* βeta
Nicaragua
Background :
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 2001, saw the Sandinistas defeated, but voting in 2006 announced the return of former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra. The 2008 municipal elections were characterized by widespread irregularities. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt, but democratic institutions face new challenges under the ORTEGA administration.
Location :
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Geographic Coordinates Center :
13 00 N, 85 00 W (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -87.69 |
| North | 15.03 |
| East | -82.74 |
| South | 10.71 |
Map references :
America
Area :
| total | 130 370 | square km |
| land | 119 990 | square km |
| water | 10 380 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 1 231 | km |
| Costa Rica (cr) | 309 | km |
| Honduras (hn) | 922 | km |
Coastline :
910.00 km
Climate :
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Terrain :
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 2 438 | metres |
Natural resources :
| copper | fish |
| gold | lead |
| silver | timber |
| tungsten | zinc |
Land use :
| arable land | 14.81 | % |
| permanent crops | 1.82 | % |
| other | 83.37 | % |
Irrigated land :
610 square km
Total renewable water resources :
196 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| destructive earthquakes | hurricanes |
| lides | volcanoes |
current issues :
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Environmental Modification |
| Hazardous Wastes | Law of the Sea |
| Ozone Layer Protection | Ship Pollution |
| Wetlands | Whaling |
Population :
5 891 199
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 1.78 | % |
| Birth rate | 23.25 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 2.57 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 4.30 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -1.11 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 33.80 | % |
| 15-64 years | 62.90 | % |
| 65 years and over | 3.30 | % |
Median age :
| total | 22.10 | years |
| male | 21.70 | years |
| female | 22.50 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.04 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.78 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 25.02 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 71.50 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 69.35 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 73.75 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.20 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 7 700 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 500 |
Religions :
| Roman Catholic | 58.50 | % |
| Evangelical | 21.60 | % |
| Moravian | 1.60 | % |
| Jehovah's Witness | 0.90 | % |
| other | 1.70 | % |
| none | 15.70 | % |
Languages :
| Spanish | 97.50 | % |
| Miskito | 1.70 | % |
Literacy :
| total population | 67.50 | % |
| male | 67.20 | % |
| female | 67.80 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Republic of Nicaragua |
| conventional short form | Nicaragua |
| local long form | Republica de Nicaragua |
| local short form | Nicaragua |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | NI |
| ISO Numeric | 558 |
| ISO3 | NIC |
| FIPS | NU |
| ccTLD | ni |
| English | Nicaragua |
Administrative divisions :
15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonoma); Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas
Capital :
| name | Managua |
| geographic coordinates | 12 09 N, 86 17 W |
| time difference | -6.00 |
International organization participation :
| BCIE | CACM |
| FAO | G-77 |
| IADB | IAEA |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IOC | IOM |
| IPU | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | LAES |
| LAIA (observer) | MIGA |
| NAM | OAS |
| OPANAL | OPCW |
| PCA | PetroCaribe |
| RG | SICA |
| UN | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNHCR |
| UNIDO | UNWTO |
| UPU | Union Latina |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
Independence :
1821-09-15
National holiday :
Independence Day
1821-09-15
Executive branch :
| President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra | President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 16 540 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 6 298 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | -2.90 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 2 800 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 17.80 | % |
| industry | 25.80 | % |
| services | 56.50 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 29.00 | % |
| industry | 19.00 | % |
| services | 52.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 2 383 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 5.90 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 48.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 43.10 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.00 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 30.20 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 976 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 1 241 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 4 700 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 0.60 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 87.00 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 1.40 | % |
| highest 10% | 41.80 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 1 206 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 1 483 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| bananas | beans |
| beef | coffee |
| corn | cotton |
| dairy | lobster |
| pork | poultry |
| rice | sesame |
| shrimp | soya |
| sugarcane | tobacco |
| veal |
Industries :
| beverages | chemicals |
| clothing | food processing |
| footwear | machinery and metal products |
| petroleum refining and distribution | textiles |
| wood |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 3 286 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 2 569 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 63 950 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 29 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 212 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 29 570 | bbl/day |
Value :
2 344 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 32.30 | % |
| El Salvador (sv) | 14.60 | % |
| Costa Rica (cr) | 6.90 | % |
| Honduras (hn) | 6.80 | % |
| Mexico (mx) | 5.30 | % |
| Canada (ca) | 5.00 | % |
| Guatemala (gt) | 5.00 | % |
Commodities :
| beef | coffee |
| gold | peanuts |
| shrimp and lobster | sugar |
| tobacco |
Value :
3 968 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 21.00 | % |
| Venezuela (ve) | 14.30 | % |
| Mexico (mx) | 8.40 | % |
| Costa Rica (cr) | 8.00 | % |
| China (cn) | 7.80 | % |
| Guatemala (gt) | 6.10 | % |
| El Salvador (sv) | 5.20 | % |
Commodities :
| consumer products | machinery and equipment |
| petroleum products | raw materials |
Currency-code :
NIO
Currency-name :
gold cordoba
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 312 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 3 039 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 32 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 3 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | ni | |
| Internet Hosts | 88 742 | |
| Internet Users | 185 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 11 | |
| Pipelines - oil | 54 | km |
| Roadways - total | 19 036 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 2 299 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 16 737 | km |
| Waterways | 2 220 | km |
Flag
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