World Atlas: Nicaragua. On this page you can see the map, country flag and many detailed information about the people, history and economy of Nicaragua.
Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Nicaragua. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Nicaragua. But let's start with the flag of Nicaragua here:
Nicaragua - Overview:
What you should know about Nicaragua? Let's start with this: 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 led by Daniel Ortega Saavedra to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador prompted the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. After losing free and fair elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, former Sandinista President Daniel Ortega was elected president in 2006, 2011, and most recently in 2016. Municipal, regional, and national-level elections since 2008 have been marred by widespread irregularities. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are being rebuilt, but democratic institutions have weakened under the Ortega administration as the president has garnered full control over all four branches of government: the presidency, the judicial, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Electoral Council.
Geography of Nicaragua
Where on the globe is Nicaragua? The location of this country is Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras. Total area of Nicaragua is 130,370 sq km, of which 119,990 sq km is land. So this is not a large country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes. The lowest point of Nicaragua is Pacific Ocean 0 m, the highest point Mogoton 2,085 m. And the climate is tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands.
Inhabitants of Nicaragua
Let's take a look how many people live in Nicaragua. The number is: 6,025,951 (July 2017 est.). So this is not very populous country. Who lives here? mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%. What are the languages in Nicaragua? Spanish (official) 95.3%, Miskito 2.2%, Mestizo of the Caribbean coast 2%, other 0.5%. And the religions: Roman Catholic 51.6%, Evangelical 33.9%, other 1.5%, unspecified 12.9%, none 0.2% (2016 est.). How old are the people in average? 25.7 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 73.5 years. Where the people live in Nicaragua? Here: 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. The major urban areas of Nicaragua are: Managua (capital) 956,000 (2015).
Government and Economy of Nicaragua
The capital of Nicaragua is Managua and the government type presidential republic. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - 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. Regarding the economy of Nicaragua, important industrial products are food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, knit and woven apparel, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood, electric wire harness manufacturing, mining. Important agricultural products are coffee, bananas, sugarcane, rice, corn, tobacco, cotton, sesame, soya, beans, beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, lobsters, peanuts. The most important export commodities are coffee, beef, gold, sugar, peanuts, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, cigars, automobile wiring harnesses, textiles, apparel and the most important export partners are US 51.5%, Mexico 13.8%, El Salvador 6%, Venezuela 5.9% (2016). The most important import commodities are consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products and the most important import partners are US 19.7%, China 12.9%, Mexico 9.7%, Costa Rica 7.8%, Guatemala 6.5%, Netherlands Antilles 5.7%, El Salvador 4.8% (2016). How rich is Nicaragua and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $5,800 (2017 est.). This is quite a low number. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: 29.6% (2015 est.).