Zelaya Department

Zelaya Department Departamento de Zelaya
Department of Nicaragua
1894–1987
Location in Nicaragua
Capital	Bluefields
Area
• Coordinates	12°01′N 83°46′W / 12.01°N 83.76°W / 12.01; -83.76
Population
• 1963 est.	88,963[1]
History
• Treaty of Managua	28 January 1860
• Establishment	20 November 1894
• Autonomy Statute	30 October 1987
Preceded by Succeeded by Mosquito Reservation North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region

Zelaya was a department in Nicaragua. The department was located along the Mosquito Coast bordering the Caribbean Sea and was named after former President of Nicaragua José Santos Zelaya, who conquered the region for Nicaragua from the Mosquito Coast, then a British protectorate and indigenous monarchy, in 1894. The capital was Bluefields.

In 1987 it was divided into two autonomous regions:

• North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (NCCAR)
• South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (SCCAR)