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| The World Factbook |
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Nicaragua |
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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
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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Central America, bordering
both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and
Honduras |
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Geographic coordinates:
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13 00 N, 85 00 W |
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Map references:
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Central America and the
Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 129,494 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km
water: 9,240 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than the
state of New York |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km |
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Coastline:
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910 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 200
nm
continental shelf: natural prolongation |
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Climate:
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tropical in lowlands, cooler
in highlands |
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Terrain:
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extensive Atlantic coastal
plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain
interrupted by volcanoes |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific
Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m |
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Natural resources:
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gold, silver, copper,
tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish |
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Land use:
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arable land: 14.81%
permanent crops: 1.82%
other: 83.37% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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610 sq km (2003) |
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Natural hazards:
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destructive earthquakes,
volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion;
water pollution |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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largest country in Central
America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de
Nicaragua |
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Population:
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5,570,129 (July 2006 est.)
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total: 20.9 years
male: 20.5 years
female: 21.4 years (2006 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.89% (2006 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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24.51 births/1,000 population
(2006 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.45 deaths/1,000 population
(2006 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.17 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2006 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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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.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population:
70.63 years
male: 68.55 years
female: 72.81 years (2006 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.75 children born/woman
(2006 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2% (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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6,400 (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 500 (2003 est.)
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Nationality:
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noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan |
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Ethnic groups:
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mestizo (mixed Amerindian and
white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 72.9%,
Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5%
(1995 census) |
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Languages:
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Spanish 97.5% (official),
Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and
over can read and write
total population: 67.5%
male: 67.2%
female: 67.8% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form:
Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua
local long form: Republica de Nicaragua
local short form: Nicaragua |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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name: Managua
geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard
Time) |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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15 September 1821 (from
Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 15
September (1821) |
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Constitution:
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9 January 1987; reforms in
1995 and 2000 |
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Legal system:
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civil law system; Supreme
Court may review administrative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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16 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or Corte
Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)
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Political parties and leaders:
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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 |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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 |
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International organization participation:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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 |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$16.1 billion (2005 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$5.03 billion (2005 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4% (2005 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$2,900 (2005 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 16.5%
industry: 27.5%
services: 56% (2005 est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.01 million (2005 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 30.5%
industry: 17.3%
services: 52.2% (2003 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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5.6% plus underemployment of
46.5% (2005 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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50% (2001 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 1.2%
highest 10%: 45% (2001) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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55.1 (2001) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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9.6% (2005 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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27% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $1.134
billion
expenditures: $1.358 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.) |
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Public debt:
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82.3% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee, bananas, sugarcane,
cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry,
dairy products; shrimp, lobsters |
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Industries:
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food processing, chemicals,
machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and
distribution, beverages, footwear, wood |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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2.4% (2005 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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2.887 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 83.9%
hydro: 7.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 8.4% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.848 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity - exports:
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21.8 million kWh (2004) |
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Electricity - imports:
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23.3 million kWh (2004) |
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Oil - production:
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14,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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758.9 bbl/day (2004) |
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Oil - imports:
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15,560 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2003 est.) |
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Current account balance:
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$-835 million (2005 est.)
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Exports:
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$1.55 billion f.o.b.; note -
includes free trade zones (2005 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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coffee, beef, shrimp and
lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts |
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Exports - partners:
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US 60.7%, Mexico 8.6%, El
Salvador 6.2% (2005) |
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Imports:
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$2.865 billion f.o.b. (2005
est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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consumer goods, machinery and
equipment, raw materials, petroleum products |
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Imports - partners:
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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) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$727.8 million (2005 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$3.188 billion (2005 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$419.5 million (2005 est.)
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Currency (code):
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gold cordoba (NIO) |
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Currency code:
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NIO |
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Exchange rates:
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gold cordobas per US dollar -
16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002), 13.372 (2001)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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220,900 (2005) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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1.119 million (2005) |
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Telephone system:
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1
(1998) |
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Radios:
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1.24 million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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3 (plus seven low-power
repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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320,000 (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.ni |
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Internet hosts:
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24,452 (2006) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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3 (2000) |
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Internet users:
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140,000 (2005) |
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Airports:
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176 (2006) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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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) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 141 (2006) |
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Pipelines:
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oil 54 km (2006) |
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Railways:
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total: 6 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) |
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Roadways:
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total: 19,036 km
paved: 2,299 km
unpaved: 16,737 km (2005) |
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Waterways:
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2,220 km (including lakes
Managua and Nicaragua) (2005) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff
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Military branches:
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Army (includes Navy, Air
Force) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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17 years of age for voluntary
military service (2001) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 17-49:
1,309,970
females age 17-49: 1,315,186 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 17-49:
1,051,425
females age 17-49: 1,129,649 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males age 18-49:
65,170
females age 17-49: 63,133 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$32.27 million (2005 est.)
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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0.7% (2005 est.) |
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Transnational Issues |
Nicaragua |
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Disputes - international:
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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 |
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Illicit drugs:
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transshipment point for
cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs
dealing |
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This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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