1995 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1995 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 129,494 sq km land area: 120,254 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than New York State
Climate
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Coastline
910 km
Environment
current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution natural hazards: destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and occasionally severe hurricanes international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
International disputes
territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; with respect to the maritime boundary question in the Golfo de Fonseca, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) referred the disputants to an earlier agreement in this century and advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua likely would be required
Irrigated land
850 sq km (1989 est.)
Land boundaries
total 1,231 km, Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
Land use
arable land: 9% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 43% forest and woodland: 35% other: 12%
Location
Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 25-nm security zone continental shelf: natural prolongation territorial sea: 200 nm
Natural resources
gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
Terrain
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 44% (female 921,356; male 930,594) 15-64 years: 53% (female 1,146,485; male 1,097,811) 65 years and over: 3% (female 62,607; male 47,500) (July 1995 est.)
Birth rate
33.73 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate
6.45 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Ethnic divisions
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and Caucasian) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Indian 5%
Infant mortality rate
50.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Labor force
1.086 million by occupation: services 43%, agriculture 44%, industry 13% (1986)
Languages
Spanish (official) note: English- and Indian-speaking minorities on Atlantic coast
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 64.54 years male: 61.67 years female: 67.53 years (1995 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1971) total population: 57% male: 57% female: 57%
Nationality
noun: Nicaraguan(s) adjective: Nicaraguan
Net migration rate
-1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Population
4,206,353 (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate
2.61% (1995 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant 5%
Total fertility rate
4.17 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
16 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas, Zelaya
Capital
Managua
Constitution
9 January 1987
Digraph
NU
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto Genaro MAYORGA Cortes chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco
Executive branch
chief of state and head of government: President Violeta Barrios de CHAMORRO (since 25 April 1990); Vice President Virgilio GODOY Reyes (since 25 April 1990); election last held 25 February 1990 (next to be held November 1996); results - Violeta Barrios de CHAMORRO (UNO) 54.7%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 40.8%, other 4.5% cabinet: Cabinet
FAX
[505] (2) 666046
Flag
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
Independence
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Legal system
civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts
Legislative branch
unicameral
Member of
BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Names
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua conventional short form: Nicaragua local long form: Republica de Nicaragua local short form: Nicaragua
National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)
elections last held 25 February 1990 (next to be held November 1996); results - UNO 53.9%, FSLN 40.8%, PSC 1.6%, MUR 1.0%; seats - (92 total) UNO 41, FSLN 39, "Centrist" (Dissident UNO) 12
National holiday
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Other political or pressure groups
National Workers Front (FNT) is a
Political parties and leaders
far right: Liberal Constitutionalist Party* (PLC), Arnold ALEMAN; Conservative Popular Alliance Party (APC), Myriam ARGUELLO; Central American Unionist Party (PUCA), Blanca ROJAS Echaverry; Independent Liberal Party for National Unity (PLUIN), Alfonso MOCADO Guillen; Conservative Party of Nicaragua (PCN - formed in 1992 by the merger of the Conservative Social Party (PSC) with the Democratic Conservative Party (PCD) and PCL, the Conservative party of Labor), Fernando AGUERO; National Justice Party (PJN), Jorge DIAZ Cruz; National Conservative Party* (PNC), Adolfo CALERO center right: Neoliberal Party* (PALI), Adolfo GARCIA Esquivel; National Action Party* (PAN), Delvis MONTIEL; Independent Liberal Party* (PLI), Wilfredo NAVARRO center left: Christian Democratic Union (UDC), Luis Humberto GUZMAN; Nicaraguan Democratic Movement (MDN), Roberto URROZ; Social Democratic Party (PSD), Adolfo JARQUIN; Movement of Revolutionary Unity (MUR), Pablo HERNANDEZ; Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS), Sergio RAMIREZ; Democratic Action Movement (MAD), Eden PASTORA; Communist Party of Nicaragua* (PCdeN), Eli ALTIMIRANO Perez far left: Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), Daniel ORTEGA; Revolutionary Workers' Party (PRT), Bonifacio MIRANDA; Popular Action Movement-Marxist-Leninist (MAP-ML), Isidro TELLEZ; Nicaraguan Socialist Party (PSN), Gustavo TABLADA; Unidad Nicaraguense de Obreros, Campesinos, y Profesionales (UNOCP), Rosalio GONZALEZ Urbina note: parties marked with an asterisk belong to the National Opposition Union (UNO), an alliance of moderate parties, which, however, does not always follow a unified political agenda
Sandinista umbrella group of eight labor unions
Sandinista Workers' Central (CST); Farm Workers Association (ATC); Health Workers Federation (FETASALUD); National Union of Employees (UNE); National Association of Educators of Nicaragua (ANDEN); Union of Journalists of Nicaragua (UPN); Heroes and Martyrs Confederation of Professional Associations (CONAPRO); and the National Union of Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG); Permanent Congress of Workers (CPT) is an umbrella group of four non-Sandinista labor unions: Confederation of Labor Unification (CUS); Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers' Central (CTN-A); Independent General Confederation of Labor (CGT-I); and Labor Action and Unity Central (CAUS); Nicaraguan Workers' Central (CTN) is an independent labor union; Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) is a confederation of business groups
Suffrage
16 years of age; universal
Type
republic
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Ambassador John F. MAISTO embassy: Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur., Managua mailing address: APO AA 34021 telephone: [505] (2) 666010, 666013, 666015 through 18, 666026, 666027, 666032 through 34
Economy
Agriculture
crops account for about 15% of GDP; export crops - coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton; food crops - rice, corn, cassava, citrus fruit, beans; also produces a variety of animal products - beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; normally self-sufficient in food
Budget
revenues: $375 million (1992) expenditures: $410 million (1992), including capital expenditures of $115 million (1991 est.)
Currency
1 gold cordoba (C$) = 100 centavos
Economic aid
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-92), $620 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.381 billion
Electricity
capacity: 460,000 kW production: 1.6 billion kWh consumption per capita: 376 kWh (1993)
Exchange rates
gold cordobas (C$) per US$1 - 7.08 (December 1994), 6.72 (1994), 5.62 (1993), 5.00 (1992); note - gold cordoba replaced cordoba as Nicaragua's currency in 1991 (exchange rate of old cordoba had reached per US$1 - 25,000,000 by March 1992)
Exports
$329 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: meat, coffee, cotton, sugar, seafood, gold, bananas partners: US, Central America, Canada, Germany
External debt
$11 billion (1993)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Illicit drugs
transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US
Imports
$786 million (c.i.f., 1994 est.) commodities: consumer goods, machinery and equipment, petroleum products partners: Central America, US, Venezuela, Japan
Industrial production
growth rate -0.8% (1993 est.); accounts for 26% of GDP
Industries
food processing, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
19.5% (1994 est.)
National product
GDP - purchasing power parity - $6.4 billion (1994 est.)
National product per capita
$1,570 (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate
3.2% (1994 est.)
Overview
Since March 1991, when President CHAMORRO began an ambitious economic stabilization program, Nicaragua has had considerable success in reducing inflation and obtaining substantial economic aid from abroad. Annual inflation fell from more than 750% in 1991 to less than 5% in 1992. Inflation rose again to an estimated 20% in 1993, although this increase was due almost entirely to a large currency devaluation in January. As of early 1994, the government was close to finalizing an enhanced structural adjustment facility with the IMF, after the previous standby facility expired in early 1993. Despite these successes, achieving overall economic growth in an economy scarred by misguided economic values and civil war during the 1980s has proved elusive. Economic growth was flat in 1992 and slightly negative in 1993. Nicaragua's per capita foreign debt is one of the highest in the world; nonetheless, as of late 1993, Nicaragua was current on its post-1988 debt as well as on payments to the international financial institutions. Definition of property rights remains a problem; ownership disputes over large tracts of land, businesses, and homes confiscated by the previous government have yet to be resolved. A rise in exports of coffee and other products led growth in 1994.
Unemployment rate
21.8%; underemployment 50% (1993)
Communications
Radio
broadcast stations: AM 45, FM 0, shortwave 3 radios: NA
Telephone system
60,000 telephones; low-capacity radio relay and wire system being expanded; connection into Central American Microwave System local: NA intercity: wire and radio relay international: 1 Intersputnik and 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station
Television
broadcast stations: 7 televisions: NA
Transportation
Airports
total: 198 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3 with paved runways under 914 m: 149 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 2 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 39
Highways
total: 15,286 km paved: 1,598 km unpaved: 13,688 km note: there is a 368.5 km portion of the Pan-American Highway which is not in the total
Inland waterways
2,220 km, including 2 large lakes
Merchant marine
none
Pipelines
crude oil 56 km
Ports
Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur
Railroads
total: 376 km; note - majority of system is nonoperational standard gauge: 3 km 1.435-m gauge line at Puerto Cabezas; note - does not connect with mainline narrow gauge: 373 km 1.067-m gauge
Military and Security
Branches
Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force note: total strength of all branches - 14,500
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $32 million, 1.7% of GDP (1994), 8.1% of government budget ________________________________________________________________________ NIGER
Manpower availability
males age 15-49 982,345; males fit for military service 604,721; males reach military age (18) annually 47,064 (1995 est.)