Larreynaga | |
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Municipality | |
Sandboarding at the Cerro Negro volcano.
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Location in Nicaragua | |
Coordinates: 12°40′28″N 86°34′15″W / 12.67444°N 86.57083°WCoordinates: 12°40′28″N 86°34′15″W / 12.67444°N 86.57083°W | |
Country | Nicaragua |
Department | León Department |
Area | |
• Municipality | 882 km2 (341 sq mi) |
Population (2005) | |
• Municipality | 27,898 |
• Urban | 11,292 |
Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
Larreynaga (Spanish pronunciation: [laˈreinaɣa]) is the second largest municipality in the León department of Nicaragua. The municipality seat is the town of Malpaisillo. The estimated population is 31,000 but it steadily growing at a rate of 2.22% yearly.
The municipality of Larreynaga was founded by Colonel Manuel Ignacio Pereira Quintana on August 11, 1944. The town of Malpaisillo was officially declared a city in September 1968. It got its name "Larreynaga" from Miguel Larreynaga, a Nicaraguan philosopher, humanist, lawyer and poet.
The municipality of Larreynaga is home to the Cerro Negro volcano, just 10 km from the city of Malpaisillo. Cerro Negro has erupted frequently since its first eruption. The last volcanic activity at Cerro Negro occurred on August 5, 1999 and lasted for a total of two days.
In recent years, the Cerro Negro volcano has been a popular destination for sandboarding.