Nicaragua

Republic of NicaraguaRepublica de Nicaragua

republicIndependence 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Nicaragua as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 122 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalManagua, UTC-6
Position13 00 N, 85 00 W
Area129,494 sq km
LocationCentral America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
2006

Every edition of Nicaragua

Populationas each edition published it
5.57 million July 2006 est. · 3.72m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.89% 2006 est. · 2.74% in 1993
Median ageyears
20.9 years 2006 est. · 20.4 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
70.63 years 2006 est. · 63.5 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.75 children per woman 2006 est. · 5 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
28.11 deaths per 1,000 live births 2006 est. · 68 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$2,900 2005 est. · $425 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
4% 2005 est. · 0.5% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt.

Geography

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

18 fields

Land useshare of 129,494 sq km

arable land 14.81%permanent crops 1.82%other 83.37% (2005)irrigated 610 sq km (2003)
Area
129,494sq km
land: 120,254 sq kmwater: 9,240 sq kmslightly smaller than the state of New York
Coastline
910km
territorial sea: 200 nmcontinental shelf: natural prolongation
Highest point
2,438m
Mogotonlowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Land boundaries
1,231km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Location

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Geographic coordinates

13 00 N, 85 00 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Climate

tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Terrain

extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes

Natural resources

gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

Natural hazards

destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes

Environment - current issues

  • deforestation;
  • soil erosion;
  • water pollution

Environment - international agreements

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

largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

People

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)

76,758
65 and over3.1%
97,855
1,677,633
15-6460.5%
1,691,353
1,031,897
0-1436.4%
994,633
MaleFemale
Population
5,570,129
(July 2006 est.)growth rate: 1.89% (2006 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)

Birth
24.51Death
4.45Net migration
-1.17

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2006 est.)70.63
68.55 · 72.81Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)28.11
31.51 · 24.54
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2003 est.)67.5%
67.2% · 67.8%Median age years (2006 est.)20.9
20.5 · 21.4
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%white 17%black 9%Amerindian 5%

Religions(1995 census)

Roman Catholic 72.9%Evangelical 15.1%Moravian 1.5%Episcopal 0.1%other 1.9%none 8.5% (1995 census)

Sex ratio

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 (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.75 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Nicaraguan(s)
adjective:
Nicaraguan

Languages

Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast

Government

Republic; President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002)

18 fields

National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional, 92 seats, elected 5 November 2006one dot, one seat

FSLN 38PLC 25ALN (22 plus one for presidential candidate Eduardo MONTEALEGRE, runner-up in the 2006 presidential election) 23MRS 5APRE (outgoing President Enrique BOLANOS) 1

Country name

conventional long form:
Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form:
Nicaragua
local long form:
Republica de Nicaragua
local short form:
Nicaragua

Capital

name:
Managua
geographic coordinates:
12 09 N, 86 17 W
time difference:
UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution

9 January 1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
  • President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002);
  • Vice President Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo (since 10 October 2005);
  • note - the president is both chief of state and head of government;
  • Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo was elected Vice President by the deputies of the National Assembly after Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon resigned on 27 September 2005
head of government:
President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo (since 10 October 2005)
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 (eligible for a second term);
  • election last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011)
election results:
  • Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) elected president - 38.07%, Eduardo MONTEALEGRE (ALN) 29%, Jose RIZO (PLC) 26.21%, Edmundo JARQUIN (MRS) 6.44%;
  • note - ORTEGA will take office 10 January 2007

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; members are elected by proportional representation and party lists to serve five-year terms; 1 seat for the previous president, 1 seat for the runner-up in previous presidential election)

elections:
last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FSLN 38, PLC 25, ALN 23 (22 plus one for presidential candidate Eduardo MONTEALEGRE, runner-up in the 2006 presidential election), MRS 5, APRE 1 (outgoing President Enrique BOLANOS)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders

  • Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Miguel LOPEZ Baldizon];
  • Central American Unionist Party or PUCA [Blanca ROJAS];
  • Christian Alternative Party or AC [Orlando TARDENCILLA Espinoza];
  • Conservative Party or PC [Mario Sebastian RAPPACCIOLI];
  • Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Anibal MARTINEZ Nunez, Pedro REYES Vallejos];
  • Independent Liberal Party for National Unity or PLIUN [Carlos GUERRA Gallardo];
  • Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant];
  • Liberal Salvation Movement or MSL [Eliseo NUNEZ Hernandez];
  • New Liberal Party or PALI [Adolfo GARCIA Esquivel];
  • Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE];
  • 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 [Dora Maria TELLEZ];
  • Unity Alliance or AU

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • 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

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, 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

chief of mission:
Ambassador Salvador STADTHAGEN
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

chief of mission:
Ambassador Paul A. TRIVELLI
embassy:
Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua
mailing address:
P.O. Box 327
telephone:
[505] 266-6010
FAX:
[505] 266-3861

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

Economy

Nicaragua, one of the Western Hemisphere's poorest countries, has low per capita income, widespread underemployment, and a heavy external debt burden.

42 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$16.1billion
(2005 est.)official exchange rate: $5.03 billion (2005 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
$2,900
(2005 est.)
Real growth rate
4%
(2005 est.)industrial production growth: 2.4% (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2005 est.)

agriculture 16.5%industry 27.5%services 56% (2005 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

60.7%
US
19.6%
8.6%
Mexico
10.3%
Venezuela
9.5%
Costa Rica
8.5%
Guatemala
6.7%
6.2%
El Salvador
4.5%
South Korea
4.1%
Exports $1.55 billion f.o.b. ; note - includes free trade zones (2005 est.)Imports $2.865 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)(2005)

Budget

Revenues
$1.134 billionExpenditures
$1.358 billion (2005 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

Electricity production
2.887 billion (2004)Electricity consumption
1.848 billion (2004)Electricity exports
21.8 million (2004)Electricity imports
23.3 million (2004)

Economy - overview

Nicaragua, one of the Western Hemisphere's poorest countries, has low per capita income, widespread underemployment, and a heavy external debt burden. Distribution of income is one of the most unequal on the globe. While the country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in the past few years, GDP annual growth has been far too low to meet the country's needs, forcing the country to rely on international economic assistance to meet fiscal and debt financing obligations.

Nicaragua qualified in early 2004 for some $4.5 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative because of its earlier successful performances under its International Monetary Fund policy program and other efforts. In October 2005, Nicaragua ratified the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which will provide an opportunity for Nicaragua to attract investment, create jobs, and deepen economic development. High oil prices helped drive inflation to 9.6% in 2005, leading to a fall in real GDP growth to 4% from over 5% in 2004.

Labor force

2.01 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:
30.5%
industry:
17.3%
services:
52.2% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

5.6% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
1.2%
highest 10%:
45% (2001)

Investment (gross fixed)

27% of GDP (2005 est.)

Public debt

82.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

  • coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans;
  • beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products;
  • shrimp, lobsters

Industries

food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood

Oil - production

14,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports

758.9 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports

15,560 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Current account balance

$-835 million (2005 est.)

Exports

$1.55 billion f.o.b.; note - includes free trade zones (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts

Imports

$2.865 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities

consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$727.8 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$3.188 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$419.5 million (2005 est.)

Currency (code)

gold cordoba (NIO)

Exchange rates

gold cordobas per US dollar - 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002), 13.372 (2001)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields
Mobile cellular
1.119 million
(2005)
Internet users
24,452
(2006)
Fixed lines
220,900
(2005) · country code .ni

Telephone system

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

AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)

Television broadcast stations

3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997)

Internet users

140,000 (2005)

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

3
2,438 to 3,047 m
2
1,524 to 2,437 m
1
3
914 to 1,523 m
23
3
under 914 m
141
Paved 11Unpaved 165

Networkskm

Roadways
19,036Railways
6Waterways
2,220 (2005)
Roadways: paved: 2,299 km · unpaved: 16,737 km (2005) · Railways: narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) · Waterways: (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua)

Airports

176 (2006)

Pipelines

oil 54 km (2006)

Railways

total:
6 km
narrow gauge:
6 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)

Roadways

total:
19,036 km
paved:
2,299 km
unpaved:
16,737 km (2005)

Waterways

2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2005)

Ports and terminals

Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff

Military

Army (includes Navy, Air Force)

6 fields

Military branches

Army (includes Navy, Air Force)

Military service age and obligation

17 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Manpower available for military service

males age 17-49:
1,309,970
females age 17-49:
1,315,186 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 17-49:
1,051,425
females age 17-49:
1,129,649 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49:
65,170
females age 17-49:
63,133 (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Disputes - international

  • 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

transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing

Central Intelligence Agency. “Nicaragua.” The World Factbook 2006. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/nicaragua/2006.

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