Welcome to my 124th Visit and 119th Run UN Country and Antonia’s 30th Visit UN Country out of a total of 193. This is the 6th country of our trip out of a total of 9.
Nicaragua (Pop 7,046,310) is also Spanish speaking and dominated by The Mestizos. It is 1.91 times the size of Tasmania making it the second largest after Mexico. First inhabited by pre-Columbian peoples in 600AD, colonised by Spain 1502-1821, then by the First Mexican Empire 1821-1823, then a self-governing member in the United Provinces of Central America (1823-1824), the Federal Republic of Central America (1824-1838). It emerged as an independent country in 1838. In 1860 the infamous British colony “Mosquito Coast” (the former province of Taguzgalpa) became part of the country in 1860. Like its neighbours, Nicaragua suffered many military coos and dictators and corruption but emerged as an economic power exporting: coffee, beef, gold, shrimp, sugar and textiles.
Here are some interesting facts about Nicaragua:
1. Lowest population density in Central America.
2. The Ruins of Leon Viejo in Nicaragua is the oldest city in all of Central America. It is over 1500 years old and is still occupied today.
3. The only freshwater sharks known in the world can be found in Lake Nicaragua.
4. Nicaragua has over 400 volcanoes found in Lake Nicaragua.
5. Home of the “Dual Volcano” - the only volcano in the world that is fed by two separate flows of magma.
6. One of the clearest skies in the world – 86 of the 88 constellations that exist in the night sky are visible here.
7. There are no street names in Nicaragua. The address of any place is given by whatever major landmark is nearby.
8. Has the lowest crime rates in Central America
9. Three quarters of the Nicaraguan people live on only $2USD per day.
10. The highest amount of forests in Central America.
Our journey to Nicaragua began at 4am from El Cuco El Salvador. Today would involve driving in another three countries. By 630am we had reached the El Salvador to Honduras border. Went very smoothly. We got to the Honduras to Nicaragua border at 10am and by 1130am we were on our way to our final overnight destination of Leon. The landscape in Nicaragua changes rapidly from flat Arizona style desert after the border to a very bushy hills with volcanoes in the distance – looks a treat. We arrived in Leon at 130pm, a record time according to Ben. We were very lucky at the borders. Behold, the X-Ray machine was on the Nicaraguan side of the border but the personal did not seem to be looking hard or stopping anyone – I wondered if I could have passed my drone but it was not worth the risk and most importantly, I did not want to impact the rest of the group.
The weather in Leon (Pop 213,718) was like an oven with some humidity. The heat is because the elevation is only 180m. Sunrise runs is the only way here. This place is like Puebla or Antigua – very colourful and colonial but very run down and with pavers instead of cobblestone streets. Thank goodness as I will be running it tomorrow sunrise and then doing my own walk of the town with Antonia before a noon departure to our next Nicaraguan destination. I visited the flowing sites in Leon: Los Motivos del Lobo, Iglesia San Francisco, Pinturas en la Calle (Mural), Azarias H Pallais, Alfonso Cortez, Parque Central (Museo Combatintes, Capilla La Asuncion, Museo Archivo, Insigne y Real Basilica), Iglesia de la Recoleccion, Edgard Munguia, Estatua Frai, El Calvario, Park. The highlight was the Central Plaza and The Cathedral of the Ascension of The Virgin Mary. An incredible edifice originally built in 1814 and UNESCO protected.
I spent the rest of the day (Sun 11FEB) blogging and relaxing ahead of my run and city tour tomorrow. Antonia and I joined the others to watch the Superbowl after a quick takeaway dinner then I hit the sack early for the run.
The first city named León in Nicaragua was founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba about 30 kilometres (20 mi) east of the present site. The city was abandoned in 1610 after a series of earthquakes spawned by a volcanic eruption. The ruins of that city are known as León Viejo and were excavated in 1960. In the year 2000, León Viejo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. León had been the capital of Nicaragua since colonial times. So naturally, when Nicaragua withdrew from the United Provinces of Central America in 1839, León became the capital of the new nation. For some years, the capital shifted back and forth between León and the city of Granada. Managua was agreed upon to be the present permanent capital in 1852.
Enjoy our first images of Nicaragua through the eyes of the ancient capital of Leon…
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