NICARAGUA
Coastline: 910 km
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
Environment—current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water
pollution
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 1,017,190; female 1,000,436)
15-64 years: 53% (male 1,191,323; female 1,251,828)
65 years and over: 3% (male 52,836; female 69,766) (July 1998
est.)
Population growth rate: 2.92% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 36.04 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 5.8 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 42.26 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.62 years
male: 64.26 years
female: 69.08 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.28 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant 5%
Languages: Spanish (official)
note: English- and Amerindian-speaking minorities on Atlantic
coast
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 65.7%
male: 64.6%
female: 66.6% (1995 est.)
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution: 9 January 1987
Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal
Political parties and leaders:
right: Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Road (PCCN), Guillermo
OSORNO, Roberto RODRIGUEZ; Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC), Jose
RIZO Castellon; Independent Liberal Party for National Unity (PLIUN), Carlos
GUERRA Gallardo; National Conservative Party (PCN), Adolfo CALERO, Noel
VIDAURRE; Nationalist Liberal Party (PLN), Enrique SANCHEZ Herdocia
center right: Neoliberal Party (PALI), Adolfo GARCIA Esquivel;
Nicaraguan Resistance Party (PRN), Fabio GADEA; Independent Liberal Party
(PLI), Virgilio GODOY; National Project (PRONAL), Antonio LACAYO Oyanguren;
Conservative Action Movement (MAC), Hernaldo ZUNIGA
center left: Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS), Sergio RAMIREZ;
Social Democratic Party (PSD), Adolfo JARQUIN; Social Christian Party (PSC),
Erick RAMIREZ; Movement for Revolutionary Unity (MUR), NA; Central American
Integrationist Party (PIAC), NA; Unity Alliance (AU), Alejandro SERRANO;
Conservative Party of Nicaragua (PCN), Dr. Fernando AGUERO Rocha; National
Democratic Party (PND), Alfredo CESAR Aguirre; Central American Unionist
Party (PUCA), Blanca ROJAS Echaverry; UNO-96 Alliance, Alfredo CESAR Aguirre;
Nicaraguan Democratic Movement (MDN), Alfredo GUZMAN
left: Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), Daniel ORTEGA
Saavedra
GDP—real growth rate: 6% (1997 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 34%
industry: 21%
services: 45% (1995)
Agriculture—products: coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, cassava (tapioca), citrus, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products
Exports:
total value: $635 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: coffee, seafood, meat, sugar, gold, bananas
partners: US, Central America, Germany, Canada
Imports:
total value: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities: consumer goods, machinery and equipment, petroleum
products
partners: Central America, US, Venezuela, Japan
Debt—external: $6 billion (1996 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $27.48 million (1996)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 1.35% (1996)