9781422286579

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Nicaragua

farming difficult. The rainforests on the eastern side are home to small communities of Amerindians. Hot and Humid Lowlands in the East The hot and humid eastern half of Nicaragua has low, level plains. Among the widest Caribbean lowlands in Central America, these plains average 60 miles (100 km) in width. The soil is generally salt-soaked and infertile . The coastline is broken up by river mouths and deltas and large coastal lagoons, as well as by the coral reefs, islands, cays , and banks. There are a few towns on the east Caribbean coast—Bluefields and Puerto Cabezas are the largest—but the population on that side of the country is much smaller. Nicaragua’s four principal rivers—the San Juan, Coco, Río Grande de Matagalpa, and Prinzapolka—flow downward from the central highlands, through the Caribbean Lowlands, and empty into the Caribbean Sea. Nicaragua’s Climate Temperature varies little with the seasons in Nicaragua. The elevation of the land is what makes the difference. The tierra caliente , or the “hot land,” is characteristic of the foothills and lowlands from sea level to about 1,000 feet of elevation. Here, daytime tem- peratures average 80° to 95° F (30° to 35° C), and night temperatures drop to around 70° F (21° C) most of the year. The tierra templada , or the “temper- ate land,” is characteristic of most of the central highlands, where eleva- tions range between 1,000 and 2,000 feet (305 to 610 meters). Here, daytime temperatures are mild (70° to 75° F; 21° to 23° C), and nights are cool (50 °