| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua
local long form: Republica de Nicaragua
local short form: Nicaragua |
| Capital: |
Managua |
| Location: |
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
13 00 N, 85 00 W |
| Area: |
total: 129,494 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km
water: 9,240 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly smaller than the state of New York |
| Land
Boundaries: |
total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km |
| Coastline: |
910 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: natural prolongation |
| Climate: |
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands |
| Terrain: |
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
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 |
| Executive
Branch: |
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
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: |
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
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: |
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Miguel LOPEZ Baldizon, Oscar WENDOLYN Vargas, Karla WHITE]; Central American Unionist Party or PUCA [leader NA]; Christian Alternative Party or AC [Orlando TARDENCILLA Espinoza]; Conservative Party of Nicaragua or PCN [Mario RAPPACCIOLI]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Anibal MARTINEZ Nunez, Pedro REYES Vallejos]; Independent Liberal Party for National Unity or PLIUN [leader NA]; Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Liberal Salvation Movement or MSL [Eliseo NUNEZ Hernandez]; New Liberal Party or PALI [leader NA]; 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] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
5,465,100 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 37.2% (male 1,036,487/female 999,226)
15-64 years: 59.7% (male 1,623,065/female 1,638,017)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 73,935/female 94,370) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 20.56 years
male: 20.15 years
female: 20.98 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan |
| Ethnic groups: |
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15% |
| Languages: |
Spanish (official)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
171,600 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
202,800 (2002) |
| Telephone system: |
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) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) |
| Internet country
code: |
.ni |
| Internet hosts: |
7,094 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
90,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 6 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 18,712 km
paved: 2,126 km
unpaved: 16,586 km (2002) |
| Waterways: |
2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (1997) |
| Pipelines: |
oil 54 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: |
Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
176 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
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 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 141 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
