Nicaragua

Nicaragua 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 1,231 km, Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Coastline

910 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

Territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno .htm 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

Climate

Tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Terrain

Extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

850 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

PEOPLE

Population

4,272,352 (July 1996 est.)
4,206,353 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

44% (male 951,254; female 938,599) (July 1996 est.)
44% (male 930,594; female 921,356) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

53% (male 1,105,069; female 1,164,144) (July 1996 est.)
53% (male 1,097,811; female 1,146,485) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

3% (male 49,027; female 64,259) (July 1996 est.)
3% (male 47,500; female 62,607) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

2.67% (1996 est.)
2.61% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

33.83 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
33.73 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

6.01 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
6.45 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-1.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

45.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
50.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

4.03 children born/woman (1996 est.)
4.17 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Spanish (official)

Note: English- and Indian-speaking minorities on Atlantic coast

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

1.086 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

NU

Type

Republic

Capital

Managua

Administrative Divisions

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

Independence

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution

9 January 1987

Legal System

Civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)

Elections last held 25 February 1990 (next to be held NA October 1996); results - UNO coalition 53.9%, Sandinista bloc 40.8%, PSC 1.6%, MUR 1.0%; seats - (92 total) UNO coalition 53 (Center Group 9, UDC 6, PSD 5, APC 5, PLC 5, PLI 4, PND 3, PAN 3, PNC 3, MDN 2, PCdeN 2, independents 6) and Sandinista bloc 39 (MRS 16, BUS-Sandinista 9, FSLN 8, Sandinista Group of Reflection 4, FSLN-independents 2)

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges elected for a six-year term (amended to a seven-year term in July 1995) by the National Assembly

Political Parties and Leaders

Note: The UNO coalition that won the 1990 elections no longer exists; the different blocs that formerly were united under the UNO umbrella and their opposition to the Sandinistas now act and vote independently

Other Political or Pressure Groups

National Workers Front (FNT) is a 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

Member of

BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, 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, WToO, WTrO

National Anthem

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

ECONOMY

Overview

The Nicaraguan economy, devastated during the 1980s by economic mismanagement and civil war, is beginning to rebound. Since March 1991, when President CHAMORRO launched 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. After rising again to an estimated 20% in 1993, the annual inflation rate was 11.7% in 1994 and 11.4% in 1995. While economic growth was flat in 1992 and negative in 1993, the 1995 growth rate is about 4%, thanks to surges in most export categories. Recent legislation (November 1995) authorizing the privatization of the TELCOR telecommunications company and resolving the issue of property confiscated by the previous Sandinista government may reassure potential investors. The government's efforts to liberalize trade include a December 1995 decision to stop requiring exporters to bring their foreign exchange earnings into Nicaragua. On the debt front, the Nicaraguan Government launched a successful debt buyback program in 1995, purchasing 73% of its $1.373 billion commercial debt inherited from previous governments. Progress also occurred on reducing bilateral debt in November 1995 as Nicaragua reached an agreement with Germany, reducing Nicaragua's $616 million debt to the former GDR by 80%. Debt reduction agreements with Paris Club creditors and rescheduling with the US also took place. Unemployment remains a pressing problem, however, with roughly half the country's population unemployed or underemployed.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $7.1 billion (1995 est.); $6.4 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

4.2% (1995 est.)
3.2% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$1,700 (1995 est.)
$1,570 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

11.4% (1995 est.)
19.5% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

20% substantial underemployment (1995 est.)
21.8%; underemployment 50% (1993)

Budget

Exports

$525.5 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$329 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$870 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
$786 million (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$11.7 billion (1994)
$11 billion (1993)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 1.4% (1994 est.); -0.8% (1993 est.); accounts for 26% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

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

Illicit Drugs

Transshipment point for cocaine destined for the U.S.

Economic Aid

Currency

1 gold cordoba (C$) = 100 centavos

Exchange Rates

Gold cordobas (C$) per US$1 - 7.98 (December 1995), 6.72 (1994), 5.62 (1993), 5.00 (1992), 4.27 (1991); note - gold cordoba replaced cordoba as Nicaragua's currency in 1991 (exchange rate of old cordoba had reached per US$1 - 25,000,000)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

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

Pipelines

Crude oil 56 km

Ports

Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur

Merchant Marine

None

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

66,810 telephones (1993 est.); low-capacity radio relay and wire system being expanded; connection into Central American Microwave System

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force

Note: Total strength of all branches - 14,500

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 988,883; males fit for military service 608,753; males reach military age (18) annually 47,786 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $28.1 million, NA% of GDP (1996); $32 million, 1.7% of GDP (1994), 8.1% of government budget

History
World Atlas

Last modified: 4 january 1998