Nicaragua

• the overwhelming majority of the population resides in the western half of the country, with much of the urban growth centered in the capital city of Managua;
• coastal areas also show large population clusters

• destructive earthquakes;
• volcanoes;
• landslides;
• extremely susceptible to hurricanes

volcanism:

• significant volcanic activity;
• Cerro Negro (728 m), which last erupted in 1999, is one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes;
• its lava flows and ash have been known to cause significant damage to farmland and buildings;
• other historically active volcanoes include
  • Concepcion,
  • Cosiguina,
  • Las Pilas,
  • Masaya,
  • Momotombo,
  • San Cristobal,
  • and Telica

noun:

Nicaraguan(s)

adjective:

Nicaraguan

total:

29 years (2024 est.)

male:

28.1 years

female:

29.9 years

• the overwhelming majority of the population resides in the western half of the country, with much of the urban growth centered in the capital city of Managua;
• coastal areas also show large population clusters

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.8 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

14.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

15.9 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

12.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

74.7 years (2024 est.)

male:

73.2 years

female:

76.4 years

total:

3.69 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

1.57 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

2.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• water pollution;
• drought

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

urban population:

59.8% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

16 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

5.59 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

6.46 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal:

286 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

50 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

1.08 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

1

global geoparks and regional networks:

Rio Coco (2023)

conventional long form:

Republic of Nicaragua

conventional short form:

Nicaragua

local long form:

República de Nicaragua

local short form:

Nicaragua

etymology:

• Nicarao was the name of the largest indigenous settlement at the time of Spanish arrival;
• conquistador Gil GONZALEZ Davila, who explored the area (1622-23), combined the name of the community with the Spanish word "agua" (water), referring to the two large lakes in the west of the country (Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua)

name:

Managua

geographic coordinates:

12 08 N, 86 15 W

time difference:

UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

• may derive from the indigenous Nahuatl term "mana-ahuac," which translates as "adjacent to the water" or a site "surrounded by water";
• the city is situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Managua

• 15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonoma);
• Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Costa Caribe Norte*, Costa Caribe Sur*, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

history:

several previous; latest adopted 19 November 1986, effective 9 January 1987

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic or assent of at least half of the National Assembly membership;
• passage requires approval by 60% of the membership of the next elected Assembly and promulgation by the president of the republic;
• amended several times, last in 2021

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

no, except in cases where bilateral agreements exist

residency requirement for naturalization:

4 years

chief of state:

President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007)

head of government:

President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by qualified plurality vote for a 5-year term (no term limits);
• election last held on 7 November 2021 (next to be held on 1 November 2026)

election results:

• 2021: Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra reelected president for a fourth consecutive term;
• percent of vote - Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 75.9%, Walter ESPINOZA (PLC) 14.3%, Guillermo OSORNO (CCN) 3.3%, Marcelo MONTIEL (ALN) 3.1%, other 3.4%

;

• 2016: Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra reelected president for a third consecutive term;
• percent of vote - Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 72.4%, Maximino RODRIGUEZ (PLC) 15%, Jose del Carmen ALVARADO (PLI) 4.5%, Saturnino CERRATO Hodgson (ALN) 4.3%, other 3.7%

note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

description:

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 statutory seats, current 91; 70 members in multi-seat constituencies, representing the country's 15 departments and 2 autonomous regions, and 20 members in a single nationwide constituency directly elected by party-list proportional representation vote; up to 2 seats reserved for the previous president and the runner-up candidate in the previous presidential election; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 7 November 2021 (next to be held on 1 November 2026)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - FSLN 75, PLC 9, ALN 2, APRE 1, CCN 1, PLI 1, YATAMA 1;
• composition - men 42, women 49, percentage women 53.9%

highest court(s):

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 16 judges organized into administrative, civil, criminal, and constitutional chambers)

judge selection and term of office:

Supreme Court judges elected by the National Assembly to serve 5-year staggered terms

subordinate courts:

• Appeals Court;
• first instance civil, criminal, and labor courts;
• military courts are independent of the Supreme Court

• Alliance for the Republic or APRE
• Alternative for Change or AC (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN)
• Autonomous Liberal Party or PAL
• Caribbean Unity Movement or PAMUC
• Christian Unity Party or PUC (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN)
• Independent Liberal Party or PLI
• Liberal Constitutionalist Party or PLC
• Moskitia Indigenous Progressive Movement or MOSKITIA PAWANKA (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN)
• Multiethnic Indigenous Party or PIM (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN)
• Nationalist Liberal Party or PLN (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN)
• Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN
• Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path or CCN
• Nicaraguan Resistance Party or PRN (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN)
• Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN
• Sons of Mother Earth or YATAMA
• The New Sons of Mother Earth Movement or MYATAMARAN (operates in a political alliance with the FSLN)

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires M. Lautaro SANDINO Montes (since 23 February 2024)

chancery:

1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:

[1] (202) 939-6570

FAX:

[1] (202) 939-6545

email address and website:

[email protected]; United States of America; ConsuladoDeNicaragua.com

consulate(s) general:

Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Kevin Michael O'REILLY (since 28 June 2023)

embassy:

Kilometer 5.5 Carretera Sur, Managua

mailing address:

3240 Managua Place, Washington DC 20521-3240

telephone:

[505] 2252-7100,

FAX:

[505] 2252-7250

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://ni.usembassy.gov/

name:

"Salve a ti, Nicaragua" (Hail to Thee, Nicaragua)

lyrics/music:

Salomon Ibarra MAYORGA/traditional, arranged by Luis Abraham DELGADILLO

note: although only officially adopted in 1971, the music was approved in 1918 and the lyrics in 1939; the tune, originally from Spain, was used as an anthem for Nicaragua from the 1830s until 1876

total World Heritage Sites:

2 (both cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Ruins of León Viejo; León Cathedral

• low-income Central American economy;
• until 2018, nearly 20 years of sustained GDP growth;
• recent struggles due to COVID-19, political instability, and hurricanes;
• significant remittances;
• increasing poverty and food scarcity since 2005;
• sanctions limit investment

Fitch rating:

B- (2018)

Moody's rating:

B3 (2020)

Standard & Poors rating: B- (2018)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture:

15.3% (2023 est.)

industry:

27.3% (2023 est.)

services:

46.3% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

9.5% (2023 est.)

male:

8.3% (2023 est.)

female:

12.6% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

2% (2014 est.)

highest 10%:

37.2% (2014 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

total petroleum production:

200 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

36,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

general assessment:

• Nicaragua’s telecoms market has mirrored the country’s poor economic achievements, with fixed-line teledensity and mobile penetration also being the lowest in Central America;
• the fixed line broadband market remains nascent, with population penetration below 4%;
• most internet users are concentrated in the largest cities, given that rural and marginal areas lack access to the most basic telecom infrastructure;
• internet cafés provide public access to internet and email services, but these also tend to be restricted to the larger population centers;
• to address poor infrastructure, the World Bank has funded a project aimed at improving connectivity via a national fiber broadband network;
• there are separate schemes to improve broadband in eastern regions and provide links to Caribbean submarine cables;
• the number of mobile subscribers overtook the number of fixed lines in early 2002, and the mobile sector now accounts for most lines in service (2021)

domestic:

fixed-line teledensity is 3 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership is 91 per 100 persons (2021)

international:

• country code - 505;
• landing point for the ARCOS fiber-optic submarine cable which 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) (2019)

• multiple terrestrial TV stations, supplemented by cable TV in most urban areas;
• nearly all are government-owned or affiliated;
• more than 300 radio stations, both government-affiliated and privately owned (2019)

total:

24,033 km

paved:

3,447 km

unpaved:

20,586 km (2013)

total ports:

5 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

2

very small:

3

ports with oil terminals:

4

key ports:

Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino

• the military's air and ground force inventories include mostly secondhand Russian or Soviet-era equipment;
• its naval force has a miscellaneous mix of patrol boats from several foreign suppliers, as well as some commercial vessels converted into gunboats domestically (2024)

note: in 2024, the US imposed restrictions on the import and export of US origin defense articles and defense services destined for or originating in Nicaragua

• 18-30 years of age for voluntary military service;
• no conscription;
• tour of duty 18-36 months (2024)

tier rating:

• Tier 3 — Nicaragua does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Nicaragua remained on Tier 3;
• for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/nicaragua/