Information about Matagalpa
Important Information:
Approximate Population: 485,000 inhabitants in the department of Matagalpa and 110,000 in the city of Matagalpa
Altitude: 700 meters above sea level
Temperature: 16-25°C (61-77°F) between October and February and 25-30°C (77-86°F) between March and September
Matagalpa is located in the Central Region of Nicaragua and is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains. With its fresh and pleasant climate, it is also known as “The Pearl of the North,” or more popularly as “The Capital of Production.”
Located 131 kilometers from the capital of Managua, Matagalpa has much to offer all of its visitors.
From the hills that surround this popular and welcoming city, you can appreciate the magnitude of the city, located on the banks of the Rio Grand, whose territory is crossed by ravines and riverbeds over which bridges and houses have been constructed. Matagalpa’s geographic location offers the opportunity to hike in the mountains and stroll the beautiful paths of the nature reserves.
Moreover, Matagalpa, has attractive sites, such as Santa Maria of Ostuma, the Hacienda Hammonia, and the Selva Negra Hotel, which keep alive our reverence for and memories of the Nicaraguans and Germans who worked shoulder to shoulder to construct the road to the coffee plantations.
Agricultural activity is the base of the Matagalpan economy, which is characterized by the production of high-quality coffee, ranching, and the cultivation of basic grains, fruits, vegetables, and other tropical products that enrich the Matagalpan economy.
For those interested in learning about the “grain of gold” (coffee), fair trade, and rural community tourism, Matagalpa is the perfect place. You can visit many coffee plantations prepared to receive visitors, where they will teach you all about the delicate process of cofee production, from the planting and collection of the fruit to obtaining the final product in the tasting labs.
Matagalpa endured many challenges immediately after Hurricane Mitch in 1998, including the coffee crisis, which was marked by a profound fall in international coffee prices. These changes can be observed in the disorder of the urban growth in the hills that surround Matagalpa, which is a product of emigration from the coffee plantations to the city.
Despite the coffe crisis and the natural disasters that our city has suffered, we presently rely on the many commercial centers, businesses, cultural centers, restaurants, hotels, banks, and social service centers, that have placed Matagalpa on par with other cities, making it one of the most important cities in the country.
In the daily life of this city, coffee growers, farmers, ranchers, workers, business owners, professionals, intellectuals, and people of all social levels from the department of Matagalpa converge. Without a doubt, Matagalpa is a city full of life!