Nicaragua

Statistics

Capital: Managua Largest City: Managua Official Language: Spanish Government: n/a President: Enrique Bolaos Declared Independence: September 15, 1821 Independence Recognized: July 25, 1850 Area: 129,494 km Percent of Area is Water: 14.01% Population: 5,628,517 Population Density: 38,80/km GDP: n/a GDP Per Capita: n/a Currency: Crdoba Time Zone: UTC-6 Internet TLD: .ni Calling Code: +505 Major Universities:

Geography

Located in Central America, Nicaragua is both the largest country in the area but also the least populated. The country is bordered on the north by Honduras and on south by Costa Rica. Its western coastline is on the Pacific Ocean, while the east side of the country is on the Caribbean Sea. Nicaragua contains 7% of the world's biodiversity and the second largest rainforest in the Americas. Close to 20% of the country's territory is protected as national parks or biological reserves. Nicaragua has three distinct geographical regions: the Pacific Lowlands, the North-Central Mountains and the Atlantic Lowlands. The Pacific Lowlands consist of a broad, hot, fertile plain. Punctuating this plain are several large volcanoes-there are upwards of 40 volcanoes in within Nicaragua's borders. This region is the most populous. About 27% of the nation's population lives in and around Managua, the capital city, on the southern shores of Lake Managua. With a cooler climate than the Pacific Lowlands, the North-Central Mountains is where around one fourth of the nation's agriculture is grown. The Atlantic Lowlands is largely of rainforest and is sparsely populated. Nicaragua's tropical east coast is very different from the rest of the country. The climate is predominantly tropical with high temperature and high humidity. Around the area's principal city of Bluefields, English is widely spoken along with the official Spanish and the population more closely resembles that found in many typical Caribbean ports than the rest of Nicaragua, which further enriches the diversity of this country.

Culture

Nicaragua is unique, holding an unusual matriarchal society. The population is very young with approx. 40% under 18 years of age. As a whole the country is rich in colorful folklore, music and religious traditions. Nicaragua has historically been a literary treasure in poetry of the Hispanic world with internationally renowned contributors such as Ruben Daro who is widely acclaimed as the Father of Modernism and Prince of Spanish Literature. Through education Nicaragua's Government promotes the formation of nationals, giving them a decisive, scientific and humanist conscience. Education is free and the same for all Nicaraguans. Elementary education is free and compulsory. The eastern half of the country, on the other hand, was once a British protectorate. English is still predominant in this region and spoken domestically a par with Spanish which is formally taught in schools, its culture is somewhat similar to Caribbean nations, although recent immigration by Mestizos has largely influenced younger generations and an increasing number of people are either bilingual at home or speak Spanish only. There is a large population of people of mixed African descent, as well as a smaller Garifuna population.

History

The first Spanish settlements emerged in Nicaragua in 1524 including two of Nicaragua's principal towns: Granada on Lake Nicaragua and Leon east of Lake Managua. It eventually became a part of the Mexican Empire and likewise declared its independence in 1821. In 1838 Nicaragua declared itself an independent republic. Civil war erupted in its early history between the liberal elite of Len and the conservative elite of Granada. Taking the side of the Len, American William Walker helped win the civil war and took the advantage to take over. Walker named himself president in 1856 and offered the United States a new slave state. Out of fear towards the possibility of his plans for expansion, several Central American countries united to drive him out of Nicaragua in 1857, after which a period of three decades of conservative rule ensued. Taking advantage of divisions within the conservative ranks, Jose Santos Zelaya led a liberal revolt that brought him to power in 1893. Zelaya ended the longstanding dispute with Britain over the Atlantic Coast in 1894, and reincorporated the Mosquito Coast into Nicaragua. Nicaragua offered assistance during World War 2, and was the first country in the world to ratify the UN Charter.

Economy

The Nicaraguan unit of currency is the Crdoba and is around 16.450 to the U.S. dollar. The country is still a recovering economy and it continues to implement further reforms, on which aid from the IMF is conditional. In 2005, finance ministers of the leading eight industrialized nations agreed to forgive Nicaragua's foreign debt, as part of the HIPC program. Nicaragua's economy has historically been based on the export of cash crops such as bananas, coffee and tobacco; t is renowned to produce the best rum in Latin America; the second best tobacco in the world; and have the third ranking in beef quality only behind Argentina and Brazil.

Study Abroad

• Semester in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua
• SIT - Nicaragua
• GST
• ELTAP