Granada

Granada is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department.Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, economically and politically. It has a rich colonial heritage, seen in its architecture and structure.Granada was founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, ostensibly the first European city in mainland America. Unlike other cities that claim the same distinction, the city of Granada was not only the settlement of the conquest, but also a city registered in official records of the Crown of Aragon, and the Kingdom of Castile in Spain.Granada is located along the coast of the Lake Nicaragua, the World's twentieth largest lake.Granada, though now highly dependent on tourism, also has fertile agricultural land within the municipality. Major production of organic coffee and cacao, cattle, plantain and bananas occurs within its boundaries.