EXECUTIVE SUMMARYManagua, the capital of Nicaragua, is the political, commercial and industrial center of the country. However, the city is subject to frequent earthquakes and tremors due to its very close proximity to the convergent plate boundary which occurs only a few kilometers off the coast of Nicaragua: the Cocos plate being slowly subducted beneath the Caribbean plate (“Historic Earthquake”, 1972). . This movement caused significant destruction in Managua in 1931, 1968 and 1972 when earthquakes of respective magnitudes 5.6, 4.5 and 6.2 on the Richter scale shook the capital ("Earthquake History”, 1972). One of the most destructive earthquakes recorded above the equator in the Western Hemisphere was the December 23, 1972 earthquake that struck Managua. The economic losses associated with this earthquake were very significant as 80% of Managua's buildings were severely damaged and a shocking figure of 10,000 deaths was reported ("Earthquake Wreaks Havoc in Nicaragua", 1973) . This loss was mainly attributed to several factors: strong seismic shaking due to the weak focus of the earthquake, permanent displacement of the ground due to surface faults, the type of materials used to construct the buildings and other secondary factors. Although earthquakes and tremors occur frequently in Managua, the city was unprepared for the 1972 earthquake. No risk assessment had ever been carried out for earthquake damage, although It was known that earthquakes were frequent in Managua. Additionally, the city had no warning system or practices to reduce the severity of the damage caused. BACKGROUND Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, is located along the southern coast of Nicaragua, at approximately 12°8. ′11″N 86°15′5″W as shown in Figure 2 (“Latitude and Longitude” 2014). Tectonically, Managua lies at the southern edge of the Caribbean Plate, near the boundary with the Cocos Plate ("Historic Earthquake"). », 1972). Convergent movement from the Cocos Plate boundary toward the northeast is slowly subducted beneath the Caribbean Plate at a rate of approximately 3 inches per year (Gunn, 2008). Additionally, the Cocos and Caribbean plates are two of many plates forming the Ring of Fire: an area of ​​the Pacific Ocean responsible for ninety percent of the total seismic and volcanic activity recorded each year ("Ring of Fire » 2012). Managua's proximity to the Cocos-Caribbean subduction zone along the Ring of Fire is known to be the cause of the frequent volcanic and seismic activity that Managua experiences..