The majority of rivers in Nicaragua are located on the Caribbean coast and empty out into the Caribbean Sea

Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....

. The Río San Juan

San Juan River (Nicaragua)

The San Juan River , also known as El Desaguadero , is a 192.06 km river that flows east out of Lake Nicaragua into the Caribbean Sea. A large section of the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica runs on the right bank of the river...

 is one of the most important rivers in Nicaragua, it borders Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

 and connects the Caribbean Sea to Lake Cocibolca which flows out to the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

. The Nicaragua Canal

Nicaragua Canal

The Inter-Oceanic Nicaragua Canal was a proposed waterway through Nicaragua to connect the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean...

 was a proposed project for an inter-Oceanic canal

Canal

Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...

 to transport cargo ship

Cargo ship

A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...

s coming in from the Pacific to the Caribbean, or vice versa, instead of sailing down around Cape Horn

Cape Horn

Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...

. As of 2007 the project is still being considered.

The Río Grande and its tributaries are the most extensive river system, while the Río Escondido provides a major transportation route between the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. The Río Coco, locally known as the Wangs, runs along the border with Honduras and is the longest river in Central America. Other important rivers include Río Tipitapa, which links Lake Cocibolca to Lake Managua

Lake Managua

Lake Managua is a lake in Nicaragua. The Spanish name is Lago de Managua or Lago Xolotlán. At 1,042 km², it is approximately long and wide. Similarly to the name of Lake Nicaragua, its name was coined by the Spanish conquerors from "Mangue" and agua...

 and covers 1,050 km² (405 sq mi).

List of rivers in Nicaragua

• Río Amaka
• Río Bambana
• Río Bocay
• Río Coco – known locally as the Wanks, borders Honduras
  Honduras
  Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
  
   and is the longest river in Central America
  Central America
  Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
  
  .
• Río Escondido
• Río Grande de Matagalpa
  Río Grande de Matagalpa
  Río Grande de Matagalpa is a river of Nicaragua. Running from its source near Matagalpa to the Caribbean Sea in the northern part of the Southern Atlantic Autonomous Region it is the second longest river in Nicaragua. It gives it name to the city and department of La Cruz del Río...
  
  
• Río San Juan
  San Juan River (Nicaragua)
  The San Juan River , also known as El Desaguadero , is a 192.06 km river that flows east out of Lake Nicaragua into the Caribbean Sea. A large section of the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica runs on the right bank of the river...
  
   – borders Costa Rica
  Costa Rica
  Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
  
  , site of the proposed Nicaragua Canal
  Nicaragua Canal
  The Inter-Oceanic Nicaragua Canal was a proposed waterway through Nicaragua to connect the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean...
  
  .
• Río Kukalaya
• Río Kurinwás
• Río Mi
• Río Siquia
• Río Tipitapa
• Río Tuma
  Tuma River
  The Tuma River is a river located in Nicaragua.The river, a tributary of the Río Grande de Matagalpa, is located in the Jinotega Department, about 250 kilometers northeast of the capital, Managua...
  
  
• Río Wawa
• River NÖamani

By Drainage Basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.

Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

• Coco River
  Coco River
  The Río Coco, formerly known as the Río Segovia, Cape River, or Yara River, is a river in southern Honduras and northern Nicaragua. To the Miskito Indians that live along the river it is known as the Wanki or Wanks River...
  
   (Segovia River) (Wanki River)
  • Waspuk River
  • Lakus River
  • Bocay River
    • Amaka River
  • El Jicaro River
  • Estili River
• Ulang River
• Wawa River
  Wawa River
  Wawa River refers to two rivers:Wawa River located in Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines is the name of the headwaters of Marikina River, a few kilometers north of the capital city Manila. The Wawa Dam was created during the American era to serve the water needs of Metro Manila. It used to be the only...
  
   (Huahua River)
  • Likus River
• Kukalaya River
• Layasiksa River
• Prinzapolka River
  • Bambana River
  • Yaoya River
  • Uli River
  • Wani River
• Río Grande de Matagalpa
  Río Grande de Matagalpa
  Río Grande de Matagalpa is a river of Nicaragua. Running from its source near Matagalpa to the Caribbean Sea in the northern part of the Southern Atlantic Autonomous Region it is the second longest river in Nicaragua. It gives it name to the city and department of La Cruz del Río...
  
  
  • Tuma River
    Tuma River
    The Tuma River is a river located in Nicaragua.The river, a tributary of the Río Grande de Matagalpa, is located in the Jinotega Department, about 250 kilometers northeast of the capital, Managua...
    
    
    • Iyás River
    • Yaosca River
  • Murra River
  • Olama River
• Kurinwás River
• Wawasang River
• Escondido River
  • Kama River
  • Mahogany River
  • Rama River
    • Plata River
  • Mico River
  • Siquia River
• Kukra River
  Kukra River
  The Kukra River is a river of Nicaragua. It lies in the southeast of the country and is inhabited by people who speak the Sumo language. It is monitored by the Board of Kukra River , presided by Peter Martinez...
  
  
• Punta Gorda River
• Maíz River
• Indio River
• San Juan River
  San Juan River (Nicaragua)
  The San Juan River , also known as El Desaguadero , is a 192.06 km river that flows east out of Lake Nicaragua into the Caribbean Sea. A large section of the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica runs on the right bank of the river...
  
  
  • Sábalos River
  • Lake Nicaragua
    Lake Nicaragua
    Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca or Granada or is a vast freshwater lake in Nicaragua of tectonic origin. With an area of , it is the largest lake in Central America, the 19th largest lake in the world and the 9th largest in the Americas. It is slightly smaller than Lake Titicaca. With an elevation...
    
    
    • Tule River
    • Canastro River
    • Tepenaguasapa River
    • Oyate River
    • Ojocuapa River
      • Acoyapa River
    • Mayales River
      • Cuisalá River
    • Malacatoya River
    • Tipitapa River
      • Lake Managua
        Lake Managua
        Lake Managua is a lake in Nicaragua. The Spanish name is Lago de Managua or Lago Xolotlán. At 1,042 km², it is approximately long and wide. Similarly to the name of Lake Nicaragua, its name was coined by the Spanish conquerors from "Mangue" and agua...
        
        
        • Viejo River (Grande River)
        • Sinecapa River
    • Ochomogo River
    • Sapoá River
    • Niño River (Pizote River)
    • Papaturro River
    • Zapote River
    • Frío River

Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

• Río Negro
• Estero Real River
  • Tecomapa River
• Tamarindo River
• Tecolapa River
• Casares River
• Escalante River