2008 Edition

Background

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 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, 1996, and 2001, saw the Sandinistas defeated, but voting in 2006 announced the return of former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt.

Area

total: 129,494 sq km land: 120,254 sq km water: 9,240 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than the state of New York

Climate

tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Coastline

910 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 1.3 cu km/yr (15%/2%/83%) per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

13 00 N, 85 00 W

Geography - note

largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

Irrigated land

610 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 1,231 km border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Land use

arable land: 14.81% permanent crops: 1.82% other: 83.37% (2005)

Location

Central 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

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: natural prolongation

Natural hazards

destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes

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

Total renewable water resources

196.7 cu km (2000)

Age structure

0-14 years: 34.6% (male 1,019,281/female 981,903) 15-64 years: 62.1% (male 1,792,398/female 1,803,133) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 82,840/female 106,291) (2008 est.)

Birth rate

23.7 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

4.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditures

3.1% of GDP (2003)

Ethnic groups

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

6,400 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 25.91 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages

Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.21 years male: 69.08 years female: 73.44 years (2008 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.5% male: 67.2% female: 67.8% (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Median age

total: 21.7 years male: 21.3 years female: 22.1 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Nicaraguan(s) adjective: Nicaraguan

Net migration rate

-1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Population

5,785,846 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate

1.825% (2008 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2003)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.63 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

name: Managua geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

9 January 1987; reforms in 1995, 2000, and 2005

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua conventional short form: Nicaragua local long form: Republica de Nicaragua local short form: Nicaragua

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Paul A. TRIVELLI embassy: Kilometer 5.5 Carretera Sur, Managua mailing address: American Embassy Managua, APO AA 34021 telephone: [505] 252-7100, 252-7888; 252-7634 (after hours)

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo CRUZ Sequeira, Jr. chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570, [1] (202) 939-6573

Executive branch

chief of state: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term so long as it is not consecutive); election last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011) election results: Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra elected president - 38.07%, Eduardo MONTEALEGRE 29%, Jose RIZO 26.21%, Edmundo JARQUIN 6.44%

FAX

[1] (202) 939-6545 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

[505] 252-7304

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

Government type

republic

Independence

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

International organization participation

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)

Legal system

civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; 90 members are elected by proportional representation and party lists to serve five-year terms; 1 seat for the previous president, 1 seat for the runner-up in previous presidential election) elections: last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FSLN 38, PLC 25, ALN 23 (22 plus one for presidential candidate Eduardo MONTEALEGRE, runner-up in the 2006 presidential election), MRS 5, APRE 1 (outgoing President Enrique BOLANOS)

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Political parties and leaders

Conservative Party or PC [Azalia AVILES Salmeron]; Liberal Constitutionalist Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE]; Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]; Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [Enrique SAENZ Navarrete]

Political pressure groups and leaders

National Workers Front or FNT (a Sandinista umbrella group of eight labor unions including: Farm Workers Association or ATC, Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of Employees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG, Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of Journalists of Nicaragua or UPN); Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT (an umbrella group of four non-Sandinista labor unions including: Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of Labor Unification or CUS, Independent General Confederation of Labor or CGT-I, and Labor Action and Unity Central or CAUS); Nicaraguan Workers' Central or CTN (an independent labor union); Superior Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP (a confederation of business groups)

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters

Budget

revenues: $1.115 billion expenditures: $1.291 billion (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

13.04% (31 December 2007)

Currency (code)

gold cordoba (NIO)

Currency code

NIO

Current account balance

-$1.001 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$3.341 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

43.1 (2001)

Economic aid - recipient

$471 million (2006 est.)

Economy - overview

Nicaragua has widespread underemployment, one of the highest degrees of income inequality in the world, and the third lowest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere. While the country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in the past few years, annual GDP growth has been far too low to meet the country's needs, forcing the country to rely on international economic assistance to meet fiscal and debt financing obligations. In early 2004, Nicaragua secured some $4.5 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in October 2007, the IMF approved a new poverty reduction and growth facility (PRGF) program that should create fiscal space for social spending and investment. The continuity of a relationship with the IMF reinforces donor confidence, despite private sector concerns surrounding ORTEGA, which has dampened investment. The US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has been in effect since April 2006 and has expanded export opportunities for many agricultural and manufactured goods. Energy shortages fueled by high oil prices, however, are a serious bottleneck to growth.

Electricity - consumption

2.413 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports

63.95 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

3.012 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 83.9% hydro: 7.7% nuclear: 0% other: 8.4% (2001)

Exchange rates

gold cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003)

Exports

$2.313 billion f.o.b.; note - includes free trade zones (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts

Exports - partners

US 31.7%, El Salvador 14%, Honduras 9.3%, Costa Rica 7.2%, Canada 5.8%, Guatemala 5.5%, Mexico 4.8% (2007)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 16.9% industry: 25.8% services: 57.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.8% (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$5.723 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$16.17 billion (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.2% highest 10%: 33.8% (2001)

Imports

$4.078 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products

Imports - partners

US 22.5%, Mexico 13.5%, Costa Rica 8.4%, Venezuela 6.4%, Guatemala 6.2%, El Salvador 4.8% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate

5% (2007 est.)

Industries

food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

11.1% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

31.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force

2.262 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 29% industry: 19% services: 52% (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

28,880 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports

808.5 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports

29,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

48% (2005)

Public debt

62.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.103 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$4.133 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$465.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$1.802 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

4.9% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2007 est.)

Internet country code

.ni

Internet hosts

58,157 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

3 (2000)

Internet users

155,000 (2006)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

1.24 million (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: system being upgraded by foreign investment; nearly all installed telecommunications capacity now uses digital technology, owing to investments since privatization of the formerly state-owned telecommunications company domestic: since privatization, access to fixed-line and mobile-cellular services has improved but teledensity still lags behind other Central American countries; connected to Central American Microwave System international: country code - 505; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber optic submarine cable 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) (2007)

Telephones - main lines in use

247,900 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.123 million (2007)

Television broadcast stations

3 (plus 7 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

320,000 (1997)

Airports

163 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 152 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 135 (2007)

Pipelines

oil 54 km (2007)

Ports and terminals

Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff

Railways

total: 6 km narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total: 19,036 km paved: 2,299 km unpaved: 16,737 km (2005)

Waterways

2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2007)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,513,312 females age 16-49: 1,507,999 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,235,400 females age 16-49: 1,302,318 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 72,689 female: 70,452 (2008 est.)

Military branches

National Army of Nicaragua (ENN; includes Navy, Air Force) (2008)

Military expenditures

0.6% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation

17 years of age for voluntary military service; tour of duty 18-36 months (2008)

Disputes - international

memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western Caribbean Sea, final public hearings are scheduled for 2007; the 1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras advised a tripartite resolution to establish a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca, which considers Honduran access to the Pacific; legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border with Costa Rica

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008