Nicaragua
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua local long form: Republica de Nicaragua local short form: Nicaragua |
| Gevernment 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) |
| Flag description | 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 |
| Currency | gold cordoba (NIO) |
| Internet country code | .ni |
| Ports and terminals | Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff |
| 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 |
| Geography |
| Location | Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras |
| Coordinates | 13 00 N, 85 00 W |
| Continent | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area |
total: 129,494 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km water: 9,240 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km |
| Coastline | 910 km |
| Climate | tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands |
| Terrain | extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes |
| Natural resources | gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish |
| Natural hazards | destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes |
| People |
| Population | 5,570,129 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census) |
| Languages | Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast |
