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National Map
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Nicaragua |
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National Flag
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Nicaragua |
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Flag Description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue
with the national coat of arms centered in the white band;
the coat of arms features a triangle encircled by the words
REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the
bottom; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a
round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR
EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also
similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars
arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band
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National Emblem(Coat Of Arms)
Of |
Nicaragua |
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National Anthem
Of |
Nicaragua |
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Categories National Symbol Of |
Nicaragua |
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Background:
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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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Location:
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Central
America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North
Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras |
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Geographic coordinates:
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13 00 N,
85 00 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
129,494 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km
water: 9,240 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than the state of New York |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922
km |
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Coastline:
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910 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: natural prolongation |
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Climate:
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tropical
in lowlands, cooler in highlands |
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Terrain:
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extensive
Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior
mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by
volcanoes |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m |
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Natural resources:
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gold,
silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 15.94%
permanent crops: 1.94%
other: 82.12% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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880 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides;
extremely susceptible to hurricanes |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental
Modification |
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Geography - note:
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largest
country in Central America; contains the largest
freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua
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Population:
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5,465,100
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 37.2% (male 1,036,487/female 999,226)
15-64 years: 59.7% (male 1,623,065/female
1,638,017)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 73,935/female
94,370) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
20.56 years
male: 20.15 years
female: 20.98 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.92%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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24.88
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.49
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.19
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
29.11 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 32.6 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 25.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 70.33 years
male: 68.27 years
female: 72.49 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.81
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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6,400
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
500 (2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan |
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Ethnic groups:
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mestizo
(mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%,
Amerindian 5% |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%,
Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census) |
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Languages:
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Spanish
97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on
Atlantic coast |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.5%
male: 67.2%
female: 67.8% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua
local long form: Republica de Nicaragua
local short form: Nicaragua |
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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Managua
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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15
September 1821 (from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 15 September (1821) |
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Constitution:
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9 January
1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000 |
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Legal system:
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civil law
system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts
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Suffrage:
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16 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10
January 2002); Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon (since
10 January 2002); note - the president is both chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President Enrique BOLANOS
Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Jose RIZO
Castellon (since 10 January 2002); note - the president
is both chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the
president
elections: president and vice president elected
on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 4 November 2001 (next to be held by
November 2006)
election results: Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (PLC)
elected president - 56.3%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN)
42.3%, Alberto SABORIO (PCN) 1.4%; Jose RIZO Castellon
elected vice president |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92
seats; members are elected by proportional
representation and party lists to serve five-year terms;
one seat for previous President, one seat for runner-up
in previous Presidential election
elections: last held 4 November 2001 (next to be
held by November 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party -
Liberal Alliance (ruling party - includes PCCN, PLC,
PALI, PLIUN, and PUCA) 46.03%, FSLN 36.55%, PCN 2.12%;
seats by party - Liberal Alliance 53, FSLN 38, PCN 1
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year
terms by the National Assembly) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Alliance
for the Republic or APRE [Miguel LOPEZ Baldizon, Oscar
WENDOLYN Vargas, Karla WHITE]; Central American Unionist
Party or PUCA [leader NA]; Christian Alternative Party
or AC [Orlando TARDENCILLA Espinoza]; Conservative Party
of Nicaragua or PCN [Mario RAPPACCIOLI]; Independent
Liberal Party or PLI [Anibal MARTINEZ Nunez, Pedro REYES
Vallejos]; Independent Liberal Party for National Unity
or PLIUN [leader NA]; Liberal Constitutional Party or
PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Liberal Salvation Movement
or MSL [Eliseo NUNEZ Hernandez]; New Liberal Party or
PALI [leader NA]; Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path
or PCCN [Guillermo OSORNO Molina]; Nicaraguan Resistance
Party or PRN [Salvador TALAVERA]; Sandinista National
Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra];
Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [leader NA]; Unity
Alliance or AU [leader NA] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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National
Workers Front or FNT is a Sandinista umbrella group of
eight labor unions including - Farm Workers Association
or ATC, Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes
and Martyrs Confederation of Professional Associations
or CONAPRO, National Association of Educators of
Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of Employees or UNE,
National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG,
Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of
Journalists of Nicaragua or UPN; Permanent Congress of
Workers or CPT is an umbrella group of four
non-Sandinista labor unions including - Autonomous
Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of
Labor Unification or CUS, Independent General
Confederation of Labor or CGT-I, and Labor Action and
Unity Central or CAUS; Nicaraguan Workers' Central or
CTN is an independent labor union; Superior Council of
Private Enterprise or COSEP is a confederation of
business groups |
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International organization participation:
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BCIE,
CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer),
MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Salvador STADTHAGEN (since 5
December 2003)
chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570, [1] (202) 939-6573
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, San Francisco |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Barbara Calandra MOORE
embassy: Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua
mailing address: APO AA 34021
telephone: [505] 266-6010
FAX: [505] 266-9074 |
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Flag description:
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three
equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue
with the national coat of arms centered in the white
band; the coat of arms features a triangle encircled by
the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA
CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to the flag of El
Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the
words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL
centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of
Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X
pattern centered in the white band |
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Economy - overview:
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Nicaragua, one of the hemisphere's poorest countries,
faces low per capita income, massive unemployment, and
huge external debt. Distribution of income is one of the
most unequal on the globe. While the country has made
progress toward macroeconomic stability over the past
few years, GDP annual growth has been far too low to
meet the country's needs. As a result of successful
performance under its International Monetary Fund policy
program and other efforts, Nicaragua qualified in early
2004 for some $4 billion in foreign debt reduction under
the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.
Even after this reduction, however, the government
continues to bear a significant foreign and domestic
debt burden. If ratified, the US-Central America Free
Trade Agreement (CAFTA) will provide an opportunity for
Nicaragua to attract investment, create jobs, and deepen
economic development. While President BOLANOS enjoys the
support of the international financial bodies, his
internal political base is meager. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$12.34
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4% (2004
est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 20.7%
industry: 24.7%
services: 54.6% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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1.93
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 30.5%, industry 17.3%, services 52.2% (2003
est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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7.8% plus
underemployment of 46.5% (2003 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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50% (2001
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 45% (2001) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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55.1
(2001) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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9.3%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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28% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $725.5 million
expenditures: $1.039 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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69.5% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee,
bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame,
soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products
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Industries:
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food
processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products,
textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution,
beverages, footwear, wood |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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4.4%
(2000 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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2.553
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 83.9%
hydro: 7.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 8.4% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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2.318
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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6.8
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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15.3
million kWh (2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2003 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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25,770
bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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738
bbl/day (2003) |
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Oil - imports:
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27,950
bbl/day (2003) |
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Current account balance:
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$-843.1
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$750
million f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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coffee,
beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
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Exports - partners:
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US 64.8%,
El Salvador 7%, Mexico 3.6% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$2.02
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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consumer
goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum
products |
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Imports - partners:
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US 22.6%,
Costa Rica 8.5%, Venezuela 8.4%, Guatemala 6.8%, Mexico
5.8%, El Salvador 4.9%, South Korea 4.5% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$670
million (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$4.573
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$541.8
million (2003) |
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Currency (code):
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gold
cordoba (NIO) |
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Currency code:
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NIO |
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Exchange rates:
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gold
cordobas per US dollar - 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003),
14.251 (2002), 13.372 (2001), 12.684 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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171,600
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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202,800
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded
by foreign investment
domestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and
wire system being expanded; connected to Central
American Microwave System
international: country code - 505; satellite
earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 63, FM
32, shortwave 1 (1998) |
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Radios:
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1.24
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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3 (plus
seven low-power repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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320,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.ni |
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Internet hosts:
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7,094
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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3 (2000)
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Internet users:
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90,000
(2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
6 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2004) |
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Highways:
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total:
18,712 km
paved: 2,126 km
unpaved: 16,586 km (2002) |
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Waterways:
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2,220 km
(including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (1997) |
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Pipelines:
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oil 54 km
(2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff |
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Airports:
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176 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 141 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army
(includes Navy, Air Force) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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17 years
of age for voluntary military service (2001) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 17-49: 1,309,970 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 17-49: 1,051,425 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
65,170 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$32.8
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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0.7%
(2004) |
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Disputes - international:
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Nicaragua
filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against
Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime
boundary involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea,
including the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia
and Quita Sueno Bank; the 1992 ICJ ruling for El
Salvador and Honduras advised a tripartite resolution to
establish a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca,
which considers Honduran access to the Pacific; legal
dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on
border with Costa Rica |
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Illicit drugs:
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transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and
transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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