| Cárdenas | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Pushpin Map: | Nicaragua |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Nicaragua |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Nicaragua |
| Subdivision Type1: | Department |
| Subdivision Name1: | Rivas Department |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Land Km2: | 227 |
| Population Total: | 6990 |
| Population Urban: | 934 |
| Coordinates: | 11.2°N -116°W |
Cárdenas is a municipality in the Rivas department of Nicaragua, located on the southwestern shore of Lake Nicaragua.
In 2002, the municipality of Cárdenas had threatened the government in Managua with secession and becoming part of Costa Rica. Costa Rica claimed that it would respect Nicaraguan territory and had no intention of annexing the municipality. http://www.tourist-information-cardenas.com/