# Rivas

> municipality in Rivas Department, Nicaragua

**Wikidata**: [Q1757609](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1757609)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivas,_Nicaragua)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/rivas

## Summary

Rivas is a municipality and city located in the Rivas Department of Nicaragua, founded in 1720. It serves as the capital of the Rivas Department and covers an area of 280.5 square kilometres. As of the 2005 census, the municipality had a population of 41,080 residents.

## Key Facts

- **Founded:** 1720
- **Country:** Nicaragua
- **Location:** Rivas Department (serves as departmental capital)
- **Area:** 280.5 square kilometres
- **Population:** 41,080 (2005 census)
- **Elevation:** 63 metres above sea level
- **Coordinates:** 11.4389°N, 85.8287°W
- **Postal Code:** 47000
- **Timezone:** UTC−06:00
- **Twin City:** Offenbach am Main (since 1988)
- **Classifications:** City, municipality of Nicaragua
- **Described by:** Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary

## FAQs

**What is Rivas and where is it located?**
Rivas is a municipality and city in southwestern Nicaragua, situated within the Rivas Department of which it serves as the administrative capital. It lies at coordinates 11.4389°N, 85.8287°W at an elevation of 63 metres above sea level.

**When was Rivas founded?**
Rivas was established in 1720, making it a historic settlement with nearly three centuries of documented history.

**What is the population and size of Rivas?**
The municipality covers 280.5 square kilometres and had a population of 41,080 according to the 2005 national census.

**Does Rivas have any international partnerships?**
Yes, Rivas maintains a town twinning relationship with Offenbach am Main, a city in Germany, established in 1988.

## Why It Matters

Rivas holds significant administrative importance as the capital of the Rivas Department, serving as a regional governance center in southwestern Nicaragua. Its strategic location near the Pacific coast and the Isthmus of Rivas—a narrow strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and Lake Nicaragua—gives it geographic importance for transportation and trade routes. The municipality's establishment in 1720 places it among Nicaragua's historic colonial-era settlements, and its continued presence as a departmental capital underscores its enduring role in the nation's political and social landscape. The town twinning arrangement with Offenbach am Main since 1988 reflects its international civic engagement.

## Notable For

- Serving as the administrative capital of Rivas Department
- Strategic location on the Isthmus of Rivas between the Pacific Ocean and Lake Nicaragua
- Historic founding date of 1720, representing colonial-era establishment
- International town twinning relationship with Offenbach am Main, Germany, active since 1988
- Recognition in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, a major Russian reference work
- Wikipedia presence across 31 language editions, indicating global notability

## Body

### Geography and Location

Rivas is positioned at coordinates 11.4389°N, 85.8287°W in southwestern Nicaragua. The municipality sits at an elevation of 63 metres above sea level within the Rivas Department. The total administrative area encompasses 280.5 square kilometres. Rivas operates in the UTC−06:00 timezone and uses the postal code 47000.

### Administrative Status

Rivas holds dual classification as both a city and a municipality of Nicaragua. It serves as the capital of the Rivas Department, functioning as the primary administrative center for the region. The municipality operates under the governance structure of Nicaragua's national administrative system.

### Demographics

According to the 2005 national census, Rivas recorded a population of 41,080 residents. This figure represents the most recent official population data documented in the provided sources.

### History

The municipality of Rivas was formally established in 1720, placing its founding during the colonial period of Central American history. This founding date has been documented and referenced through multiple sources including Wikipedia entries. The city has maintained continuous habitation and administrative importance since its inception.

### International Relations

Rivas participates in international municipal partnerships through its town twinning arrangement with Offenbach am Main, Germany. This relationship was formally established in 1988 and continues to represent the municipality's engagement in international civic cooperation.

### Reference and Documentation

Rivas has been documented across numerous international reference systems and databases:
- **Academic Sources:** Described by the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
- **Library Catalogs:** Library of Congress Authority ID (n81082551), National Library of Israel J9U ID (987007531806805171)
- **Geographic Databases:** GeoNames ID (3617050), Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names ID (1018768), GNS Unique Feature ID (-1113983)
- **Open Data:** OpenStreetMap Relation ID (5743428), Who's On First ID (421197835), iNaturalist Place ID (25770)
- **Cultural Databases:** VIAF ID (157116742), MusicBrainz Area ID (02864823-fce3-424b-80e6-76e88776dacd), Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID (place/Rivas)
- **Other Identifiers:** Yahoo WOEID (153774), Freebase ID (/m/02wq98), Yale LUX ID (place/8bdaa4f9-4750-4250-93c1-28c54dccdf07), SNARC ID (A'Tong)

### Digital Presence

Rivas maintains a Wikipedia presence under the title "Rivas, Nicaragua" across 31 language editions including English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, and numerous others. The municipality has a sitelink count of 34 and a dedicated Commons category for media files. Photographic documentation includes a primary image file (Rivas,_Nicaragua.jpg) and a page banner image (Sunset_from_the_Hacienda_Iguana_banner.jpg).

### Alternative Names

The municipality is known by multiple aliases across different languages and naming conventions:
- English: Rivas Municipality, Municipality of Rivas
- Spanish: Municipio de Rivas, Rivas (Municipio)
- French: Rivas (municipalité)
- German: Gemeinde Rivas, Gemeinde von Rivas, Rivas (Gemeinde)
- Japanese: Rivas自治体, Rivas市镇
- Chinese: Rivas（自治体）, Rivas（市镇）
- Russian: Муниципалитет Rivas, Rivas (муниципалитет)
- Portuguese: Município de Rivas, Rivas (município)
- Arabic: ريفاس، نيكاراغوا

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. GeoNames
3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
4. MusicBrainz
5. 2005 Nicaraguan census
6. Flickr Shapefiles Public Dataset 2.0
7. [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/places/inaturalist-places.csv.zip)
8. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File