Raas - Nicaragua

This region starts from Matagalpa Rio Grande on the North and it extends as far as the Rio Indio on the South and from the Carribean coastline (east) up to Boaco, Chontales departments and Rio San Juan (west).

It's a flat region, the only mountains are Las Minitas (510 metri), La Cusuca (560), Cacao (571) in the central part and Campana (551 metri), El Pital ( 430) e Tamagas (525) on the South side.

Atlantic Coast map

In the coast there are two wonderful big lagoons: Perlas, the biggest, and the Bluefields lagoon. Also in this area of the Caribbean Sea there are islands, the smallest are Cayos Man, Cayos King and Cayos Perlas, 20 Kilometers far from the coastal.

There are the islands Las islas del Maiz, Little Corn Island e Great Corn Island too, 80 Kilometers far from the coast. These are very typical islands with white sand beaches and big coconut trees surrounded by coral reefs, cristal clear waters that provide perfect conditions for divig and snorkeling.

The RAAS is divided into nine departments with a population of over 200.000 inhabitants, 37.000 of these lives in Bluefields, the chief town and the most important Nicaragua port on then Caribbean coast. The cultural influence of English colonization is still strong, like this of the near Caribbean island, above all Jamaica. In this region people use to dance a tipical dance named Palo de Mayo.

The most interesting site in this zone, from a naturalistic point of view are the Wawasham, Indio Maiz and Yolaina reserv, several coastline lagoons, mangrove woods and humid zones.