Nicaragua Population: 5,891,199
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| 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. The 2008 municipal elections were characterized by widespread irregularities. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt, but democratic institutions face new challenges under the ORTEGA administration. |
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| Geography | |
| Largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua | |
| Location: | Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras |
| Geographic coordinates: | 13 00 N, 85 00 W |
| Area: |
total: 130,370 sq km
land:
119,990 sq km
water:
10,380 sq km
Size comparison: slightly smaller than New York state |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 1,231 km border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km |
| Coastline: | 910 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: natural prolongation |
| 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 extremes: | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m |
| Natural resources: | gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish |
| Land use: | arable land: 14.81% permanent crops: 1.82% other: 83.37% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 610 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | destructive earthquakes; volcanoes; landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes |
| Current Environment Issues: | deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| People | |
| Population: | 5,891,199 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 107 |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 33.8% (male 1,013,866/female 976,430) 15-64 years: 62.9% (male 1,847,756/female 1,857,264) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 85,782/female 110,101) (2009 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 22.1 years male: 21.7 years female: 22.5 years (2009 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.784% (2009 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 23.25 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
| Death rate: | 4.3 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -1.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 25.02 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 71.5 years male: 69.35 years female: 73.75 years (2009 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.57 children born/woman (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.2% (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 7,700 (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 500 (2007 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Nicaraguan(s) adjective: Nicaraguan |
| Ethnic groups: | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census) |
| Languages: | Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.5% male: 67.2% female: 67.8% (2003 est.) |
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| Government | |
| 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: | name: Managua geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| 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 |
| Independence: | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 15 September (1821) |
| Constitution: | 9 January 1987; revised in 1995, 2000, and 2005 |
| Legal system: | civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: | 16 years of age; universal |
| 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% |
| 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); note - as of 1 May 2009: seats by party - FSLN 38, PLC 20, BDN 17, ALN 6, MRS 3, APRE 1, Independent 7 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Conservative Party or PC [Azalia AVILES Salmeron]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE]; Liberal Constitutionalist Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN [Eliseo NUNEZ Sr.]; 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) |
| 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, PetroCaribe, RG, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charges d'Affaires Alcides J. MONTIEL Barillas chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570, 6573 FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. CALLAHAN 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) FAX: [505] 252-7304 |
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| Economy | |
| Nicaragua, the poorest country in Central America, has widespread underemployment and poverty. GDP fell by almost 3% in 2009, due to decreased export demand in the US and Central American markets, lower commodity prices for key agricultural exports, and low remittance growth - remittances are equivalent to almost 15% of GDP. 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. Textiles and apparel account for nearly 60% of Nicaragua's exports, but increases in the minimum wage during the ORTEGA administration will likely erode its comparative advantage in this industry. Nicaragua relies on international economic assistance to meet internal- and external-debt financing obligations, however, foreign donors have curtailed this funding in response to November 2008 electoral fraud. 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. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $16.54 billion (2009 est.) $17.03 billion (2008 est.) $16.5 billion (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $6.298 billion (2009 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | -2.9% (2009 est.) 3.2% (2008 est.) 3.2% (2007 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,800 (2009 est.) $2,900 (2008 est.) $2,900 (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 17.8% industry: 25.8% services: 56.5% (2009 est.) |
| Labor force: | 2.383 million (2009 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 29% industry: 19% services: 52% (2006 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 5.9% (2009 est.) 5.6% (2008 est.) note: underemployment was 46.5% in 2008 |
| Population below poverty line: | 48% (2005) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 41.8% (2005) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 43.1 (2001) 60.3 (1998) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2009 est.) 19.8% (2008 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 30.2% of GDP (2009 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $1.206 billion expenditures: $1.483 billion (2009 est.) |
| Public debt: | 87% of GDP (2009 est.) 74.8% of GDP (2008 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters |
| Industries: | food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood |
| Industrial production growth rate: | -6% (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 3.286 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 2.569 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 63.95 million kWh (2007 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 29,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 213 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 29,570 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2008 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $-976 million (2009 est.) $-1.475 billion (2008 est.) |
| Exports: | $2.344 billion (2009 est.) $2.675 billion (2008 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts |
| Exports - partners: | US 32.3%, El Salvador 14.6%, Costa Rica 6.9%, Honduras 6.8%, Mexico 5.3%, Canada 5%, Guatemala 5% (2008) |
| Imports: | $3.968 billion (2009 est.) $4.848 billion (2008 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products |
| Imports - partners: | US 21%, Venezuela 14.3%, Mexico 8.4%, Costa Rica 8%, China 7.8%, Guatemala 6.1%, El Salvador 5.2% (2008) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $1.241 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $1.141 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $4.7 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $4.596 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA |
| Exchange rates: | cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 20.336 (2009), 19.374 (2008), 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005) |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 312,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 114 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 3.039 million (2008) |
| 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; fixed-line teledensity roughly 5 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership increasing and now exceeds 50 per 100 persons; 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) (2008) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 3 (plus 7 repeaters) (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .ni |
| Internet hosts: | 88,742 (2009) |
| Internet users: | 185,000 (2008) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 143 (2009) country comparison to the world: 40 |
| Airports (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 (2009) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 132 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 115 (2009) |
| Pipelines: | oil 54 km (2008) |
| Roadways: | total: 19,036 km paved: 2,299 km unpaved: 16,737 km (2005) |
| Waterways: | 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2008) |
| Ports and terminals: | Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | National Army of Nicaragua (ENN; includes Navy, Air Force) (2008) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 17 years of age for voluntary military service; tour of duty 18-36 months (2008) |
| 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: 1,277,878 females age 16-49: 1,339,413 (2009 est.) |
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