Estelí

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Villa de San Antonio de Pavia de Estelí

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Seal

Nickname: "El Diamante de las Segovias" ("The Diamond of the Segovias")

Motto: "Estelí, amante del presente, forjador del futuro" ("Estelí, lover of the present, builder of the future")

Country

Nicaragua

Foundation

1685

Government

- Mayor

Pedro Pablo Calderón

- Vice Mayor

María Teresa Illescas

Area

- Total

795.7 km² (307.2 sq mi)

Elevation

843.97 m (2,769 ft)

Population (2005 est.)

- Total

118.909

- Density

144.4/km² (374/sq mi)

Estelí is a city and municipality within the Estelí department. It is the third largest city in Nicaragua and is the administrative and commercial center of the Northern part of the country.

South end of Estelí looking towards Las Brisas-Quiabuc Natural Reserve.

Located on the Pan-American Highway, 150km north of Managua, Estelí is a fast growing and progressive city of about 119,000 people. It enjoys a pleasant climate throughout most of the year due to its location in the north central highlands at a mean elevation of 844 m above sea level. The city is also surrounded by forested mountains and plateaus that go up to 1600 m above sea level, some which are protected as natural reserves.

Estelí was the scene of heavy fighting in the war against the Somoza government during the 1970s.

1 Economy & Tourism
2 Gallery
3 Sister Cities
4 External links

[edit] Economy & Tourism

New commercial building in central Estelí.

The land around city is perfect for growing tobacco for use in cigars, and the town became a refuge for Cuban cigar makers after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Award winning cigars have made Estelí one of the most important cigar-producing cities in the world. Estelí also has many language schools, restaurants, and hotels that cater to tourists traveling to nearby natural reserves and other parts of the region. Natural Reserves around the area include Miraflor, Tisey-Estanzuela, Las Brisas-Quiabuc, Tomabu, Tepesomoto and Moropotente.