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South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region

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The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua . It was created along with the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region by the Autonomy Statute of 7 September 1987 through a division of the former Zelaya Department . It covers an area of 27,260 km (10,530 sq mi) and has a population of 420,935 (2021 estimate). The capital is Bluefields . Bordering the Caribbean Sea , it contains part of the region known as Mosquitia .

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32-615: It is divided into 12 municipalities: Bluefields , the Corn Islands , Desembocadura de Río Grande , El Ayote , El Rama , El Tortuguero , Kukra Hill , La Cruz de Río Grande , Muelle de los Bueyes , Nueva Guinea , Paiwas , and Pearl Lagoon . Eight languages are spoken in the region, with English Creole and Spanish being dominant. The Pearl Cays archipelago is also a part of the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region but mainly belonging to

64-521: A Dutch soldier of fortune named Abraham Blauvelt chose the bay of the Escondido River as his center of operations due to its tactical advantages. The name of the municipality is a literal but pluralized translation of his surname, 'blau' (modern Dutch 'blauw') meaning 'blue' and 'velt' (modern Dutch 'veld') meaning 'field'. African slaves first appeared in the Caribbean coast in 1641, when

96-686: A Portuguese ship that was transporting slaves wrecked in the Miskito Cays. English subjects started emigrating to the region in 1633. Beginning in 1666, they were organized into colonies and by 1705, governmental authorities had been established. In 1730, the Kingdom of Moskitia came to depend on the British administration in Jamaica . The British supplied the Miskito people with armaments which

128-489: A shared basis. The municipal wharf is the home of commercial boat traffic to Corn Island, LaBarra and many other locations which are only accessible by boat. Car ownership is very limited in Bluefields. The municipal government does not provide all necessary services, so additional services related to water, energy, and sanitation are provided by non-governmental organization blueEnergy . Bluefields also known as home of

160-558: Is 2,799 millimetres (110 in), while 198 days receive measurable rain during an average year. Puerto Cabezas culture is diverse, being Miskito culture the dominant, followed by Creole, Mayangna and Latino. The culture, like the rest of Nicaragua's Caribbean coast, has a very prominent Caribbean influence. The University of the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast (URACCAN) has

192-684: Is a municipality and city in Nicaragua . It is the capital of Miskito nation in the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region . The municipality and the entire region are native American lands. The city of Puerto Cabezas borders the Community of Ten Communities. Hurricane Felix hit Puerto Cabezas on September 4, 2007, killing about 100 people. Hurricane Eta hit the city on November 3, 2020, causing extensive damage. On November 16, 2020, Hurricane Iota hit

224-609: Is located on the Bluefields Bay, 6 nautical miles offshore and about 98 miles north of Costa Rica . This port is only accessible by water. The navigation route that connects The Bluff with Rama is approximately 100 kilometers along Escondido River , which has been marked with navigation buoys. The port offers services to guide ships through the Escondido River and all the way to the Rama port. As of 2016, 52 percent of

256-585: Is the Bluefields campus of the University of the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast , and the other is the Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University (BICU). Until recently, there was no road access to Bluefields from the west coast of Nicaragua . There is now a highway from Nueva Guinea with regular bus service. The road was completed in May 2019, and was financed with loans from

288-801: The British Armed Forces strategic operations zone (SOZ) which was built in 1936 with the initial goal was encountered the further Nazi Germany Atlantic invasion of Nicaragua during the World War II—;recently used to blocking drug trafficking from Mexico to outside Nicaragua via Bluefields and temporary humanitarian aid storage if the country being raged by series of natural disasters. 12°00′N 83°45′W  /  12.000°N 83.750°W  / 12.000; -83.750 Puerto Cabezas Puerto Cabezas , also known as Bragman's Bluff ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpweɾ.to ka.ˈβe.sas] ; Miskito : Bilwi )

320-722: The Central American region. The region represents an estimate of 37,394 km² of land with potential for timber production of high commercial value such as mahogany , laurel, and teak . Since 2003, there has been an increase of commercially valuable timber plantations such as teak and mahogany. In 2014-2020, investments in the forestry sector in the region has been over US$ 100 million. Currently, around 300 km of roads are maintained. Rural roads measure approx. 2,415 kilometers of rural roads. There are 157 vehicular and pedestrian bridges. The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region has one port for commercial use: The Bluff . The Bluff

352-658: The Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank . The road was formally declared open by President Daniel Ortega . Visitors usually either fly in to Bluefields Airport or take a bus from Managua and other cities or take a Panga down the Rio Escondido from the city of El Rama , which itself is accessible from Managua by bus. In the town, taxis are readily available at a fixed price of 14 cordobas per person (2020) and work on

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384-470: The Northern and Southern Caribbean Coast Autonomous Regions. Although its participation in the international market has been modest due to historical factors, the mining sector has been growing since 2010, exporting 357 million dollars in 2016. Around 380 hectares in the North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region have been awarded under metallic and non-metallic mining concessions, most of which are located in

416-635: The Treaty of Managua , created the Miskito Reserve from the territory of the Kingdom of Moskitia by an agreement between the British and Nicaraguan governments. The city of Bluefields was chosen as capital of the Reserve. The "Europeanization" of the Indians was completed by the 1880s, when British and Americans expanded the production of bananas and wood, creating a prosperous enclave economy ; by

448-746: The Viceroyalty of New Granada , the Kingdom of Moskitia became de jure part of Gran Colombia until its dissolution in 1831. Thereafter it became part of the Republic of New Granada , now Colombia , until, through the Esguerra-Bárcenas Treaty , the Colombian state formally ceded the territory to Nicaragua. The Moravian Church was installed in 1847. In 1860, the Harrison-Altamirano Treaty, also known as

480-477: The trade winds ensure that unlike the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, rain still falls frequently during this period. For the rest of the year when tropical low pressure dominates rainfall is extremely heavy, helped by the coast being shaped in such a manner as to intercept winds from the south as prevail during the northern summer. The city is located beside the eponymous bay; consisting of 17 neighborhoods including

512-662: The 16th and 17th century and became capital of the English protectorate of the Kingdom of Mosquitia in 1678. During United States interventions (1912–15, 1926–33) in Nicaragua, US Marines were stationed there. In 1984, the United States mined the harbor (along with those of Corinto and Puerto Sandino ) as part of the Nicaraguan Revolution . Bluefields was destroyed by Hurricane Joan in 1988 but

544-420: The 1880s, Bluefields was already a city of cosmopolitan character, with an intense commercial activity. Economic growth also brought a marked process of social differentiation, by which the races and ethnic groups were distributed spatially and in terms of work: the white population represented the interests of the foreign businesses; those of mixed race worked as artisans and in working-class occupations;

576-648: The Caribbean Coast. It currently offers daily flights to Puerto Cabezas , Bluefields , Corn Island , Siuna , Bonanza , Río San Juan and Waspam . Likewise, the Caribbean Coast has three main cargo terminals located in Puerto Cabezas (Bilwi), Bluefields and Corn Island. All Airports are administered by EAAI . Bluefields Bluefields is the capital of the South Caribbean Autonomous Region in Nicaragua . It

608-641: The Miskito used to fend off attacks by the other groups of the Caribbean coast, including the Afro-descendant Creoles and the indigenous tribes of Mayangnas, Ulwas , and Ramas . In 1740, the Miskitos yielded to British sovereignty over the territory, and in 1744, a transfer of White colonists was organized from Jamaica to the Kingdom of Moskitia ; they brought black slaves with them. French colonists also arrived at this time. The area

640-413: The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region had direct access to the national electricity power grid and enjoyed an uninterrupted power supply. This represents approximately 313 communities in both regions, where about US$ 30 million have been invested to continue improving the quality and coverage of the energy service. The local airline La Costeña currently provides aerial transportation between Managua and

672-407: The beach or seek them by boat in the lagoon or at sea. In recent years, stricter legislation has led to a decrease in these activities. Bluefields remains a deeply impoverished city with extremely high rates of unemployment. According to Köppen climate classification , Bluefields features a trade-wind tropical rainforest climate ( Köppen Af ). There is a drier period from February to April, but

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704-567: The city as a strong Category 4. Puerto Cabezas has a tropical monsoon climate ( Köppen climate classification Am ) with significant rainfall year round, and a short dry season in March and April. Even so, these months see an average rainfall of 48 millimetres (1.9 in) and 54 millimetres (2.1 in). The average temperature ranges from 24.5 °C (76.1 °F) in February to 27.8 °C (82.0 °F) in May. The average annual rainfall

736-613: The darker-skinned Creoles had their niche in physical work, and the native population were employed as servants and for other smaller works. In 1894, the government of Nicaragua incorporated the Miskito Reserve into the national territory, extinguishing the Miskito monarchy , and on October 11, 1903, Bluefields was proclaimed capital of the Department of Zelaya. Due in part to US Coast Guard patrols attempting to intercept Colombian drug smugglers, salvaging cocaine (often referred to locally as "white lobster") has become an important part of

768-412: The local economy. When threatened with potential boarding by US Coast Guard ships, cocaine smugglers try to dispose of their illegal cargo by throwing it overboard, simultaneously lightening their load for a faster escape and eliminating the evidence in case of capture. A percentage of the cocaine bales are carried by ocean currents into the lagoon around Bluefields. Residents may find the bales washed up on

800-402: The municipalities of Rosita , Bonanza and Siuna . 220 hectares are currently being exploited. The Caribbean Coast represents 35 percent of the Nicaragua cattle industry. With an annual compound growth rate of 9 percent in meat exports and 11 percent per year in milk production over the past 8 years, Nicaragua maintains its position as the main livestock, dairy products and meat producer of

832-995: The municipality of Pearl Lagoon . Approximately 30 percent of the Caribbean Coast’s labor force forms part of the agriculture industry. According to the IV National Agricultural Census prepared by the National Development Information Institute (INIDE) and, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAGFOR), products with greater production potential in the Caribbean Coast are: oil palm, coconut, pineapple, sesame seeds, irrigated rice, rainfed rice, onion cultivation, chia, chilli pepper, red bean of apante, premium red bean, premium black bean, corn, malanga, quequisque, cassava, dry land banana, sugar cane, higuerilla, cacao and robusta coffee. The fishery sector represents

864-1249: The port of El Bluff , located on a peninsula of the same name. Due to gradual erosion, the peninsula is becoming a true island that closes the Bay of Bluefields on the east side. El Bluff has an extension of 1.29 km and it is about 8 km from Bluefields. Bluefields has several municipal headquarters and rural communities including: Urban Level: Santa Rosa, Central, San Mateo, Pointeen, Fátima, Tres Cruces, Ricardo Morales, Old Bank, San Pedro, Teodoro Martínez, 19 de Julio, Pancasán, Punta Fría, New York, Beholden, Canal, Loma Fresca. Rural Level: Cuenca Río Escondido, Cuenca Río Maíz, San Nicolás, La Fonseca, Rama Cay, San Luís, Caño Frijol, Torsuani, Long Beach, Dalzuno, Cuenca Río Indio, Río Maíz, Guana Creek, Nueva Chontales, Neysi Ríos, La Palma, Sub-Cuenca Mahagony, Krisinbila, Sub-Cuenca Caño Negro, Río Kama, El Bluff, Las Mercedes, Monkey Point, El Corozo, Cuenca Punta Gorda, Caño Dalzuno, Haulover, Villa Hermosa, San Ramón, Río Cama (El Cilicio), San Brown, La Virgen, San Mariano, La Pichinga, Musulaine, Caño Blanco, Aurora (San Francisco), Kukra River (Delirio), Barra Punta Gorda, Kukra River. There are currently two universities in Bluefields. One

896-414: The third activity in terms of importance of incomes generation to the country. Historically the fishery has been concentrated in shrimp , lobster and some species of fishes. In 2016, the Caribbean Coast contributed to the national production of fishery and aquiculture with 24 million of pounds, and exported 76 percent with a value of US$ 126 million. Mining has a tradition of more than one hundred years in

928-414: The western Caribbean . It has a population of 56,005 (2022 estimate) and its inhabitants are mostly Afro-descendant Creoles, Miskitu , Mestizo , as well as smaller communities of Garinagu , Chinese , Mayangna , and Rama . Bluefields is Nicaragua’s chief Caribbean port , from which hardwood , seafood , shrimp and lobster are exported. Bluefields was a rendezvous for European buccaneers in

960-589: Was a British protectorate until 1796, when Britain, with an offer from the Spanish Monarch to extend the territory in the Yucatán Peninsula for the cutting of logwood for the British settlers, decided to remove all English settlers from the Kingdom of Moskitia ; the British subjects also abandoned the islands, but the Spaniards did not take firm positions in them. With the independence of

992-533: Was also the capital of the former Kingdom of Mosquitia , and later the Zelaya Department , which was divided into North and South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Regions. It is located on Bluefields Bay at the mouth of the Bluefields River in the municipality of the same name. It was named after Abraham Blauvelt , a Dutch - Jewish pirate , privateer, and explorer of Central America and

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1024-470: Was rebuilt. The origin of the city of Bluefields is connected with the presence of European pirates on the Nicaraguan Caribbean coast, subjects of powers at the time hostile to Spain . These pirates used the Escondido River to rest, to repair damages and to be provisioned. By then, the territory of the present municipality was populated by the native towns of Kukra and Branch. In 1602,

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