CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Nicaragua


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!| 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 again in 2001 saw the Sandinistas defeated. The country has slowly rebuilt its economy during the 1990s, but was hard hit by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 9,240 sq km land: 120,254 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: continental shelf: natural prolongation !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 1.94% other: 82.12% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification !| Geography - note:
 * 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
 * total: 129,494 sq km
 * slightly smaller than the state of New York
 * total: 1,231 km
 * 910 km
 * territorial sea: 200 nm
 * tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
 * extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
 * lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
 * gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
 * arable land: 15.94%
 * 880 sq km (1998 est.)
 * destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
 * deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
 * largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 58.9% (male 1,570,494; female 1,586,706) 65 years and over: 3% (male 71,125; female 91,029) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 19.8 years female: 20.6 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: 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 (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 26.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 33.73 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 67.99 years female: 72.16 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Nicaraguan !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast !| Literacy: total population: 67.5% male: 67.2% female: 67.8% (2003 est.)
 * 5,359,759 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 38.1% (male 1,038,887; female 1,001,518)
 * total: 20.2 years
 * 1.97% (2004 est.)
 * 25.5 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 4.54 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * -1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
 * total: 30.15 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 70.02 years
 * 2.89 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 0.2% (2003 est.)
 * 6,400 (2003 est.)
 * less than 500 (2003 est.)
 * noun: Nicaraguan(s)
 * mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%
 * Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant
 * Spanish (official)
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Nicaragua local short form: Nicaragua local long form: Republica de Nicaragua !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: head of government: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon (since 10 January 2002); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government 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; election last held 4 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2006) election results: Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (PLC) elected president - 56.3%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 42.3%, Alberto SABORIO (PCN) 1.4%; Jose RIZO Castellon elected vice president !| Legislative branch: elections: last held 4 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Alliance (ruling party - includes PCCN, PLC, PALI, PLIUN, and PUCA) 46.03%, FSLN 36.55%, PCN 2.12%; seats by party - Liberal Alliance 53, FSLN 38, PCN 1 !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570, [1] (202) 939-6573 chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua mailing address: APO AA 34021 telephone: [505] 266-6010 FAX: [505] 266-9074 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
 * republic
 * Managua
 * 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
 * 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
 * Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
 * 9 January 1987, with reforms in 1995 and 2000
 * civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts
 * 16 years of age; universal
 * chief of state: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon (since 10 January 2002); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
 * 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 previous President, one seat for runner-up in previous Presidential election
 * Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)
 * Conservative Party of Nicaragua or PCN [Mario RAPPACCIOLI]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Anibal MARTINEZ Nunez, Pedro REYES Vallejos]; 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 [leader NA]; Unity Alliance or AU [leader NA]; Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Miguel LOPEZ Baldizon, Oscar WENDOLYN Vargas, Karla WHITE]; Liberal Salvation Movement or MSL [Eliseo NUNEZ Hernandez]; Christian Alternative Party or AC [Orlando TARDENCILLA Espinoza]
 * 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
 * BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, 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
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Salvador STADTHAGEN (since 5 December 2003)
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara Calandra MOORE
 * 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: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 25.4% services: 45.7% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: 48.8% (1998) !| Distribution of family income - Gini index: !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $954.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003 est.) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * Nicaragua, one of the hemisphere's poorest countries, faces low per capita income, massive unemployment, and huge external debt. Distribution of income is one of the most unequal on the globe. While the country has made progress toward macroeconomic stability over the past few years, GDP annual growth of 1.5% - 2.5% has been far too low to meet the country's need. Nicaragua will continue to be dependent on international aid and debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Nicaragua has undertaken significant economic reforms that are expected to help the country qualify for more than $4 billion in debt relief under HIPC in early 2004. Donors have made aid conditional on the openness of government financial operation, poverty alleviation, and human rights. A three-year poverty reduction and growth plan, agreed to with the IMF in December 2002, guides economic policy.
 * purchasing power parity - $11.6 billion (2003 est.)
 * 2.3% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 28.9%
 * 28.1% of GDP (2003)
 * 50% (2001 est.)
 * lowest 10%: 0.7%
 * 60.3 (1998)
 * 5.3% (2003 est.)
 * 1.91 million (2003)
 * agriculture 42%, industry 15%, services 43% (1999 est.)
 * 22% plus considerable underemployment (2003 est.)
 * revenues: $672.5 million
 * 125.3% of GDP (2003)
 * coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products
 * food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood
 * 4.4% (2000 est.)
 * 2.549 billion kWh (2001)
 * 2.388 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 17 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 24,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * $-859 million (2003)
 * $632 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * coffee, shrimp and lobster, cotton, tobacco, bananas, beef, sugar, gold
 * US 35.9%, El Salvador 17.2%, Costa Rica 8.1%, Honduras 7.3%, Mexico 4.6%, Guatemala 4.3% (2003)
 * $1.658 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products, consumer goods
 * US 24.9%, Venezuela 9.7%, Costa Rica 9%, Mexico 8.4%, Guatemala 7.3%, El Salvador 4.9%, Japan 4.3% (2003)
 * $502 million (2003)
 * $5.833 billion (2003 est.)
 * Substantial foreign support (2001)
 * gold cordoba (NIO)
 * NIO
 * gold cordobas per US dollar - 14.2513 (2003), 14.2513 (2002), 13.3719 (2001), 12.6844 (2000), 11.8092 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: 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) !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 171,600 (2002)
 * 202,800 (2002)
 * general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded by foreign investment
 * AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)
 * 1.24 million (1997)
 * 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997)
 * 320,000 (1997)
 * .ni
 * 7,094 (2003)
 * 3 (2000)
 * 90,000 (2002)
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!| Railways: narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2003) !| Highways: paved: 2,094 km unpaved: 16,938 km (2000) !| Waterways: !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 141 (2004 est.)
 * total: 6 km
 * total: 19,032 km
 * 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (1997)
 * oil 54 km (2004)
 * Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur
 * none
 * 176 (2003 est.)
 * total: 11
 * total: 165
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Army (includes Navy), Navy
 * 17 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
 * males age 15-49: 1,399,356 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 858,022 (2004 est.)
 * males: 61,869 (2004 est.)
 * $30.8 million (2003)
 * 1.2% (2003)
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