Nicaragua or Republic of Nicaragua is a country located in Central America, is situated in the northern western hemisphere. This nation has the largest territory on the subcontinent; it borders Costa Rica to the south; to the east, with the Caribbean Sea; to the west, with the Pacific Ocean; and to the north, with Honduras.
The country's territory covers an area of 130 000 km², in which around 5.7 million inhabitants live; it is politically and administratively divided into fifteen departments and two autonomous regions.
Managua, capital of Nicaragua.
On the east coast of the country there are active volcanic mountains, on the south, two large lakes, Managua and Nicaragua. The territory is influenced by the tropical climate, which has the highest rainfall in May and October.
The country's productive activity is extremely focused on the primary sector, with agriculture being the main source of income. The soil is very fertile, a factor caused by volcanic interference, which deposits sediments that fertilize the surface. Approximately half of the territory is covered by forests.
There are important deposits of gold, silver, salt and copper. In agriculture, the main products are: coffee, cotton, bananas, sugar cane, corn, oranges, pineapples, rice, cassava, sorghum and beans. The livestock activity occupies a prominent place in the economy, as the country has one of the largest Central American herds, about 3.5 million cattle, 4,350 sheep, 405,000 swine and 6,800,000 goats.
The population is ethnically constituted by a mestizo majority, about 69%, being these coming from the mixture between Amerindians and whites. There are also 17% whites, 9% blacks and 5% Amerindians. Its population basically adheres to two religions: Catholicism (74.1%) and Protestantism (16.9%), other or no religion (9%).
General data
Name: Republic of Nicaragua.
Gentile: Nicaraguan or Nicaraguan.
Coat of Arms:
Capital: Managua.
Official language: Spanish, in addition to other unofficial languages, such as English and indigenous dialects.
Government: Presidential Republic.
GDP (Gross Domestic Product): 15, 912 billion USD.
HDI (Human Development Index): 0.565 (average).
Currency: Cordoba.
Official site: www.presidencia.gob.ni
By Eduardo de Freitas
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
countries - geography - Brazil School
