Nicaragua ( Republica de Nicaragua) is a country in Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras. Nicaragua geographic coordinates 13 00 N, 85 00 W; area 120,254 sq km; area comparative slightly smaller than the state of New York; land boundaries Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km; coastline 910 km; maritime claims n; climate tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands; terrain extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain; elevation extremes Mogoton 2,438 m; natural resources gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish; land use 82.12% (2001); irrigated land 880 sq km (1998 est.); natural hazards destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes; environment current issues deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; environment international agreements Environmental Modification; geography note largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua;

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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 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. government type republic; capital Managua; administrative divisions 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; independence 15 September 1821 (from Spain); national holiday Independence Day, 15 September (1821); constitution 9 January 1987, with reforms in 1995 and 2000; legal system civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts; suffrage 16 years of age; universal;

people

Nicaragua population 5,465,100 (July 2005 est.); age structure 3.1% (male 73,935/female 94,370) (2005 est.); median age 20.98 years (2005 est.); population growth rate 1.92% (2005 est.); birth rate 24.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate -1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 32.6 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 72.49 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 2.81 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate 0.2% (2003 est.); hiv people with aids 6,400 (2003 est.); hiv deaths less than 500 (2003 est.); nationality Nicaraguan; ethnic groups mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%; religions Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%; languages Spanish (official) English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast; literacy 67.8% (2003 est.);

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