8 interesting facts about Managua
- Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name.
- The city was declared the national capital in 1852. Previously, the capital had alternated between the cities of León and Granada.
- Managua has a population of roughly 1,800,000, composed predominantly of mestizos and whites; making it the second most populous city in Central America after Guatemala City.
- Founded in 1819, the city was given the name: Leal Villa de Santiago de Managua.
- Managua's economy is based mainly on trade. The city is Nicaragua's chief trading center for coffee, cotton, and other crops. It is also an important industrial center. Its chief products include beer, coffee, matches, textiles, and shoes.
- The Nicaraguan capital has been dubbed as the Venice of Central America because of its escalating use of makeshift canals that can be found throughout the city.
- Managua was built in the 1850s on the site of an indigenous community. The city occupies an area on a fault. Seismologists predict that Managua will continue to experience a severe earthquake every 50 years or less.
- Residents of the city and of the department of Managua are called managüenses.
