]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras ^# 13 00 N, 85 00 W ^$ Central America and the Caribbean ^% `! 129,494 sq km `" 120,254 sq km `# 9,240 sq km ^& slightly smaller than the state of New York ^' `! 1,231 km `Y Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km ^( 910 km ^) `$ 12 nm `M 24 nm `O natural prolongation ^* tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands ^+ extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes ^, `% Pacific Ocean 0 m `& Mogoton 2,438 m ^- gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish ^. `' 14.81% `( 1.82% `) 83.37% (2005) ^/ 610 sq km (2003) ^0 destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes ^1 deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution _P `P Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling `Q Environmental Modification ^2 largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua 
]# ^3 5,675,356 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 35.5% (male 1,025,426/female 988,148) `, 61.3% (male 1,734,153/female 1,746,574) `- 3.2% (male 79,589/female 101,466) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 21.3 years `. 20.9 years `/ 21.7 years (2007 est.) ^6 1.855% (2007 est.) ^7 24.12 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 -1.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.05 male(s)/female `1 1.038 male(s)/female `, 0.993 male(s)/female `- 0.784 male(s)/female `2 1.001 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 27.14 deaths/1,000 live births `. 30.45 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 23.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 70.92 years `. 68.82 years `/ 73.13 years (2007 est.) ^= 2.69 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 0.2% (2003 est.) ^? 6,400 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 500 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Nicaraguan(s) `4 Nicaraguan ^B mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% ^C Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census) ^D Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) `* English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 67.5% `. 67.2% `/ 67.8% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Nicaragua `7 Nicaragua `Z Republica de Nicaragua `[ Nicaragua ^H republic ^I `8 Managua `9 12 09 N, 86 17 W `: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 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 ^K 15 September 1821 (from Spain) ^L Independence Day, 15 September (1821) ^M 9 January 1987; reforms in 1995, 2000, and 2005 ^N civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 16 years of age; universal ^P `; 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 `< President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007) `= Council of Ministers appointed by the president `> 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) `? Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra elected president - 38.07%, Eduardo MONTEALEGRE 29%, Jose RIZO 26.21%, Edmundo JARQUIN 6.44% ^Q unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; members are elected by proportional representation and party lists to serve five-year terms; one seat for the previous president, one seat for the runner-up in previous presidential election) `> last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011) `? 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) ^R Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) ^S 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 [Azalia AVILES Salmeron]; 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 ^T 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 ^U BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Arturo CRUZ Sequeira, Jr. `S 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 `T [1] (202) 939-6570, [1] (202) 939-6573 `U [1] (202) 939-6545 `V Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco ^W `R Ambassador Paul A. TRIVELLI `_ Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua `` P.O. Box 327 `T [505] 266-6010 `U [505] 266-3861 ^X 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 
]% ^Y Nicaragua has widespread underemployment and the third lowest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere. 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 and in November 2006 obtained over $800 million in debt relief from the Inter-American Development Bank. 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. Energy shortages, however, are a serious bottleneck to growth. ^Z $16.83 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $5.37 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 3.7% (2006 est.) ^] $3,000 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 17.3% `A 25.8% `B 56.8% (2006 est.) ^_ 2.261 million (2006 est.) ^` `@ 29% `A 19% `B 52% (2006 est.) ^a 3.8% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2006 est.) _! 48% (2005) _" `C 1.2% `D 45% (2001) _d 55.1 (2001) _# 9.4% (2006 est.) _V 29.8% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $1.1 billion `F $1.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 82.7% of GDP (2006 est.) _& coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters _' food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood _( 2.4% (2005 est.) _) 2.778 billion kWh (2006) _* 2.929 billion kWh (2006) _+ 0 kWh (2006) _, 69.34 million kWh (2006) _- 14,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) _. 25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.) _/ 758.9 bbl/day (2004) _0 15,560 bbl/day (2005 est.) _1 0 cu m (2004 est.) _2 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Q $-883 million (2006 est.) _3 $1.714 billion f.o.b.; note - includes free trade zones (2006 est.) _4 coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts _5 US 34.1%, El Salvador 14.3%, Honduras 7.9%, Costa Rica 6.1%, Guatemala 5.2%, Mexico 5.1%, Spain 4.2% (2005) _6 $3.202 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products _8 US 20.1%, Venezuela 11.9%, Costa Rica 8.9%, Mexico 8.3%, Guatemala 7%, El Salvador 5.1%, Japan 4.5%, Ecuador 4.2% (2005) _[ $903.5 million (January 2007 est.) _9 $3.763 billion (2006 est.) _: $471 million (2006 est.) _; gold cordoba (NIO) _< gold cordobas per US dollar - 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 220,900 (2005) _? 1.119 million (2005) _@ `G inadequate system being upgraded by foreign investment `H low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System `I country code - 505; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) _A AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998) _B 3 (plus 7 repeaters) (1997) _C .ni _D 24,452 (2006) _E 140,000 (2005) 
]' _F 176 (2006) _G `! 11 `J 3 `b 2 `c 3 `W 3 (2006) _R `! 165 `b 1 `c 23 `W 141 (2006) _^ oil 54 km (2006) _e `! 6 km `n 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) _H `! 19,036 km `K 2,299 km `L 16,737 km (2005) _b 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2005) _I Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff 
]( _J Army (includes Navy, Air Force) (2007) _T 17 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) _K 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.) _L males age 18-49: 65,170 females age 17-49: 63,133 (2005 est.) _U 0.7% (2006 est.) 
]) _N 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 _O transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing 