San Juan del Sur

San Juan del Sur is a coastal city on the Pacific Ocean, in south-west Nicaragua. The town is a popular tourist location because of its many nearby and spectacular beaches. San Juan del Sur is popular among surfers and is a vacation spot for many Nicaraguan families and foreign tourists, who consider it an unspoiled alternative to Costa RIca. It is located at around coord|11|15|0|N|85|52|0|W|display=inline,title.

Its population is approximately 18,500, comprised largely of families engaged in fishing.

San Juan del Sur, set aside a crescent-shaped bay, was a popular resting place for gold prospectors headed to California in the 1850s.

U.S. attacks

While supporting the Contras in the 1980s, U.S. forces attacked San Juan del Sur on March 7, 1984. cite web |title = International Court of Justice, CASE CONCERNING THE MILITARY AND PARAMILITARY ACTIVITIES IN AND AGAINST NICARAGUA (NICARAGUA v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA) |url = http://www.icj-cij.org/icjwww/icases/inus/inus_isummaries/inus_isummary_19860627.htm ] ["CIA Employes Fought Nicaraguans; 2 Gunfire Exchanges Reported in Support Of Commandos", "The Washington Post", December 20, 1984, p. A24.]

Legal controversy

A local judicial court in nearby Rivas has received international media attention for the conviction, overturned on appeal, of American magazine publisher Eric Volz, accused of raping and murdering his Nicaraguan ex-girlfriend in her dress shop in San Juan del Sur on November 21, 2006.

Notes