NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
Republic of Nicaragua
Republica de Nicaragua
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras |
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Geographic coordinates:
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13 00 N, 85 00 W |
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 129,494 sq km
water: 9,240 sq km land: 120,254 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than the state of New York |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km |
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Coastline:
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910 km |
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf: natural prolongation
territorial sea: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands |
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Terrain:
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extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m |
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Natural resources:
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gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish |
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Land use:
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arable land: 20.24%
permanent crops: 2.38% other: 77.38% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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880 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
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Geography - note:
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largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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5,023,818 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 38.3% (male 980,621; female 945,386)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 1,464,468; female 1,483,082) 65 years and over: 3% (male 65,610; female 84,651) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.09% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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26.98 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.76 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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32.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 69.37 years
female: 71.44 years (2002 est.) male: 67.39 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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3.09 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2% (2000/01 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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4,800 (2000/01 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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360 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan |
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Ethnic groups:
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mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant |
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Languages:
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Spanish (official)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68.2% (1999) male: 67.1% female: 70.5% (2000 est.) |