Solentiname Islands
Solentiname ( IPA / solεnti'name / ) is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands at the southern end of Lake Nicaragua (aka Lake Cocibolca ) near the border with Costa Rica.
Geography and population
The archipelago is part of the department of Río San Juan. This is one of fifteen districts ( departments ) of Nicaragua. The region is named after the river of the same as the outflow of Lake Nicaragua takes its output to the district capital of San Carlos and San Juan del Norte flows nearly 200 km to the east ( at the time of the English conquerors Greytown ) in the Caribbean Sea.
The archipelago consists of four large main islands (from west to east) Mancarroncito, Mancarrón, San Fernando and La Venada and 32 craggy islets in 10 to 30 kilometers west of the city of San Carlos distributed. The archipelago is of volcanic origin, the highest elevation on the island Mancarrón is 257 meters above sea level and thus 226 m above the water level of the lake. Seclusion and scenic beauty have attracted many artists. Painters and sculptors share the islands with farmers and fishermen. A total of about 1000 people live on the 38 km ² of the archipelago. Amenities such as running water and electricity are relatively rare.
On the largest island Mancarrón the poet, politician and former priest Ernesto Cardenal founded in the second half of the 60s of the 20th century, a monastery-like Christian cooperative. Through his book "The Gospel of the farmers of Solentiname " Solentiname in Germany has become known. His artistic social project from the early 70s, still exists today. The inhabitants of the island developed their own artistic vision - a kind of naive painting - which built on existing folkloric elements. Artists like Róger Pérez de la Rocha supported this movement.
There are different opinions about the origin of the name Solentiname. Some believe he meant in Nahuatl " quail Hedge." Others claim that the name originates from the Nahuatl term Celentinametl and mean as much as " place where many guests arrive ."
Climate, flora, fauna
The climate is tropical and the annual rainfall varies 1400-1800 mm. The most rainy season runs from May and December. The average temperature is 26 ° C. On the islands numerous bird species ( parrots, toucans ). The waters surrounding the islands are rich in fish. At La Venada there are deer (Spanish venado for " deer "). Agricultural production is concentrated on cotton, sesame and maize.
On the archipelago, there are also remarkable archaeological finds: the rock paintings of the San Fernando show pictures of parrots, monkeys and humans. In a conservation area, the Los Guatuzos Wildlife Refuge, one can observe monkeys and alligators.