Nicaragua
Republic of NicaraguaRepublica de Nicaragua
republicIndependence 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Nicaragua as the 2008 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 134 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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
20 fieldsLand useshare of 129,494 sq km
Location
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Terrain
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 1.3 cu km/yr (15%/2%/83%)
- per capita:
- 237 cu m/yr (2000)
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, Whaling
- 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
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2008 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2008 est.)
Male · female
Religions(2005 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 (2008 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- intermediate
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- vectorborne disease:
- dengue fever and malaria
- water contact disease:
- leptospirosis (2008)
Languages
Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
Government
Republic; President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007)
18 fieldsNational Assembly or Asamblea Nacional, 92 seats, elected 5 November 2006one dot, one seat
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 autonoma);
- Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas
Legal system
- civil law system;
- Supreme Court may review administrative acts;
- accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007);
- Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007);
- note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
- head of government:
- President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007)
- 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 so long as it is not consecutive);
- election last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011)
- election results:
- Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra elected president - 38.07%, Eduardo MONTEALEGRE 29%, Jose RIZO 26.21%, Edmundo JARQUIN 6.44%
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; 90 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 de Justicia (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)
Political parties and leaders
- Conservative Party or PC [Azalia AVILES Salmeron];
- Liberal Constitutionalist Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant];
- Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE];
- Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra];
- Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [Enrique SAENZ Navarrete]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- National Workers Front or FNT (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 (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 (an independent labor union);
- Superior Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP (a confederation of business groups)
International organization participation
BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Arturo CRUZ Sequeira, Jr.
- 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 5.5 Carretera Sur, Managua
- mailing address:
- American Embassy Managua, APO AA 34021
- telephone:
- [505] 252-7100, 252-7888; 252-7634 (after hours)
- FAX:
- [505] 252-7304
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 has widespread underemployment, one of the highest degrees of income inequality in the world, and the third lowest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere.
49 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2007 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Nicaragua has widespread underemployment, one of the highest degrees of income inequality in the world, and the third lowest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere. While the country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in the past few years, annual GDP 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.
In early 2004, Nicaragua secured some $4.5 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in October 2007, the IMF approved a new poverty reduction and growth facility (PRGF) program that should create fiscal space for social spending and investment.
The continuity of a relationship with the IMF reinforces donor confidence, despite private sector concerns surrounding ORTEGA, which has dampened investment. The US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has been in effect since April 2006 and has expanded export opportunities for many agricultural and manufactured goods. Energy shortages fueled by high oil prices, however, are a serious bottleneck to growth.
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
Exchange rates
gold cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- system being upgraded by foreign investment;
- nearly all installed telecommunications capacity now uses digital technology, owing to investments since privatization of the formerly state-owned telecommunications company
- domestic:
- since privatization, access to fixed-line and mobile-cellular services has improved but teledensity still lags behind other Central American countries;
- connected to Central American Microwave System
- international:
- country code - 505;
- the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber optic submarine cable provides connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;
- satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Transportation
8 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Military
National Army of Nicaragua (ENN; includes Navy, Air Force) (2008)
6 fieldsMilitary service age and obligation
17 years of age for voluntary military service; tour of duty 18-36 months (2008)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49:
- 1,513,312
- females age 16-49:
- 1,507,999 (2008 est.)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western Caribbean Sea, final public hearings are scheduled for 2007;
- 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Nicaragua.” The World Factbook 2008. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/nicaragua/2008.