Nicaragua Population: 5,788,531
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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. After losing free and fair elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra was elected president in 2006 and reelected in 2011. The 2008 municipal elections, 2010 regional elections, November 2011 presidential elections, and 2012 municipal elections were marred 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 have been weakened 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 volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Cerro Negro (elev. 728 m), which last erupted in 1999, is one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes; its lava flows and ash have been known to cause significant damage to farmland and buildings; other historically active volcanoes include Concepcion, Cosiguina, Las Pilas, Masaya, Momotombo, San Cristobal, and Telica |
| 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: | 5,788,531 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 30% (male 886,490/female 852,690) 15-24 years: 22.5% (male 653,868/female 651,076) 25-54 years: 37.4% (male 1,024,395/female 1,143,011) 55-64 years: 5.2% (male 141,026/female 162,159) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 123,878/female 149,938) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 23.4 years male: 22.6 years female: 24.2 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.067% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 19.12 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 5.04 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -3.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 21.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 72.18 years male: 70.07 years female: 74.39 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.03 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.2% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 6,900 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 500 (2009 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%, Protestant 23.2% (Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%), Jehovah's Witnesses 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census) |
| Languages: | Spanish (official) 97.5%, Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages found on the 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 08 N, 86 15 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 |
| Suffrage: | 16 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Moises Omar HALLESLEVENS Acevedo (since 10 January 2012); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Moises Omar HALLESLEVENS Acevedo (since 10 January 2012) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 6 November 2011 (next to be held by November 2016) election results: Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra reelected president; percent of vote - Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra 62.5%, Fabio GADEA 31%, Arnoldo ALEMAN 5.9%, other 0.6% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; 90 members 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 on 6 November 2011 (next to be held by November 2016) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FSLN 64, PLI/MRS 26, PLC 2 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly); note - in 2010, President ORTEGA directly replaced seven justices on the Supreme Court |
| Political parties and leaders: | Alliance for the Republic or APRE; Conservative Party or PC [Alejandro BOLANOS Davis]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE]; Liberal Constitutionalist Party or PLC [Maria Haydee OSUNA]; Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN [Alejandro MEJIA Ferreti]; Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [Jose 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, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Francisco Obadiah CAMPBELL Hooker 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 Orleans, New York, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Phyllis M. POWERS embassy: Kilometer 5.5 Carretera Sur, Managua mailing address: American Embassy Managua, APO AA 34021 telephone: [505] 2252-7100, 2252-7888; 2252-7634 (after hours) FAX: [505] 2252-7250 |
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| Economy | |
| Nicaragua, the poorest country in Central America and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere, has widespread underemployment and poverty. The Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) has been in effect since April 2006 and has expanded export opportunities for many agricultural and manufactured goods. Textiles and agriculture combined account for nearly 50% of Nicaragua's exports. The ORTEGA administration's promotion of mixed business initiatives, owned by the Nicaraguan and Venezuelan state oil firms, together with the weak rule of law, could undermine the investment climate for domestic and international private firms in the near-term. Nicaragua relied on an IMF external credit facility to meet internal- and external-debt financing obligations. The most recent IMF program ended in 2011 and Nicaragua is currently in negotiaitons for a new program. Nicaragua depends heavily on foreign develoment assistance, however, donors have curtailed this funding in response to November 2008, and subsequent electoral fraud. Nicaragua still struggles with a high public debt burden, however, it succeeded in reducing that burden in 2011. The economy grew at a rate of about 4% in 2012. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $20.04 billion (2012 est.) $19.27 billion (2011 est.) $18.33 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $9.956 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 4% (2012 est.) 5.1% (2011 est.) 3.1% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,300 (2012 est.) $3,300 (2011 est.) $3,200 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 17.5% industry: 25.8% services: 56.7% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 2.961 million (2012 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 28% industry: 19% services: 53% (2010 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 7.4% (2012 est.) 7.3% (2011 est.) note: underemployment was 46.5% in 2008 |
| Population below poverty line: | 42.5% (2009) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 41.8% (2005) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 40.5 (2010) 60.3 (1998) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.6% (2012 est.) 8% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 34.1% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $2.619 billion expenditures: $2.56 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 52.7% of GDP (2011 est.) 51.6% of GDP (2010 est.) note: official data; data cover general Government Debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by Government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as retirement, medical care, and unemployment. Debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions. Nicaragua rebased its GDP figures in 2012, which reduced the debt as a percentage of GDP figures |
| Agriculture - products: | coffee, bananas, sugarcane, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters, cotton |
| Industries: | food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, knit and woven apparel, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood, electric wire harness manufacturing, mining |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 1.5% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 3.824 billion kWh (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 125 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 2.941 billion kWh (2011 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 40,560 kWh (2011 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 9,930 kWh (2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2012 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2012 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2012 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2012 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$1.476 billion (2012 est.) -$1.259 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $4.16 billion (2012 est.) $3.941 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | coffee, beef, gold, sugar, peanuts, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, cigars, automobile wiring harnesses, textiles, apparel, cotton |
| Exports - partners: | US 60.1%, Canada 8.3%, El Salvador 4.6% (2011) |
| Imports: | $6.519 billion (2012 est.) $5.203 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products |
| Imports - partners: | US 21.3%, Venezuela 14%, Costa Rica 8.7%, China 8.5%, Mexico 8.2%, Guatemala 8%, El Salvador 5.4% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $1.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $1.892 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $5.228 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $5.012 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA |
| Exchange rates: | cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 23.56 (2012 est.) 22.424 (2011 est.) 21.356 (2010 est.) 20.34 (2009) 19.374 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 287,600 (2011) country comparison to the world: 118 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 4.822 million (2011) |
| 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; fixed-line teledensity roughly 5 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has increased to roughly 85 per 100 persons 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) (2011) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .ni |
| Internet hosts: | 296,068 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 199,800 (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 143 (2012) 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: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 132 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 115 (2012) |
| Pipelines: | oil 54 km (2010) |
| Roadways: | total: 19,137 km paved: 2,033 km unpaved: 17,104 km (2009) |
| Waterways: | 2,220 km (navigable waterways as well as the use of the large Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua; rivers serve only the sparsely populated eastern part of the country) (2011) |
| Ports and terminals: | Bluefields, Corinto |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | National Army of Nicaragua (Ejercito Nacional de Nicaragua, ENN; includes Navy, Air Force) (2011) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; tour of duty 18-36 months; requires Nicaraguan nationality and 6th-grade education (2008) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,452,107 females age 16-49: 1,552,698 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,227,757 females age 16-49: 1,335,653 (2010 est.) |
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