Nicaragua

Internet country code

.ni

Internet hosts

88,742 (2009) country comparison to the world: 74

Internet users

185,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 140

Radio broadcast stations

AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)

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 but teledensity still lags behind other Central American countries; fixed-line teledensity roughly 5 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership increasing and now exceeds 50 per 100 persons; connected to Central American Microwave System 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) (2008)

Telephones - main lines in use

312,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 114

Telephones - mobile cellular

3.039 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 109

Television broadcast stations

3 (plus 7 repeaters) (1997)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $1.271 billion expenditures: $1.594 billion (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate

NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate

13.17% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 59 13.04% (31 December 2007)

Current account balance

-$1.475 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 131 -$1.048 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$4.596 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 $3.341 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

43.1 (2001) country comparison to the world: 51 60.3 (1998)

Economy - overview

Nicaragua has widespread underemployment and the second lowest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere. The US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has been in effect since April 2006 and has expanded export opportunities for many agricultural and manufactured goods. Textiles and apparel account for nearly 60% of Nicaragua's exports, but recent increases in the minimum wage will likely erode its comparative advantage in this industry. Nicaragua relies on international economic assistance to meet internal- and external-debt financing obligations. In early 2004, Nicaragua secured some $4.5 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in October 2007, the IMF approved a new poverty reduction and growth facility (PRGF) program. However, severe budget shortfalls resulting from the suspension of large amounts of direct budget support from foreign donors concerned with recent political developments has caused a slowdown in PRGF disbursements. Similarly, private sector concerns surrounding ORTEGA's handling of economic issues have dampened investment. Economic growth has slowed in 2009, due to decreased export demand from the US and Central American markets, lower commodity prices for key agricultural exports, and low remittance growth - remittances are equivalent to almost 15% of GDP.

Electricity - consumption

2.569 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 131

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

63.95 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

3.286 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 123

Exchange rates

cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 19.374 (2008 est.), 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004)

Exports

$2.675 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 124 $2.313 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

US 32.3%, El Salvador 14.6%, Costa Rica 6.9%, Honduras 6.8%, Mexico 5.3%, Canada 5%, Guatemala 5% (2008)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$6.365 billion (2008 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$16.83 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 130 $16.31 billion (2007 est.) $15.8 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 16.9% industry: 25.8% services: 57.3% (2008 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 165 $2,900 (2007 est.) $2,800 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

3.2% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 119 3.2% (2007 est.) 3.9% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 41.8% (2005)

Imports

$4.848 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 117 $4.117 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

US 21%, Venezuela 14.3%, Mexico 8.4%, Costa Rica 8%, China 7.8%, Guatemala 6.1%, El Salvador 5.2% (2008)

Industrial production growth rate

3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 81

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

19.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 203 11.1% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

34.5% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 10

Labor force

2.322 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 111

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 29% industry: 19% services: 52% (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 154

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 138

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 103

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 153

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 148

Oil - consumption

29,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 113

Oil - exports

212.5 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 130

Oil - imports

29,570 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 101

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 151

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 146

Population below poverty line

48% (2005)

Public debt

74.8% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 14 69.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.141 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 124 $1.103 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$4.272 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 83 $4.133 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$507.5 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 94 $465.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$1.81 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 84 $1.802 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

5.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 67 4.9% (2007 est.) note: underemployment was 46.5% in 2008

Area

total: 130,370 sq km country comparison to the world: 97 land: 119,990 sq km water: 10,380 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than New York state

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, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 1.3 cu km/yr (15%/2%/83%) per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000)

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: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 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

Total renewable water resources

196.7 cu km (2000)

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

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; revised in 1995, 2000, and 2005

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 Robert J. CALLAHAN embassy: Kilometer 5.5 Carretera Sur, Managua mailing address: American Embassy Managua, APO AA 34021 telephone: [505] 252-7100, 252-7888; 252-7634 (after hours) FAX: [505] 252-7304

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charges d'Affaires Alcides J. MONTIEL Barillas 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 York, San Francisco

Executive branch

chief of state: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007) 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 so long as it is not consecutive); election last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011) election results: Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra elected president - 38.07%, Eduardo MONTEALEGRE 29%, Jose RIZO 26.21%, Edmundo JARQUIN 6.44%

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, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (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; 90 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); note - as of 1 January 2009: seats by party - FSLN 38, PLC 25, BDN 15, ALN 6, MRS 3, APRE 1, Independent 4

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Political parties and leaders

Conservative Party or PC [Azalia AVILES Salmeron]; Liberal Constitutionalist Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Nicaraguan Democratic Bloc or BDN [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE]; Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN [Eliseo NUNEZ Sr.]; Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [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)

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. The 2008 municipal elections were characterized 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 face new challenges under the ORTEGA administration.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,513,312 females age 16-49: 1,507,999 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 1,277,878 females age 16-49: 1,339,413 (2009 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 72,366 female: 70,118 (2009 est.)

Military branches

National Army of Nicaragua (ENN; includes Navy, Air Force) (2008)

Military expenditures

0.6% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 157

Military service age and obligation

17 years of age for voluntary military service; tour of duty 18-36 months (2008)

Age structure

0-14 years: 33.8% (male 1,013,866/female 976,430) 15-64 years: 62.9% (male 1,847,756/female 1,857,264) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 85,782/female 110,101) (2009 est.)

Birth rate

23.25 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 77

Death rate

4.3 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 206

Education expenditures

3.1% of GDP (2003) country comparison to the world: 143

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 106

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 500 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 90

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

7,700 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 114

Infant mortality rate

total: 25.02 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 88 male: 28.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 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: 71.5 years country comparison to the world: 128 male: 69.35 years female: 73.75 years (2009 est.)

Literacy

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

Major infectious diseases

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)

Median age

total: 22.1 years male: 21.7 years female: 22.5 years (2009 est.)

Nationality

noun: Nicaraguan(s) adjective: Nicaraguan

Net migration rate

-1.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 125

Population

5,891,199 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 108

Population growth rate

1.784% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 73

Religions

Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2003)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.57 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 91

Urbanization

urban population: 57% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Disputes - international

memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western Caribbean Sea, final public hearings are scheduled for 2007; 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

143 (2009) country comparison to the world: 40

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 (2009)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 132 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 115 (2009)

Pipelines

oil 54 km (2008)

Ports and terminals

Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff

Roadways

total: 19,036 km country comparison to the world: 113 paved: 2,299 km unpaved: 16,737 km (2005)

Waterways

2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2008) country comparison to the world: 41