Momotombo

Momotombo's 2015 eruption ended 110 years of dormancy — the longest quiet period in the volcano's recorded history.

The original colonial capital of León, founded in 1524 at the base of Momotombo, was abandoned due to volcanic and seismic activity; the ruins of León Viejo are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nicaragua's first geothermal power plant was built on Momotombo's southern flank, with a capacity of 35 megawatts, harnessing the volcano's internal heat for electricity.

The Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío, considered the father of Latin American literary modernism, immortalized Momotombo in his poetry.

The 1905 eruption produced a lava flow that traveled from the 1,270 m summit all the way to the northeastern base of the volcano.

Momotombito, a small cone rising from Lake Managua offshore of Momotombo, is a related volcanic feature that creates a picturesque island in the lake.

The volcano began forming only about 4,500 years ago, making it one of the youngest stratovolcanoes in the Central American Volcanic Arc.

Two VEI 4 eruptions — around 800 BCE and in 1605–1606 — demonstrate that Momotombo is capable of eruptions far more powerful than its typical Strombolian activity.

Momotombo's near-perfect conical profile makes it one of the most photographed and recognized volcanic silhouettes in Central America.

The volcano is visible from Managua, approximately 60 km to the southeast, where its cone punctuates the skyline above Lake Managua.