Chinandega (Spanish pronunciation: [tʃinanˈdeɣa]) is a department in Nicaragua, located on the border with Honduras. It covers an area of 4,822 km2 and has a population of 441,897 (2021 estimate). The indigenous inhabitants of Chinandega are the Chorotegas and the Nahuas, and was the location of the pre-Columbian Nahua kingdom of Teswatlan.[2][3][4] The capital is the city of Chinandega.
Largely agricultural, it produces rum from sugar cane; other products are bananas, peanuts, shrimp and salt.
The port of Corinto, in Chinandega, is the most important in Western Nicaragua.
12°37′N 87°09′W / 12.617°N 87.150°W / 12.617; -87.150