El Realejo

El Realejo is a municipality in the Chinandega department of Nicaragua.

El Realejo
El Realejo
Location in Nicaragua
Coordinates: 12°32′N 87°10′W
CountryNicaragua
DepartmentChinandega
MunicipalityEl Realejo
Founded1532
Government
  MayorRafael Blanco Reyes
Population
 (2005)
  City8,838
  Urban
3,954
Time zoneUTCGMT-6

History

The town of El Realejo was constructed in 1532, during the first years of Spanish colonization. During this period it served as Nicaragua's principal port, and remained so until the beginning of the 17th century, when pirate attacks started to threaten the town's commercial life-line. The importance of El Realejo was further diminished by the construction of Corinto, which came to be Nicaragua's new principal port.[1]

Economy

Today, the economy is based on agriculture, fishing, and the raising of animals. El Realejo is characterized by open expanses of tropical savannah that give way to mountains and beaches. [2]

References

  1. Explore Nicaragua: Chinandega
  2. "Sister Cities International". Archived from the original on 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.