Chinandega (Spanish pronunciation: [tʃinanˈdeɣa]) is a department in Nicaragua, located on the border with Honduras. It covers an area of 4,926 km² and has a population of 441,300 (2005 census). The capital is the city of Chinandega.
Largely agricultural, it produces rum from sugar cane; other products are bananas, peanuts, shrimps and salt.