| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Central America and the Caribbean |
| Geographical Location |
13° 00' North Latitude
85° 00' West Longitude |
| Surface Area |
129,494 sq km |
| Climate |
Tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands |
| Natural Resources |
Gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Republic of Nicaragua |
| Capital City |
Managua |
| Government Type |
Republic |
| Administrative Divisions |
15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonomista);
Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas |
| Independence Day |
15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
5,465,100 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Nicaraguan |
| Ethnic Groups |
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% |
| Religion |
Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census) |
| Languages |
Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) |
| Population Growth Rate |
1.92% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Gold cordoba (NIO) |
| Industries |
Food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood |
| Labor Force |
1.93 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 30.5%, industry 17.3%, services 52.2% (2003 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products |
| Export Commodities |
Coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts |
| Export Partners |
US 63.5%, El Salvador 9%, Costa Rica 4.2% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products |
| Import Partners |
US 26.3%, Venezuela 9.6%, Costa Rica 7.5%, Mexico 7.1%, Guatemala 6.1%, El Salvador 4.1% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
6 km |
| Highways |
18,712 km |
| Pipelines |
Oil 54 km (2004) |
| Airports |
176 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+505 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.ni |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
The Pacific Coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838.
Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption
spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to
sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990, 1996, and again in 2001 saw the Sandinistas defeated. The country has slowly rebuilt its economy during the 1990s,
but was hard hit by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. |
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