Map of Nicaragua | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | 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: Central America, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean, South America

Area
Total: land: 120,254 km²

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

Coastline: 910 km
Contiguous zone: 25 nm security zone (status of claim uncertain)
Continental shelf: not specified
Territorial sea: 200 nm

Maritime claims

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
Arable land: 9%
Permanent crops: 1%
Meadows and pastures: 43%
Forest and woodland: 35%
Other: 12%

Irrigated land: 850 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 3,987,240 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 2.74% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Nicaraguan(s)
Adjective: Nicaraguan

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

Languages: Spanish (official)

Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant 5%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.74% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 35.61 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 6.94 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.25 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

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: 54.8 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)
Total population: 63.5 years
Male: 60.7 years
Female: 66.41 years (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 4.48 children born/woman (1993 est.)

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: age 15 and over can read and write (1971)
Total population: 57%
Male: 57%
Female: 57%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
Conventional short form: Nicaragua
Local long form: Republica de Nicaragua
Local short form: Nicaragua

Government type: republic

Capital: Managua

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday
Independence Day 15 September 1821 ruling coalition:
National Democratic Movement MDN Roberto URROZ; National Action Party PAN Duilio BALTODANO; NOU hardline parties:
Esquivel opposition parties:

Constitution: January 1987

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal

Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto MAYORGA (since January 1993)
In the us chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: (202) 939-6,570
From the us chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Ronald GODARD
From the us embassy: Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur., Managua
From the us mailing address: APO AA 34,021
From the us telephone: 505 (2) 666,010 or 666,013, 666,015 through 18, 666,026, 666,027, 666,032 through 34
From the us fax: 505 (2) 666,046

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 CHAMORRO government has pledged to greatly reduce intervention. Four private banks have been licensed, and the government has liberalized foreign trade and abolished price controls on most goods. In early 1993, fewer than 50% of the agricultural and industrial firms remain state owned. Sandinista economic policies and the war had 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 and 4% in 1990, and remained about even in 1991-92. The agricultural sector employs 44% of the work force and accounts for 15% of GDP and 80% of export earnings. Industry, which employs 13% of the work force and contributes about 25% to GDP, showed a drop of 7% in 1989, fell slightly in 1990, and remained flat in 1991-92; output still is below pre-1979 levels. External debt is one of the highest in the world on a per capita basis. In 1992 the inflation rate was 8%, down sharply from the 766% of 1991.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0.5% (1992 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 15% 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; normally self-sufficient in food

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

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate NA%; accounts for about 25% of GDP

Labor force: 1.086 million
By occupation service: 43%
By occupation agriculture: 44%
By occupation industry: 13% (1986)

Unemployment rate: 13% underemployment 50% (1991)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $347 million; expenditures $499 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (1991)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

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: $280 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: coffee, cotton, sugar, bananas, seafood, meat, chemicals
Partners: OECD 75%, USSR and Eastern Europe 15%, other 10%

Imports: $720 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: petroleum, food, chemicals, machinery, clothing
Partners: Latin America 30%, US 25%, EC 20%, USSR and Eastern Europe 10%, other 15% (1990 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: cordobas (C$) per US$1 - 6 (10 January 1993), 25,000,000 (March 1992), 21,354,000 (1991), 15,655 (1989), 270 (1988), 102.60 (1987; note - new gold cordoba issued in 1992


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 434,000 kW capacity; 1,118 million kWh produced, 290 kWh per capita (1992)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $40 million, 2.7% of GDP (1992 budget)

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: 226
Usable: 151
With permanentsurface runways: 11
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 2
With runways 1220-2439 m: 12

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 56 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 2,220 km, including 2 large lakes

Merchant marine:

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: minor transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US