Nicaragua, formally known as the Republic of Nicaragua, is a country in Central America that occupies a nearly central position within the Pan-American isthmus. It is the largest country in Central America; it borders Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. It also has two extensive coastlines, bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by the Caribbean Sea.

It is a small country with varied terrain, ranging from low-lying, marshy coastal plains along the Caribbean Sea to mountainous terrain bordering Honduras, where Mount Mogoton rises within the Isabelia mountain range, while along the Pacific coast, a long volcanic chain, the Maribios mountain range, isolates a vast tectonic depression containing two large lakes: Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua, the latter being the largest freshwater lake in Central America. This has led to Nicaragua being called the “land of lakes and volcanoes.”

Its capital and largest city is Managua. León and Granada are two ancient and rival cities, now tourist destinations steeped in history.

The multi-ethnic population of over six million people at the beginning of the 21st century is of Amerindian, European, and African descent.