city, northwestern Nicaragua. It lies on a sandy plain near the Cordillera Entre Ríos and the Coco River, at an elevation of 1,987 feet (606 m). Ocotal serves as a manufacturing and commercial centre. Shoes, furniture, and beverages are among its manufactures. Ocotal is accessible by roads leading south to the Pan-American Highway and north to the Honduras border. It was a scene of heavy fighting in 1979 between Sandinista guerrillas and government troops. Pop. (2005) urban area, 34,190.