Early years

The town of Corinto was founded in 1849. It first came into prominence as a port in 1863, due to its spacious and sheltered harbour. It superseded El Realejo, which was from 1550 to 1850 the principal seaport of Nicaragua but became partly filled with sandbanks.^[5]

British occupation

When Nicaragua refused to pay Britain an indemnity for the annexation of the Mosquito Reserve, the British responded by occupying the Nicaraguan Pacific port of Corinto on 27 April 1895.^[6] Eventually the British left after being paid indemnities by the Nicaraguan government.^[7][8]

United States intervention

Post card sent on May 13, 1907 from Corinto, Nicaragua to the United States.

On May 2, 1896, U.S. Marines landed in Corinto to protect American interests during political unrest.

In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed the African-American writer James Weldon Johnson U.S. Consul to Corinto.

On January 25, 1922, the USS Galveston landed a detachment of U.S. Marines at Corinto, to reinforce the Managua legation guard during a period of political tension.

While supporting the Contra war against the Sandinista government in the 1980s, U.S. Forces mined the Port of Corinto. On October 10, 1983, an attack destroyed 3.2 million US gallons (12,000 m³) of fuel. It is believed that this attack was directed by the CIA and carried out by U.S. Navy Seals.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}

Twin towns – Sister cities

Corinto is twinned with:

• Bremen, Germany^[14]
• Cologne, Germany
• Liverpool, United Kingdom
• Portland, Oregon, United States