Nicaragua

Internet country code

.ni

Internet hosts

24,452 (2006)

Internet users

140,000 (2005)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded by foreign investment domestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System international: country code - 505; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

220,900 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.119 million (2005)

Television broadcast stations

3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997)

Agriculture - products

coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters

Budget

revenues: $1.134 billion expenditures: $1.358 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

Currency (code)

gold cordoba (NIO)

Current account balance

$-835 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$3.188 billion (2005 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

55.1 (2001)

Economic aid - recipient

$419.5 million (2005 est.)

Economy - overview

Nicaragua, one of the Western Hemisphere's poorest countries, has low per capita income, widespread underemployment, and a heavy external debt burden. Distribution of income is one of the most unequal on the globe. While the country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in the past few years, GDP annual 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. Nicaragua qualified in early 2004 for some $4.5 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative because of its earlier successful performances under its International Monetary Fund policy program and other efforts. In October 2005, Nicaragua ratified the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which will provide an opportunity for Nicaragua to attract investment, create jobs, and deepen economic development. High oil prices helped drive inflation to 9.6% in 2005, leading to a fall in real GDP growth to 4% from over 5% in 2004.

Electricity - consumption

1.848 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

21.8 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

23.3 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

2.887 billion kWh (2004)

Exchange rates

gold cordobas per US dollar - 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002), 13.372 (2001)

Exports

$1.55 billion f.o.b.; note - includes free trade zones (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts

Exports - partners

US 60.7%, Mexico 8.6%, El Salvador 6.2% (2005)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$5.03 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$16.1 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 16.5% industry: 27.5% services: 56% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,900 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 45% (2001)

Imports

$2.865 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities

consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products

Imports - partners

US 19.6%, Mexico 10.3%, Venezuela 9.5%, Costa Rica 8.5%, Guatemala 6.7%, El Salvador 4.5%, South Korea 4.1% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

2.4% (2005 est.)

Industries

food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9.6% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

27% of GDP (2005 est.)

Labor force

2.01 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 30.5% industry: 17.3% services: 52.2% (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports

758.9 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports

15,560 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - production

14,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

50% (2001 est.)

Public debt

82.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$727.8 million (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

5.6% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2005 est.)

Area

total: 129,494 sq km land: 120,254 sq km water: 9,240 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than the state of New York

Climate

tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Coastline

910 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geographic coordinates

13 00 N, 85 00 W

Geography - note

largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

Irrigated land

610 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 1,231 km border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Land use

arable land: 14.81% permanent crops: 1.82% other: 83.37% (2005)

Location

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: natural prolongation

Natural hazards

destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes

Natural resources

gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

Terrain

extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes

Administrative divisions

15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonomista); Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

Capital

name: Managua geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

9 January 1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua conventional short form: Nicaragua local long form: Republica de Nicaragua local short form: Nicaragua

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Salvador STADTHAGEN 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

Executive branch

chief of state: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo (since 10 October 2005); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo was elected Vice President by the deputies of the National Assembly after Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon resigned on 27 September 2005 head of government: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Alfredo GOMEZ Urcuyo (since 10 October 2005) 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); election last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011) election results: Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) elected president - 38.07%, Eduardo MONTEALEGRE (ALN) 29%, Jose RIZO (PLC) 26.21%, Edmundo JARQUIN (MRS) 6.44%; note - ORTEGA will take office 10 January 2007

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

Government type

republic

Independence

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

International organization participation

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)

Legal system

civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; 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)

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Political parties and leaders

Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Miguel LOPEZ Baldizon]; Central American Unionist Party or PUCA [Blanca ROJAS]; Christian Alternative Party or AC [Orlando TARDENCILLA Espinoza]; Conservative Party or PC [Mario Sebastian RAPPACCIOLI]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Anibal MARTINEZ Nunez, Pedro REYES Vallejos]; Independent Liberal Party for National Unity or PLIUN [Carlos GUERRA Gallardo]; Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Liberal Salvation Movement or MSL [Eliseo NUNEZ Hernandez]; New Liberal Party or PALI [Adolfo GARCIA Esquivel]; Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE]; Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path or PCCN [Guillermo OSORNO Molina]; Nicaraguan Resistance Party or PRN [Salvador TALAVERA]; Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]; Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [Dora Maria TELLEZ]; Unity Alliance or AU

Political pressure groups and leaders

National Workers Front or FNT is 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 is 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 is an independent labor union; Superior Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP is a confederation of business groups

Suffrage

16 years of age; universal

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. 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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 17-49: 1,309,970 females age 17-49: 1,315,186 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 17-49: 1,051,425 females age 17-49: 1,129,649 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49: 65,170 females age 17-49: 63,133 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Army (includes Navy, Air Force)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.7% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

17 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Age structure

0-14 years: 36.4% (male 1,031,897/female 994,633) 15-64 years: 60.5% (male 1,677,633/female 1,691,353) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 76,758/female 97,855) (2006 est.)

Birth rate

24.51 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

4.45 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Ethnic groups

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

6,400 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 28.11 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Languages

Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.63 years male: 68.55 years female: 72.81 years (2006 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.5% male: 67.2% female: 67.8% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 20.9 years male: 20.5 years female: 21.4 years (2006 est.)

Nationality

noun: Nicaraguan(s) adjective: Nicaraguan

Net migration rate

-1.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Population

5,570,129 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate

1.89% (2006 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census)

Sex ratio

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 (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.75 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Disputes - international

Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; 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

transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing

Airports

176 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

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 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 165 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 141 (2006)

Pipelines

oil 54 km (2006)

Ports and terminals

Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff

Railways

total: 6 km narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)

Roadways

total: 19,036 km paved: 2,299 km unpaved: 16,737 km (2005)

Waterways

2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2005)