EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Managua, 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 extreme proximity to the convergent plate boundary that occurs a few kilometers off the coast of Nicaragua: the Cocos plate is slowly being subducted under the Caribbean plate (“Historic Earthquake ”, 1972). . This movement caused significant destruction in Managua in 1931, 1968, and 1972, when earthquakes measuring 5.6, 4.5, and 6.2 on the Richter scale, respectively, shook the capital (“Historical Earthquake,” 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 shocking deaths were reported: 10,000 (“Earthquake Causes Devastation in Nicaragua,” 1973). This loss has been attributed primarily to several factors: strong seismic shaking due to the earthquake surface, permanent ground displacement 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 for earthquake-related damage had ever been performed, even though earthquakes were known to be frequent in Managua. On top of this, the city had no warning systems 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 is located on the southern boundary of the Caribbean plate, near the boundary with the Cocos plate (“Historic Earthquake,” 1972). The convergent motion of the Cocos plate boundaries in a northeast direction is slowly being 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 several plates that form the Ring of Fire: an area in the Pacific Ocean responsible for ninety percent of the total seismic and volcanic activity recorded each year (“Ring of Fire” 2012). Managua's close 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 experienced by Managua.