Corn Island

Corn Island is located 70 kms (approximately 60 miles) off the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. The name of this area really should be Corn Islands because Corn Island is made up of two small islands, Big Corn Island (Approximately 10 km squared) and Little Corn Island (Approximately 2.9 km squared) with a combined area of roughly 12.9 km squared.

It is interesting to note that English is considered the official language on Corn Island followed by Moskito and finally Spanish. This is due largely to the fact that the island is inhabited mainly by the miskito Indians, and since it was a British protectorate until 1894 (when it was claimed by the Nicaraguans), it is only logical that English would be the most spoken and thus the official language of the islands.  

Corn Island has a rather small population, having only round 7,400 permanent residents. It can have as many as 15,000 people during peak tourist season.  Even though Corn Island is relatively small it has no problem handling the influx of people during these peak times.

The main economy of Corn Island stems from the fishing community. Fishing expeditions for shrimp, shark, lobster, tuna, barracudas, and deep sea fish are the backbone of the local economy. Tourism makes up the rest, with 75% of the tourists going to Little Corn Island and 25% of the tourists going to Big Corn Island.  Just recently a new reality TV series from Italy has started using Corn Island as a base for their film crews. There are many mixed views on this point, some say it is a good thing giving Corn Island a much needed boost in tourism, but the locals seem to find the presence more of an annoyance than a benefit.

Tourism and Fishing were not the first backbone of Corn Island economy however. During most of the 20th century it was their coconut production which sustained the local economy.

The Food on Corn island does not differ too much from what the norm is for Nicaragua, but there are a few twists to the menu here and there. For example one of the traditional dishes for Nicaragua is Gallo Pinto. On Corn Island it is almst the same recipe of rice and beans, but they also add coconut milk to the mix to add that island flavor.  Another local delicacy is of course their pan de coco (Cocunut bread).

Corn Island is comprised of lovely white sand beaches, many nice hotels, bars and restaurants, of course the token dance club and mangrove swamps. It is the perfect vacation spot as it is still relatively undiscovered in terms of being a tourist destination. Boasting activities such as snorkling (there are many beautiful coral reefs around), scuba diving (there is a mariad of marine life for the avid nature lover) deep sea fishing, and dancing, Corn island has something for everyone. So if you are looking for a more private sort of getaway, Corn Island may be for you.