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 Geography
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This page was last updated on 28 July, 2005


Map of Nicaragua



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Nicaragua
Background:
Definition Field Listing
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.
   Geography    Nicaragua
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
13 00 N, 85 00 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 129,494 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km
water: 9,240 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than the state of New York
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
910 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: natural prolongation
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 15.94%
permanent crops: 1.94%
other: 82.12% (2001)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
880 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
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
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua
   People    Nicaragua
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5,465,100 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
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.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 20.56 years
male: 20.15 years
female: 20.98 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
1.92% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
24.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
-1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
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.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
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.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 70.33 years
male: 68.27 years
female: 72.49 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.81 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6,400 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
less than 500 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.5%
male: 67.2%
female: 67.8% (2003 est.)
   Government    Nicaragua
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua
local long form: Republica de Nicaragua
local short form: Nicaragua
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
Managua
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
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:
Definition Field Listing
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
9 January 1987, with reforms in 1995 and 2000
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
16 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
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
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
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
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
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]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
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
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
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
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
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
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
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
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
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
   Economy    Nicaragua
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
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.
GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $12.34 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 20.7%
industry: 24.7%
services: 54.6% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
28% of GDP (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
50% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 45% (2001)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
55.1 (2001)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.3% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.93 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture 30.5%, industry 17.3%, services 52.2% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.8% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2003 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $725.5 million
expenditures: $1.039 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
69.5% of GDP (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.4% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.553 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.318 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
6.8 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
15.3 million kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
25,770 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
738 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
27,950 bbl/day (2003)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$-843.1 million (2004 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$750 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 63.5%, El Salvador 9%, Costa Rica 4.2% (2004)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2.02 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 26.3%, Venezuela 9.6%, Costa Rica 7.5%, Mexico 7.1%, Guatemala 6.1%, El Salvador 4.1% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$670 million (2004 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$4.573 billion (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$541.8 million (2003)
Currency:
Definition Field Listing
gold cordoba (NIO)
Currency code:
Definition Field Listing
NIO
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
gold cordobas per US dollar - 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002), 13.372 (2001), 12.684 (2000)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Nicaragua
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
171,600 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
202,800 (2002)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
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)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.ni
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7,094 (2003)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
90,000 (2002)
   Transportation    Nicaragua
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 6 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)
Highways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 18,712 km
paved: 2,126 km
unpaved: 16,586 km (2002)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (1997)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
oil 54 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Definition Field Listing
Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
176 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
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.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 141 (2004 est.)
   Military    Nicaragua
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Army (includes Navy, Air Force)
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
17 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Military manpower - availability:
Definition Field Listing
males age 17-49: 1,309,970 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 17-49: 1,051,425 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males: 65,170 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$32.8 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.7% (2004)
   Transnational Issues    Nicaragua
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
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
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing

This page was last updated on 28 July, 2005


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