Map of Nicaragua | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Settled as a colony of Spain in the 1520s Nicaragua gained its independence in 1821. 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 saw the Sandinistas defeated.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries: 1,231 km total; Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Coastline: 910 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 25 nm security zone (status of claim uncertain)
Continental shelf: not specified
Territorial sea: 200 nm

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

Natural resources: gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

Land use: 9% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 43% meadows and pastures; 35% forest and woodland; 12% other; including 1% irrigated

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 3,722,683 (July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)

Nationality: noun--Nicaraguan(s; adjective--Nicaraguan

Ethnic groups: 69% mestizo, 17% white, 9% black, 5% Indian

Languages: Spanish (official; English- and Indian-speaking minorities on Atlantic coast

Religions: 95% Roman Catholic, 5% Protestant

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 40 births/1000 population (1990)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: - 3 migrants/1000 population (1990)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: subject to destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and occasional severe hurricanes; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 68 deaths/1000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 62 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born/woman (1990)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 88% (1981)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua

Government type: republic

Capital: Managua

Administrative divisions: 9 administrative regions encompassing 17 departments (departamentos, singular--departamento; North, Atlantic Coast, South, Atlantic Coast, Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

Dependent areas

Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution: January 1987

Legal system: civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 16

Executive branch: Chief of State and Head of Government--President-Elect Violeta Barios de CHAMORRO (since 25 February 1990; takes office 25 April 1990; Vice President-elect Virgilio GODOY (since 25 February 1990; takes office 25 April 1990)

Legislative branch: Sandinista Popular Army, Sandinista Navy, Sandinista Air Force/Air Defense, Sandinista People's Militia

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema) and municipal courts

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: CACM, CEMA (observer), FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS, ODECA, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPEB, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Charge d'Affaires Leonor Arguello de HUPER; Chancery at 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20,009; telephone (202) 387-4,371 or 4,372; US--Charge d'Affaires John P. LEONARD; Embassy at Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua (mailing address is APO Miami 34,021; telephone p505o (2) 66,010 or 66,013, 66,015 through 66,018, 66,026, 66,027, 66,032 through 66,034; note--Nicaragua expelled the US Ambassador on 11 July 1988, and the US expelled the Nicaraguan Ambassador on 12 July 1988

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Government control of the economy historically has been extensive, although the new government has pledged to reduce it. The financial system is directly controlled by the state, which also regulates wholesale purchasing, production, sales, foreign trade, and distribution of most goods. Over 50% of the agricultural and industrial firms are state owned. Sandinista economic policies and the war have produced a severe economic crisis. The foundation of the economy continues to be the export of agricultural commodities, largely coffee and cotton. Farm production fell by roughly 7% in 1989, the fifth successive year of decline. The agricultural sector employs 44% of the work force and accounts for 23% of GDP and 86% of export earnings. Industry, which employs 13% of the work force and contributes 26% to GDP, showed a sharp drop of - 23% in 1988 and remains below pre-1979 levels. External debt is one of the highest in the world on a per capita basis. In 1989 the annual inflation rate was 1,700%, down from a record 16,000% in 1988. Shortages of basic consumer goods are widespread.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 23% of GDP and 44% of work force; cash crops--coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton; food crops--rice, corn, cassava, citrus fruit, beans; variety of animal products--beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy; while normally self-sufficient in food, war-induced shortages now exist

Industries: food processing, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear

Industrial production growth rate: - 23% (1988 est.)

Labor force:

Unemployment rate: 25% (1989)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $0.9 billion; expenditures $1.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.15 billion (1987)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $250 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
Commodities: coffee, cotton, sugar, bananas, seafood, meat, chemicals
Partners: CEMA 15%, OECD 75%, others 10%

Imports: $550 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.)
Commodities: petroleum, food, chemicals, machinery, clothing
Partners: CEMA 55%, EC 20%, Latin America 10%, others 10%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $8 billion (year end 1988)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: cordobas (C$) per US$1--65,000 (February 1990) is the free market rate; official rate is 46,000 (February 1990), 270 (1988), 0.103 (1987), 0.097 (1986), 0.039 (1985)


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Electricity
Capacity: 415,000 kW capacity; 1,340 million kWh produced, 380 kWh per capita (1989)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: NA

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 261 total, 169 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil, 56 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 2,220 km, including 2 large lakes

Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,161 GRT/2,500 DWT

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs