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 Inland waterways: 1,609 km; of little importance to transportation

Pipelines: 1,000 km natural gas; 160 km refined products; 150 km condensate

Ports: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington, Tauranga

Merchant marine: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 190,553 GRT/257,782 DWT; includes 1 cargo, 2 container, 4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 railcar carrier, 4 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 5 bulk

Civil air: about 40 major transport aircraft

Airports: 157 total, 157 usable; 33 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 47 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: excellent international and domestic systems; 2,110,000 telephones; stations — 64 AM, 2 FM, 14 TV; submarine cables extend to Australia and Fiji; 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

Defense Forces

Branches: Royal New Zealand Navy, New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Air Force

Military manpower: males 15-49, 872,336; 740,207 fit for military service; 29,532 reach military age (20) annually

Defense expenditures: 2.1% of GDP, or $820 million (1989 est.)  Nicaragua



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Geography

Total area: 129,494 km²; land area: 120,254km²

Comparative area: slightly larger than New York State

Land boundaries: 1,231 km total; Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Coastline: 910 km

Maritime claims:
 * Contiguous zone: 25 nm security zone (status of claim uncertain)
 * Continental shelf: not specified
 * Territorial sea: 200 nm

Disputes: territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank

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: 9% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 43% meadows and pastures; 35% forest and woodland; 12% other; including 1% irrigated

Environment: subject to destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and occasional severe hurricanes; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

People

Population: 3,722,683 (July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)

Birth rate: 40 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: -3 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 62 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Nicaraguan(s); adjective—Nicaraguan

Ethnic divisions: 69% mestizo, 17% white, 9% black, 5% Indian

Religion: 95% Roman Catholic, 5% Protestant

Language: Spanish (official); English- and Indian-speaking minorities on Atlantic coast

Literacy: 88% (1981)

Labor force: 1,086,000; 43% service, 44% agriculture, 13% industry (1986)

Organized labor: 35% of labor force

Government

Long-form name: Republic of Nicaragua

Type: republic

Capital: Managua

Administrative divisions: 9 administrative regions encompassing 17 departments (departamentos, singular—departamento); North, Atlantic Coast, South, Atlantic Coast, Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Estelí, Granada, Jinotega, León, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Constitution: January 1987

Legal system: civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts

National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema) and municipal courts

Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President-Elect Violeta Barios de CHAMORRO (since 25 February 1990; takes office 25 April 1990); Vice President-elect Virgilio GODOY (since 25 February 1990; takes office 25 April 1990)

Political parties and leaders:

Ruling coalition: National Opposition Union (UNO)—14 party alliance: National Conservative Party (PNC), Silviano Matamoros; Conservative Popular Alliance Party (PAPC), Miriam Arguello; National Conservative Action Party (PANC), Hernaldo Zuniga; National Democratic Confidence Party (PDCN), Augustin Jarquin; Independent Liberal Party (PLI), Virgilio Godoy; Neo-Liberal Party (PALI), Andres Zuniga; Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC), Jose Ernesto Somarriba; National Action Party (PAN), Eduardo Rivas; Nicaraguan Socialist Party (PSN), Gustavo Tablada;  227