World Map › North America › Nicaragua
Country
Map of Nicaragua
North America · Managua
Nicaragua lies on the Caribbean Plate. It has 13 volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years, 7 of which have erupted since 1900. Since 1900, 33 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 13,630 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 5.6 out of 10 (INFORM index), a high level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 4.3 out of 10.
- Capital
- Managua
- Population
- 5,142,098
- Area
- 120,340 km²
- Continent
- North America
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
Exposure to natural hazards according to the European Commission's INFORM index, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), overall and for each type of hazard.
Overall Risk Index
This overall score combines hazard exposure with the vulnerability of the population (3.0 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (6.4 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 15,098to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 9,024to destructive shaking (intensity VIII and above)
- 112to tsunamis
- 37,127to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 17,697to river floods
- 2,355to coastal floods
Overall Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- River FloodHigh
- Urban FloodHigh
- Coastal FloodHigh
- EarthquakeHigh
- LandslideHigh
- TsunamiHigh
- VolcanoHigh
- CycloneHigh
- WildfireHigh
- Extreme HeatMedium
- Water ScarcityLow
Volcanoes (13)
Volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years; year of the last known eruption.
- Volcán Masaya 2026
- Telica 2025
- Volcán San Cristóbal 2024
- Concepción 2024
- Volcán Momotombo 2016
- Volcán Cerro Negro 1999
- Las Pilas-El Hoyo Complex 1954
- Cosigüina 1859
- Nejapa-Miraflores 1060
- Volcán Apoyeque 50 BCE
- Volcán Granada ?
- Volcán Zapatera ?
- Volcán Mombacho ?
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 1972Managua · M 6.210,000 deaths
- 1931Managua · M 5.62,450 deaths
- 1930Managua1,000 deaths
- 1992Masachapa, Costa Rica · M 7.6170 deaths
- 2000Masaya · M 5.47 deaths
- 2014Nagarote, Managua · M 6.12 deaths
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
5 major tsunamis have reached Nicaragua since 1900, killing 96 people in the country. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 1992Tsunami (Nicaragua) · 9.9 m96 deaths
- 2012Tsunami (El Salvador) · 0.5 m
- 1952Tsunami (Russia) · 0.1 m
- 1952Tsunami (Japan) · 0.1 m
- 1964Tsunami (United States of America)
Tropical Cyclones
20 major tropical cyclones have made landfall in Nicaragua since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 1994Hurricane Gordon · 56 km/h1,152 deaths
- 2010Tropical Storm Matthew · 93 km/h126 deaths
- 2016Hurricane Otto · 185 km/h23 deaths
- 2013Tropical Storm Barry · 46 km/h5 deaths
- 2007Hurricane Felix · 259 km/h
- 1971Hurricane Edith · 241 km/h
- 2020Hurricane Eta · 222 km/h
- 1988Hurricane Joan:miriam · 222 km/h
- 2020Hurricane Iota · 204 km/h
- 2022Hurricane Julia · 139 km/h
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution