Boaco
Encyclopedia
Boaco is the capital city and municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 of the Boaco
Boaco (department)
Boaco is a department in Nicaragua. It was formed in 1938 out of part of Chontales. It covers an area of 4,244 km² and has a population of 171,000 . The capital is the city of Boaco. Indigenous peoples are the Nuhuas and Sumos....

 department
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...

 of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

. The municipality of Boaco has a population of 56,900 (2006 est.) and an area of 1,086.81 km² (26% of the Boaco Department) while the department (state) is 4,177 km2.

The city of Boaco, with a population of approximately 19,000 (2006 est.), is located in the mountains 88 km. east of Managua
Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...

. Boaco is called "Ciudad de Dos Pisos" (The Two-Storey City), nicknamed by Dr. Armando Incer Barquero. The city's only two flat places are El Parque (Park) and the baseball field.

History

The name Boaco has its roots in the Zumo
Zumo
Zumo is the largest juice and smoothie bar chain in Europe with over 100 establishments in 13 countries. The company, established in 2001 and based out of Ireland, operates locations in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Austria, Greece, Russia, Hungary, Switzerland, Czech Republic,...

and Aztec native languages. It is composed of two words; Boa or Boaj ("Enchanters") and the suffix O ("Place" or "Town"). In other words, Boaco means "Place (or Town) of the Enchanters". The ancient Boaco, or Boaco Viejo (Old Boaco) was located five leagues (15 miles) east of the present-day city of Boaco. No vestiges of the former population remain.

In 1749, the Zambo
Zambo
Zambo or Cafuzo are racial terms used in the Spanish and Portuguese Empires and occasionally today to identify individuals in the Americas who are of mixed African and Amerindian ancestry...

, Caribe
Caribe
Caribe may refer to:* Caribe , a computer worm designed for mobile phones* Caribe , a Venezuelan telenovela* Caribe , a 1975 television series produced by Quinn Martin...

 and Mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...

 Indians, encouraged by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 colonists on Nicaragua's Atlantic coast, raided Boaco Viejo. They destroyed the town. The few who survived the massacre fled west and founded the new town of Boaco (now known as Boaquito ("little Boaco")) near the Malacatoya River.

Between 1752 and 1772, the population of what was called Boaquito moved to higher ground, where the city of Boaco is today, mainly due to the endemic diseases and flooding that regularly occurred in the lowlands during the rainy season.

The municipality of Boaco was traditionally part of the department
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...

 of Chontales
Chontales
Chontales is a department in Nicaragua. It covers an area of 6,481.27 km² and has a population of 182,000 . The capital is Juigalpa.-Municipalities:# Acoyapa# Comalapa# El Coral# Juigalpa# La Libertad# San Francisco de Cuapa...

. On February 4, 1910, the government of José Madriz
José Madriz
José Madriz Rodriguez was the President of Nicaragua from 21 December 1909 to 20 August 1910.Madriz was born on 21 July 1867, in León, Nicaragua. After President José Santos Zelaya resigned on December 21, 1909 in the face of an armed revolt and United States opposition, Madriz assumed the...

 established the department of Jerez with the city of Boaco as its capital. However, the conservative government reversed that law. It was not until July 18, 1935 that the government of Juan Bautista Sacasa
Juan Bautista Sacasa
Juan Bautista Sacasa Sacasa was the President of Nicaragua from 1 January 1933 to 9 June 1936. He was the eldest son of Roberto Sacasa, 44th and 46th President of Nicaragua, and wife and cousin Ángela Sacasa Cuadra...

 created the department of Boaco
Departments of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a unitary republic, and for administrative purposes, it is divided into 15 departments and two self-governing regions based on the Spanish model:-Zelaya Department:...

, incorporating the municipalities of Boaco, Camoapa
Camoapa
Camoapa is a municipality in the Boaco department of Nicaragua.Camoapa city is the capital of the municipality. Though is a small town . It was raised to the title of city on March 2, 1926 more than eighty years ago. Its population is 40,700 and its territory extension 1,483.29 km² the area is...

, San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo, Boaco
San Lorenzo is a municipality in the Boaco department of Nicaragua. It has a population of 28,100 and an extension of 559.61 km². The economy is based mainly on agricultural and some agropecuarian activities. The capital is the town of San Lorenzo located 91 km. from Managua.Most people in the...

, Teustepe
Teustepe
Teustepe is a municipality in the Boaco department of Nicaragua. It has a population of 26,800 and an extension of 645.73 km². The capital is the town of Teustepe, 94 km. from Managua with a population of 3,500 ....

, San José de los Remates
San José de los Remates
San José de los Remates is a municipality in the Boaco department of Nicaragua. It has a population of 9,600 and an extension of 280.46 km². The economy is based mainly on agricultural and agropecuarian activities. The capital is the town of San José de Boaco located 96 km...

 and Santa Lucía
Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia is a traditional Neapolitan song. It was transcribed by Teodoro Cottrau and published by the Cottrau firm, as a "barcarolla", at Naples in 1849. Cottrau translated it from Napuletano into Italian during the first stage of the Risorgimento, the first Neapolitan song to be given Italian...

. Boaco was designated the capital of the department.

Geography

Boaco is located in the hilly central region of Nicaragua. Its topography is irregular with many mountains, which are smaller than the mountains in northern Nicaragua. The highest peak is El Cerro de la Vieja (the old woman's hill) with an altitude of 1,020 mts. The average elevation above sea level is 360 mts.

The municipality of Boaco (12°28′N 85°40′W) borders with the municipality of Muy Muy
Muy Muy
Muy Muy is a municipality in the Matagalpa department of Nicaragua.Although "Muy Muy" means "very very" in Spanish, the municipality was named so by the Nahuatl, for whom "muymuy" means "nutria," which were once found in abundance in the region....

 to the north; the municipalities of San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo, Boaco
San Lorenzo is a municipality in the Boaco department of Nicaragua. It has a population of 28,100 and an extension of 559.61 km². The economy is based mainly on agricultural and some agropecuarian activities. The capital is the town of San Lorenzo located 91 km. from Managua.Most people in the...

 and Camoapa
Camoapa
Camoapa is a municipality in the Boaco department of Nicaragua.Camoapa city is the capital of the municipality. Though is a small town . It was raised to the title of city on March 2, 1926 more than eighty years ago. Its population is 40,700 and its territory extension 1,483.29 km² the area is...

 to the south; the municipality of Camoapa to the east; and the municipalities of San José de los Remates
San José de los Remates
San José de los Remates is a municipality in the Boaco department of Nicaragua. It has a population of 9,600 and an extension of 280.46 km². The economy is based mainly on agricultural and agropecuarian activities. The capital is the town of San José de Boaco located 96 km...

, Santa Lucia
Santa Lucía, Boaco
Santa Lucía is a municipality in the Boaco department of Nicaragua. It has a population of 10,300 and an extension of 120.78 km². The capital is the town of Santa Lucía located 94 km from Managua. Approx...

 and Teustepe
Teustepe
Teustepe is a municipality in the Boaco department of Nicaragua. It has a population of 26,800 and an extension of 645.73 km². The capital is the town of Teustepe, 94 km. from Managua with a population of 3,500 ....

 to the west.

Climate

Boaco has a diverse climate which ranges from that of a tropical forest to that of tropical grasslands with scattered trees. The average temperature is between 27°C and 30°C during summer and 18°C in December. The annual precipitation is 1,200-2,000 mm.

Politics and government

Elections for municipal authorities are held every four years. The current mayor of the municipality of Boaco is Vivian Orozco Zamora from the Sandinista National Liberation Front
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas in both English and Spanish...

 (FSLN).

Following the 2004 municipal elections, the seats are divided in the following way:

The governing party: Sandinista National Liberation Front: 5

Parties in opposition: Constitutional Liberal Party
Constitutional Liberal Party
The Constitutionalist Liberal Party is an opposition political party in Nicaragua. At the legislative elections, held on 5 November 2006, the party won 25 of 92 seats in the National Assembly....

: 5

Economy

Boaco is the economic hub of the agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 and cattle-ranching lands in region. The city has played an important part in Nicaragua's economy, providing pecuarian products (beef, dairy products) to the rest of the country, as well as exporting to other countries.

With the help of new paved roads, business from the country's capital of Managua
Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is the largest city in Nicaragua in terms of population and geographic size. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Xolotlán or Lake Managua, the city was declared the national capital in...

 has reached Boaco and stimulated the local economy. Boaco now has casinos, banks, gas stations and its first traffic lights installed.

The labour force is about 40% of the population of Boaco, about 23,000, with an unemployment rate of 13%.

Education

According to the 2000 census on education, Boaco has a population of about 31,000 students and 350 teachers (excluding community pre-school workers).

Elementary education (urban area only):
  • Students: 10,000
  • Facilities: 22


Secondary education (urban area only):
  • Students: 15,000
  • Facilities: 15


Multi-grade education (rural area only):
  • Students: 10,000
  • Facilities: 308


Community Pre-Schools:
  • Urban area: 2,000 (74 facilities)
  • Rural area: 3,000 (308 facilities)

Demographics

The municipality of Boaco is home to around 1% of Nicaragua's total population. It plays a more important role in the country's economy as a major producer of beef and dairy produces in what is called the cattle cluster (which includes the Chontales
Chontales
Chontales is a department in Nicaragua. It covers an area of 6,481.27 km² and has a population of 182,000 . The capital is Juigalpa.-Municipalities:# Acoyapa# Comalapa# El Coral# Juigalpa# La Libertad# San Francisco de Cuapa...

 region).

Of the population of 56,900 (2006 est.), 27,900 (49%) are men and 29,000 (51%) women. The average age is 21.4 years; 60.5% of the population is between 15 and 64 years of age.

The rural population represents 61% of the total and the urban population 39%. The population density is 52.36 inh./km².

Culture

Boaco has a public library, Fernando Buitrago Morales, founded after the Sandinista revolution in July 1979 by Flavio César Tijerino and a group of young students, including Ricardo Sequeira his daughters, Melba Tijerino, Velleda Tijerino, Humberto Rivas, and Marlene Sotelo. The library had an initial collection of 500 books. Later that year, the library became part of the newly founded Network of Public Libraries, which was organized and coordinated by the Culture Department. With national and international support from governments, organisations and individuals, today the public library of Boaco has a collection of more than 8,000 books.

Boaco has several museums: The Boaco Museum of Anthropology, Arturo Javier Suarez Miranda's The Municipal Museum, and a private museum owned by Armando Incer Barquero.

Literature and arts

Hernan Robleto (novelist), and Fernando Buitrago Morales (poet,novelist, and historian) were the first figures in Boaco's literature. Boaco was the native town of several poets and artists such as Armando Incer Barquero, Luis Rocha, Flavio Cesar Tijerino (poet and writer) and others in the intellectual Grupo U from 1958. In recent years Lázaro Díaz, Javier León Valdez and others have made up the Grupo Macuta. Among its most famous artists: painter Armando Morales Sequeira, who currently resides in Paris, France and primitivist painter and artist Julito Sequeira.

Local festivities

The local festivities in honor of the city's patron saint, Apóstol Santiago (Apostle Saint James) begin on July 25. The most traditional and folkloric aspect of this celebration are Los Bailantes (The Dancers), a group of peasants who have performed each year, from generation to generation since the 17th century, to honor the patron of Boaco.

Transport and communications

Both paved and unpaved roads connect Boaco to other important cities in the country. Public transportation (bus) is available to Managua and other locations inside and outside the department.

Communications

Telecommunications in Boaco are supervised by the Nicaraguan Telecommunications Company (Empresa Nicaragüense de Telecomunicaciones - ENITEL), which serves 1,326 individuals in the municipality of Boaco.

Mobile telephones are frequently used by the population. Movistar
Movistar
Movistar is a major Spanish mobile phone operator owned by Telefónica Móviles. It operates in Spain and in many Latin American countries. It is the largest carrier in Spain with 22 million customers and 41.58% of market share. Its principal competitor in Latin America is America Movil...

 and Claro are the two telephone companies providing mobile telephone services in the area.

Media

BoacoVisión is the local cable TV channel. There are several local radio stations broadcasting on FM.

See also


Sources

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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