COUNTRY DATA: NICARAGUA : Information from the CIA World Factbook INTRODUCTION 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. The 2008 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. GEOGRAPHY Location Area Climate Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras slightly smaller than New York state tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands Natural Resources gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish Total Renewable Water Resources Freshwater Withdrawal Natural Hazards Environmental Issues 196.7 cu km (2000) total: 1.3 cu km/yr (domestic 15%/ industrial 2%/ agricultural 83%) per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000) destructive earthquakes; volcanoes; landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes volcanism: Nicaragua experiences significant volcanic activity; Cerro Negro (elev. 728 m, 2,388 ft), 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 deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution PEOPLE Population 5,666,301 (July 2011 est.) Ethnic Groups mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%
Religions Languages Literacy Rate Major Infectious Diseases Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census) Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.5% male: 67.2% female: 67.8% (2003 est.) degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009) HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate 0.2%; 6,900 people living with HIV/AIDS; fewer than 500 died (2009 est.) GOVERNMENT Type Independence republic 15 September 1821 (from Spain) 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 with reservations ECONOMY Agricultural Products Industries Import commodities coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, knit and woven apparel, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products Import Partners US 22.63%, Venezuela 12.27%, Mexico 9.05%, Costa Rica 8.66%, China 7.16%, Guatemala 6.59%, El Salvador 5.63% (2009) Export Commodities coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts; textiles and apparel Export Partners US 61.98%, El Salvador 7.74%, Costa Rica 3.67% (2009) Per Capita GDP $2,900 (2010 est.) Population below 48% (2005)
poverty line *CITATIONS: All information included above is extracted from the CIA World Factbook except where noted.
Country Data: Information from Human Development Report COUNTRY: NICARAGUA General Life Expectancy at Birth (in years) 73.8 Average number of years in School (in years) 5.7 Gross National Income Per Capita (In US Dollars) 2,567 Gender Inequality Female Seats in Parliament (%) 18.5 Population with at least a Secondary Education Female (% 0f 25 and older) 30.8 Population with at least a Secondary Education Male (% 0f 25 and older) 44.7 Labor Force Participation Female (%) 48.6 Labor Force Participation Male (%) 81.9 Births Attended by Skilled Health Professionals (%) 74 Poverty Population surviving on $1.25 per day (%) 15.8 Empowerment Number of Journalists Imprisoned 0 Corruption Victims (% of people who face a bribe situation in the last year) 13 Political Engagement (% percent of people who voiced opinion to public officials) 14
Sustainability Fossil Fuels as Primary Energy Source (%) 41 Renewable Resources as Primary Energy Source (%) 59 Population without Access to Water (%) 15 Population Without Access to Sanitation Services (%) 48 Population affected by natural disasters (% between 2000-2009) 0.01 Human Security Number of Refugees leaving this country 1,500 Number of Internally Displaced People in This Country Prevalence of Undernourishment (%) 21 Demographics Urban Residents (% of total Population) 57.3 Health HIV Prevalence in Female Youth (% ages 15-24) 0.1 HIV Prevalence in Male Youth (% ages 15-24) 0.3 HIV Prevalence in Adults (% ages 15-49) 0.2 Other Official Development Assistance Per Capita (in US dollars) 130.4 Population without Electricity (%) 28.2