| Chinandega | |
| Settlement Type: | Department |
| Flag Size: | 100px |
| Mapsize: | 200px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Nicaragua |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Chinandega |
| Area Total Km2: | 4822 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] | population_total = 441897| population_as_of = 2021 estimate| population_density_km2 = auto| population_density_sq_mi = | population_est = | pop_est_as_of = | population_urban = 288830| population_demonym = | population_note = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code_type = | area_code = | iso_code = NI-CI| website = | footnotes = |
Chinandega (pronounced as /es/) 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.