Granada Department

The city of Granada was founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba after the Spanish city of Granada and is one of the oldest Spanish established settlements in the Americas. It was subject to several pirate attacks between the 17th and 19th centuries, and was completely destroyed by William Walker during the civil war in 1854. After the war, it was reconstructed and the region developed a blend of colonial and neoclassical architecture. In the 19th century, before the construction of the Panama Canal, it served as part a "Transit Route", a canal route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. ==Geography==

Granada is one of the fifteen departments of Nicaragua. It is spread over an area of . Its capital, Granada, is situated southeast from the city of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. Situated on the coast of Lake Nicaragua, it has several lakes, volcanoes, lagoons, beaches, and islands, several of which form part of protected areas such as national parks and reserves. The department incorporates four municipalities–Diriá, Diriomo, Granada, and Nandaime. The city of Granada is a major commercial, cultural and transport hub. The historic city centre is spread over and incorporates 376 buildings of architectural value, and forms part of a protected area. ==Demographics==

As per 2023 estimate, Granada department has a population of 219,244 inhabitants. ==References==