NICARAGUA
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NICARAGUA
@Nicaragua:Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the
North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
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NICARAGUA - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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MANAGUA 682,000 12.06N, 86.18W 505-2 GMT-6
Rosita 325,000 13.53N, 84.24W 505- GMT-6
Leon 101,000 12.26N, 86.53W 505-311 GMT-6
Granada 89,000 11.58N, 85.59W 505-55 GMT-6
Masaya 75,000 11.59N, 86.03W 505-52 GMT-6
Chinandega 68,000 12.35N, 87.10W 505-341 GMT-6
Matagalpa 37,000 12.52N, 85.58W 505-61 GMT-6
San Carlos 34,000 11.07N, 84.47W 505- GMT-6
Esteli 31,000 13.04N, 86.20W 505-71 GMT-6
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Area:
total area: 129,494 sq km
land area: 120,254 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than New York State
Land boundaries: total 1,231 km, Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
Coastline: 910 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 25-nm security zone
continental shelf: natural prolongation
territorial sea: 200 nm
International disputes: territorial disputes with Colombia over the
Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; with
respect to the maritime boundary question in the Golfo de Fonseca, the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) referred the disputants to an
earlier agreement in this century and advised that some tripartite
resolution among El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua likely would be
required
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
Land use:
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 43%
forest and woodland: 35%
other: 12%
Irrigated land: 850 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
natural hazards: destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and
occasionally severe hurricanes
international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
@Nicaragua:People
Population: 4,206,353 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (female 921,356; male 930,594)
15-64 years: 53% (female 1,146,485; male 1,097,811)
65 years and over: 3% (female 62,607; male 47,500) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.61% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 33.73 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 6.45 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 50.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.54 years
male: 61.67 years
female: 67.53 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.17 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan
Ethnic divisions: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and Caucasian) 69%, white
17%, black 9%, Indian 5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant 5%
Languages: Spanish (official)
note: English- and Indian-speaking minorities on Atlantic coast
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1971)
total population: 57%
male: 57%
female: 57%
Labor force: 1.086 million
by occupation: services 43%, agriculture 44%, industry 13% (1986)
@Nicaragua:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua
local long form: Republica de Nicaragua
local short form: Nicaragua
Digraph: NU
Type: republic
Capital: Managua
Administrative divisions: 16 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento); Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada,
Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio
San Juan, Rivas, Zelaya
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution: 9 January 1987
Legal system: civil law system; Supreme Court may review
administrative acts
Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Violeta Barrios de
CHAMORRO (since 25 April 1990); Vice President Virgilio GODOY Reyes
(since 25 April 1990); election last held 25 February 1990 (next to be
held November 1996); results - Violeta Barrios de CHAMORRO (UNO)
54.7%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 40.8%, other 4.5%
cabinet: Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional): elections last held 25 February
1990 (next to be held November 1996); results - UNO 53.9%, FSLN 40.8%,
PSC 1.6%, MUR 1.0%; seats - (92 total) UNO 41, FSLN 39, "Centrist"
(Dissident UNO) 12
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Political parties and leaders:
far right: Liberal Constitutionalist Party* (PLC), Arnold ALEMAN;
Conservative Popular Alliance Party (APC), Myriam ARGUELLO; Central
American Unionist Party (PUCA), Blanca ROJAS Echaverry; Independent
Liberal Party for National Unity (PLUIN), Alfonso MOCADO Guillen;
Conservative Party of Nicaragua (PCN - formed in 1992 by the merger of
the Conservative Social Party (PSC) with the Democratic Conservative
Party (PCD) and PCL, the Conservative party of Labor), Fernando
AGUERO; National Justice Party (PJN), Jorge DIAZ Cruz; National
Conservative Party* (PNC), Adolfo CALERO
center right: Neoliberal Party* (PALI), Adolfo GARCIA Esquivel;
National Action Party* (PAN), Delvis MONTIEL; Independent Liberal
Party* (PLI), Wilfredo NAVARRO
center left: Christian Democratic Union (UDC), Luis Humberto GUZMAN;
Nicaraguan Democratic Movement (MDN), Roberto URROZ; Social Democratic
Party (PSD), Adolfo JARQUIN; Movement of Revolutionary Unity (MUR),
Pablo HERNANDEZ; Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS), Sergio RAMIREZ;
Democratic Action Movement (MAD), Eden PASTORA; Communist Party of
Nicaragua* (PCdeN), Eli ALTIMIRANO Perez
far left: Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), Daniel ORTEGA;
Revolutionary Workers' Party (PRT), Bonifacio MIRANDA; Popular Action
Movement-Marxist-Leninist (MAP-ML), Isidro TELLEZ; Nicaraguan
Socialist Party (PSN), Gustavo TABLADA; Unidad Nicaraguense de
Obreros, Campesinos, y Profesionales (UNOCP), Rosalio GONZALEZ Urbina
note: parties marked with an asterisk belong to the National
Opposition Union (UNO), an alliance of moderate parties, which,
however, does not always follow a unified political agenda
Other political or pressure groups: National Workers Front (FNT) is a
Sandinista umbrella group of eight labor unions: Sandinista Workers'
Central (CST); Farm Workers Association (ATC); Health Workers
Federation (FETASALUD); National Union of Employees (UNE); National
Association of Educators of Nicaragua (ANDEN); Union of Journalists of
Nicaragua (UPN); Heroes and Martyrs Confederation of Professional
Associations (CONAPRO); and the National Union of Farmers and Ranchers
(UNAG); Permanent Congress of Workers (CPT) is an umbrella group of
four non-Sandinista labor unions: Confederation of Labor Unification
(CUS); Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers' Central (CTN-A); Independent
General Confederation of Labor (CGT-I); and Labor Action and Unity
Central (CAUS); Nicaraguan Workers' Central (CTN) is an independent
labor union; Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) is a
confederation of business groups
Member of: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto Genaro MAYORGA Cortes
chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New
York, San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador John F. MAISTO
embassy: Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur., Managua
mailing address: APO AA 34021
telephone: [505] (2) 666010, 666013, 666015 through 18, 666026,
666027, 666032 through 34
FAX: [505] (2) 666046
Flag: 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
Economy
Overview: Since March 1991, when President CHAMORRO began an ambitious
economic stabilization program, Nicaragua has had considerable success
in reducing inflation and obtaining substantial economic aid from
abroad. Annual inflation fell from more than 750% in 1991 to less than
5% in 1992. Inflation rose again to an estimated 20% in 1993, although
this increase was due almost entirely to a large currency devaluation
in January. As of early 1994, the government was close to finalizing
an enhanced structural adjustment facility with the IMF, after the
previous standby facility expired in early 1993. Despite these
successes, achieving overall economic growth in an economy scarred by
misguided economic values and civil war during the 1980s has proved
elusive. Economic growth was flat in 1992 and slightly negative in
1993. Nicaragua's per capita foreign debt is one of the highest in the
world; nonetheless, as of late 1993, Nicaragua was current on its
post-1988 debt as well as on payments to the international financial
institutions. Definition of property rights remains a problem;
ownership disputes over large tracts of land, businesses, and homes
confiscated by the previous government have yet to be resolved. A rise
in exports of coffee and other products led growth in 1994.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $6.4 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 3.2% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $1,570 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 19.5% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 21.8%; underemployment 50% (1993)
Budget:
revenues: $375 million (1992)
expenditures: $410 million (1992), including capital expenditures of
$115 million (1991 est.)
Exports: $329 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: meat, coffee, cotton, sugar, seafood, gold, bananas
partners: US, Central America, Canada, Germany
Imports: $786 million (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: consumer goods, machinery and equipment, petroleum
products
partners: Central America, US, Venezuela, Japan
External debt: $11 billion (1993)
Industrial production: growth rate -0.8% (1993 est.); accounts for 26%
of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 460,000 kW
production: 1.6 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 376 kWh (1993)
Industries: food processing, chemicals, metal products, textiles,
clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear
Agriculture: crops account for about 15% of GDP; export crops -
coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton; food crops - rice, corn, cassava,
citrus fruit, beans; also produces a variety of animal products -
beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; normally self-sufficient in
food
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-92), $620 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-89), $1.381 billion
Currency: 1 gold cordoba (C$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: gold cordobas (C$) per US$1 - 7.08 (December 1994),
6.72 (1994), 5.62 (1993), 5.00 (1992); note - gold cordoba replaced
cordoba as Nicaragua's currency in 1991 (exchange rate of old cordoba
had reached per US$1 - 25,000,000 by March 1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Nicaragua:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 376 km; note - majority of system is nonoperational
standard gauge: 3 km 1.435-m gauge line at Puerto Cabezas; note - does
not connect with mainline
narrow gauge: 373 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total: 15,286 km
paved: 1,598 km
unpaved: 13,688 km
note: there is a 368.5 km portion of the Pan-American Highway which is
not in the total
Inland waterways: 2,220 km, including 2 large lakes
Pipelines: crude oil 56 km
Ports: Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino,
Rama, San Juan del Sur
Merchant marine: none
Airports:
total: 198
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3
with paved runways under 914 m: 149
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 39
@Nicaragua:Communications
Telephone system: 60,000 telephones; low-capacity radio relay and wire
system being expanded; connection into Central American Microwave
System
local: NA
intercity: wire and radio relay
international: 1 Intersputnik and 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth
station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 45, FM 0, shortwave 3
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 7
televisions: NA
@Nicaragua:Defense Forces
Branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force
note: total strength of all branches - 14,500
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 982,345; males fit for military
service 604,721; males reach military age (18) annually 47,064 (1995
est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $32 million, 1.7% of
GDP (1994), 8.1% of government budget
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