Nicaragua

source : World Fact Book 2008 (October 2008)

SEE UPDATED INFORMATION HERE

   Introduction    Nicaragua
Background:
Definition Field Listing 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.
   Geography    Nicaragua
Location:
Definition Field Listing Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing 13 00 N, 85 00 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order total: 129,494 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km
water: 9,240 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing slightly smaller than the state of New York
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing 910 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: natural prolongation
Climate:
Definition Field Listing tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
Land use:
Definition Field Listing arable land: 14.81%
permanent crops: 1.82%
other: 83.37% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing 610 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing 196.7 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing total: 1.3 cu km/yr (15%/2%/83%)
per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing 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
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua
   People    Nicaragua
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 5,785,846 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing 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.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing total: 21.7 years
male: 21.3 years
female: 22.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing 1.825% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 23.7 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 4.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order -1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing 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.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 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.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order total population: 71.21 years
male: 69.08 years
female: 73.44 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 2.63 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 0.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 6,400 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order fewer than 500 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
Definition Field Listing 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)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%
Religions:
Definition Field Listing Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.5%
male: 67.2%
female: 67.8% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
Definition Field Listing total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 11 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 3.1% of GDP (2003)
   Government    Nicaragua
Country name:
Definition Field Listing conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua
local long form: Republica de Nicaragua
local short form: Nicaragua
Government type:
Definition Field Listing republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing name: Managua
geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing 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:
Definition Field Listing 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing 9 January 1987; reforms in 1995, 2000, and 2005
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing 16 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing 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:
Definition Field Listing 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)
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing 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:
Definition Field Listing 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:
Definition Field Listing BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing 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
FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing chief of mission: Ambassador Paul A. TRIVELLI
embassy: Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua
mailing address: P.O. Box 327
telephone: [505] 266-6010
FAX: [505] 266-3861
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing 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    Nicaragua
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $16.17 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing $5.723 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 3.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $2,800 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing agriculture: 16.9%
industry: 25.8%
services: 57.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 2.262 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing agriculture: 29%
industry: 19%
services: 52% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 4.9% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing 48% (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing lowest 10%: 2.2%
highest 10%: 33.8% (2001)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing 43.1 (2001)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 11.1% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 31.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing revenues: $1.115 billion
expenditures: $1.291 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 62.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters
Industries:
Definition Field Listing food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 5% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 2.778 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 2.929 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing 8 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing 69.34 million kWh (2006)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 28,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 1,397 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 15,560 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order -$1.001 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $2.313 billion f.o.b.; note - includes free trade zones (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing US 60.3%, El Salvador 7.5%, Honduras 4.2% (2007)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $4.078 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing US 20.9%, Mexico 15.2%, Costa Rica 7.6%, Guatemala 6%, China 5%, El Salvador 4.3% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing $471 million (2006 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $1.103 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $3.341 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order $NA
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing gold cordoba (NIO)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing gold cordobas per US dollar - 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing calendar year
   Communications    Nicaragua
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 247,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 2.123 million (2007)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing 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)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing 3 (plus 7 repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing .ni
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 27,941 (2007)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 155,000 (2006)
   Transportation    Nicaragua
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 163 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing 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:
Definition Field Listing total: 152
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 16
under 914 m: 135 (2007)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing oil 54 km (2007)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order total: 6 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order total: 19,036 km
paved: 2,299 km
unpaved: 16,737 km (2005)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff
   Military    Nicaragua
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing National Army of Nicaragua (ENN; includes Navy, Air Force) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing 17 years of age for voluntary military service; tour of duty 18-36 months (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing males age 16-49: 1,513,312
females age 16-49: 1,507,999 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing males age 16-49: 1,235,400
females age 16-49: 1,302,318 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
Definition Field Listing male: 72,689
female: 70,452 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order 0.6% of GDP (2006)
   Transnational Issues    Nicaragua
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing 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:
Definition Field Listing transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing



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Source : CIA's World Fact Book 2008

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