Managua is Nicaragua’s lakeside capital on Lake Xolotlán, a city of roughly 1.1 million in the urban area, incorporated in 1819 and designated the national capital in 1852. Its centre blends post-earthquake modernity with emblematic survivors and ruins: the National Palace of Culture and the derelict Old Cathedral (Catedral de Santiago), plus the Rubén Darío National Theatre, the Malecón and Puerto Salvador Allende waterfront, and the Tiscapa Lagoon reserve crowned by the Sandino silhouette. Practicalities are straightforward via Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA), about 9–11 km from downtown; onward travel to León, Granada and the Pacific is by frequent buses and shuttles. Clear-day views reach to the volcanoes around the lake, with Momotombo often on the skyline.
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