05:00 en Editor Features The Cosigüina Wetlands are situated near the Cosigüina volcano forming the peninsula jutting out into the beautiful Gulf of Fonseca on Nicaragua's Pacific Ocean coast. The wetlands are home to a diverse range of birds and animals, and are essential to the region's ecosystem. As a rather remote destination, the Cosigüina Wetlands receive fewer visitors than some of Nicaragua's other natural attractions, but for those who enjoy an off the beaten track adventure, this protected area has much to offer. http://www.nicaragua.com/blog/explore-the-scenic-gulf-of-fonseca 2012-03-05T02:36:37-06:00 en Editor Features Washing the shores of Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, the Gulf of Fonseca forms part of the Pacific Ocean. It was officially discovered and named in 1522 by Spanish Conquistador Gil González Dávila, reportedly in honor of his patron, Archbishop Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca. González Dávila is considered to be the first European to arrive on the land which is now Nicaragua. The Gulf of Fonseca covers an approximate area of 1,200 square miles, with its coastline measuring 162 miles, of which 25 miles belongs to Nicaragua. The rather lengthy dispute between the three countries as to which has the rights to the Gulf and its islands was brought to an end in 1992 when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decide that Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua were to share control of the Gulf of Fonseca. http://www.nicaragua.com/blog/chichigalpa-town-of-sugar-and-rum 2012-02-20T01:34:19-06:00 en Editor Features Chichigalpa is known as the town of sugar and rum, as it forms the center of these two industries in the Chinandega Department of Nicaragua. The municipality of Chichigalpa covers some 225 square kilometers, bordered by Leon, Cordillera Los Maribios, El Realejo, Chinandega and Posoltega. Situated some 130 kilometers from Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, Chichigalpa can be easily reached via the Pan-American Highway. Buses and taxis can transport you to the fascinating town, where you can discover Nicaragua's sugar industry. http://www.nicaragua.com/blog/relax-in-managuas-parque-japon-nicaragua 2012-02-06T01:56:41-06:00 en Editor Features Considered to be unique in Central America in terms of theme and design, the Japan Park Nicaragua, or Parque Japón Nicaragua, was inaugurated on 28 February 2005. Covering an area of more than eight thousand square meters in Managua, the park is an attractive blend of Japanese and Nicaraguan cultures, with traditional Japanese architecture, masses of huge bamboo plants, and other landscaping features typical of Japan. The park even has a replica of the famous Mount Fuji of the Empire of the Rising Sun, as well as a multistory pagoda-style temple. Taken from the Chinese language, the word pagoda literally means "eight corners tower", and these distinctive buildings which are usually associated with the Buddhist religion, are found in many Asian cultures, including Japan. http://www.nicaragua.com/blog/sergio-ramirez-politician-and-literary-figure 2012-01-23T01:25:33-06:00 en Editor Features As part of the historic Group of Twelve, Nicaraguan writer and politician Sergio Ramírez features prominently in the history of his home country's struggle for freedom from the Somoza dictatorship. In 1985 to 1990, he served as Vice President of Nicaragua under Daniel Ortega's presidency, and served in the Government Junta of National Reconstruction prior to that. In addition to his busy political life, Ramírez has continued to contribute to the literary culture of Nicaragua through his writings, for which he has received numerous commendations and awards. http://www.nicaragua.com/blog/earthship-pitaya-festival-promoting-environmental-awareness 2012-01-09T01:21:24-06:00 en Editor Features The Earthship Pitaya Festival, known locally as Pitaya Fest, takes place in February every year in Nicaragua's seaside town of San Juan del Sur and the neighboring community of El Carizal. Coinciding with the full moon, the week-long festival aims to raise awareness of environmental issues, while at the same time offering music, the full moon, sun, sand, surf and a party atmosphere like no other. The festival is named after the local Pitaya fruit and the Earthship – a unique self-sustainable structure constructed from tin cans, bottles, tires and other items which would otherwise have landed up in already overfull rubbish dumps.