Nicaragua is a country in Central America. It lies between the Caribbean and the Pacific. It borders Honduras to the north (border length 922 km) and Costa Rica to the south (309 km).

The Cordillera mountain range with many volcanoes runs through the center of the country. Lakes Nicaragua (8430 km²) and Managua lie in the southwest. Towards the coast of the Caribbean Sea, the surface decreases to the swampy coast of Moskyt with mangroves, most of the territory of the state lies in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean (San Juan, Coco, Río Grande rivers). In the Caribbean Sea lie the Nicaraguan islands of Cayos Miskitos and Corn Islands.

Lake Nicaragua was once connected to the ocean. Tectonic processes later created new mountain ranges and thus the lake separated from the ocean. The lake is still inhabited by sharks that have adapted to the new conditions of fresh water and developed into an endemic shark species. There are several volcanic islands on the lake (eg Ometepe, Zapatera).