Nueva Guinea (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈnweβa ɣiˈnea]) is a town and a municipality in the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region of Nicaragua.

20 km east of Leon Nicaragua, Cerro Negro erupted on 3 February 1971, causing extensive ash fall to the west.

USAID and/or perhaps U.S. Peace Corps, in conjunction with the Government of Nicaragua, provided aid consisting of elements of the U.S. Air Force 24th Special Operations Squadron, Howard Air Force Base, Canal Zone (Panama).

The disaster response relocation of Nicaraguan citizens was of a magnitude (estimated 1000 families) that was at the time quite significant to the Nueva Guinea community.

In 1971 there was a medium size electric generator in the town that operated for several hours nightly, powering some street lights and perhaps a few basic shops and homes.

It is believed that two local bakers alternated bread making duties for the townspeople and fresh beef or pork was available- usually one or the other- depending upon the butchering schedule.

At the time of the air mission, in addition to the two USAF personnel in town there was one U.S. citizen known to reside longer-term in Nueva Guinea, that being a Catholic aid worker from Sheboygan, Wisconsin USA.

The territory has been inhabited since ancient times, in the Punta Gorda River basin remains have been discovered almost destroyed in a pre-Hispanic civilization edified concentric structures, and analysis of pottery collected by Smithsonian researchers date it to about 3000 to 4000 years before the present era.