They say that Nicaragua is the land of lakes and volcanos. The reality, is that there are both in abundance. Volcanos in particular have a tendency to be seismically active, and therefore Nicaragua can also be dubbed as a land of earthquakes (or in Spanish: terremotos). In the history of Nicaragua, the population of the country was divided by two main groups in the North and the South. Each group had their own capital, León to the North and Granada to the South. In time the two peoples united to form one nation, but argued greatly as to where to place their capital since each of the two area capitals had significant grandeur. After much deliberation, the people mutually decided to build their new capital on the coast of one of the two large freshwater lakes in the country at the midpoint between León and Granada; that city became the new capital of Nicaragua, Managua. | With a couple volcanos in the not so far off distance and a massive freshwater lake, the site seemed to be perfect to build the symbolic city to found the nation. However in those days, they did not realize how seismically active the area was and the city lies on one of the most earthquake prone areas in the nation. It is estimated that about every 40 years there is a large earthquake in the area, the last being in 1972. That earthquake was one of the most devastating earthquakes in the history of the country and leveled many old buildings that had been the elegance of the original foundations of Nicaragua. Since that earthquake, the nation has struggled to redevelop their economic and social stability. While significant efforts and improvements have been made in the last 40 years, the memories of the large earthquake in 1972 loom. Happily however, I am privy to live outside of Managua in a much safer place. -Tim |
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