Located across and north from the capital’s Central Park, Managua is noted for its Rubén Darío park and monument. Both commemorate Rubén Darío who many believe is Nicaragua’s top poet and an influential literary figure for the entire Spanish-speaking world.
Managua means “surrounded by water” in the indigenous Nahuatl language. One common nickname for Managua is The Bride of Xolotlán which is the Nahuatl name for Lake Managua. Mother country Nicaragua’s more descriptive nickname is “The Land of Lakes and Volcanoes”. Capital city Managua is located amid small crater lakes on the southern shore of Lake Managua.
Research website numbeo ranks Managua in the bottom 15% compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Managua scored poorly on index factors such as purchasing power (bottom 2%), traffic commute time (bottom 5%) and pollution (bottom 35%). However, Managua did moderately well for its relatively affordable property price to income ratio (top 55%).
From an international trade perspective, Nicaragua exported an estimated US$5.3 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports include vehicle wiring sets (9.6% of Nicaragua’s global total), knitted or crocheted cotton t-shirts (9.5%), gold (also 9.5%), coffee (8.7%), frozen boneless beef (5.3%), cigars and cigarillos (4.2%), fresh or chilled boneless beef (3.7%), knitted or crocheted non-cotton t-shirts (3.6%), frozen shrimps and prawns (3%), men’s cotton trousers and overalls (2.8%) then raw cane sugar (2.1%), according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Managua, Nicaragua: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Plaza de la Revolución (Revolution Square), Old St. James Cathedral, Rubén Dario National Theater, Doctor Roberto Incer Barquero Library, Museum of Acahualinca and the Dennis Martínez National Stadium
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Managua, Nicaragua.
- Bianca Jagger, celebrity ex-spouse of Mick Jagger (born May 2, 1945)
- Cristiana Frixione, Miss Universe contestant (born Feb. 20, 1984)
- Alexis Arguello, famous boxer (born Apr. 19, 1952)
- Katia Cardenal, singer-songwriter (born Jun. 19, 1963)
- DJ Craze, champion disc jockey (born Nov. 19, 1977)
- Daniela Torres Bonilla, Miss Universe contestant (born Jan. 22, 1990)
- Frank Richardson, Olympic swimmer (born Apr. 21, 1962)
- Magdiel Gutiérrez, Olympic wrestler (born Apr. 14, 1968)
- Lucia Castanyeda, Olympic female weightlifter (born Jul. 8, 1981)
- Geraldine Arce, Olympic swimmer (born Feb. 1, 1988)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Nicaragua resident: Nicaraguan
Population: 1,063,698 (Managua) at July 19, 2020
Density: 10,312 people per square mile (3,981 per square kilometer)
Population: 6,628,804 (Nicaragua) at July 19, 2020
Density: 143 people per square mile (55 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Nicaragua: 26.5 years old
Financial
GDP: US$34.5 billion in 2019 (Nicaragua)
GDP per person: $5,290
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Managua were unavailable.
Official currency used in Managua: Nicaraguan córdoba
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook Central America and Caribbean: Nicaragua.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, ALMA-Managua City Hall.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Managua.
Wikipedia, Departments of Nicaragua.
Wikipedia, Nicaragua.
WorldOMeter, Nicaragua Population.
Nicaraguans celebrate Independence Day as a public holiday each September 15.
Managua encompasses a land area measuring 103.15 square miles (267.17 square kilometers), home to 1.1 million residents in 2019 at July 19, 2020.
Nicaragua is the largest country on the Central American isthmus. Its national borders form a land perimeter for 46,464 square miles (120,340 square kilometers) with which 6.6 million Nicaraguans lived in July 2020.
Population density is more concentrated within Nicaragua’s capital city limits with an average 10,312 residents per square mile (3,981 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to Nicaragua’s borders, the nation’s overall population density thins out to 143 inhabitants per square mile (55 per square kilometer).
