]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras ^# 13 00 N, 85 00 W ^$ Central America and the Caribbean ^% `! 129,494 sq km `" 120,254 sq km `# 9,240 sq km ^& slightly smaller than the state of New York ^' `! 1,231 km `U Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km ^( 910 km ^) `$ 200 nm `J natural prolongation ^* tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands ^+ extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes ^, `% Pacific Ocean 0 m `& Mogoton 2,438 m ^- gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish ^. `' 15.94% `( 1.94% `) 82.12% (2001) ^/ 880 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes ^1 deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands `L Environmental Modification ^2 largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua 
]# ^3 5,465,100 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 37.2% (male 1,036,487/female 999,226) `+ 59.7% (male 1,623,065/female 1,638,017) `, 3.1% (male 73,935/female 94,370) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 20.56 years `- 20.15 years `. 20.98 years (2005 est.) ^6 1.92% (2005 est.) ^7 24.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 -1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.05 male(s)/female `0 1.04 male(s)/female `+ 0.99 male(s)/female `, 0.78 male(s)/female `1 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 29.11 deaths/1,000 live births `- 32.6 deaths/1,000 live births `. 25.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 70.33 years `- 68.27 years `. 72.49 years (2005 est.) ^= 2.81 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 0.2% (2003 est.) ^? 6,400 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 500 (2003 est.) ^A `2 Nicaraguan(s) `3 Nicaraguan ^B mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% ^C Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census) ^D Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 67.5% `- 67.2% `. 67.8% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Republic of Nicaragua `5 Nicaragua `V Republica de Nicaragua `W Nicaragua ^H republic ^I Managua ^J 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 ^K 15 September 1821 (from Spain) ^L Independence Day, 15 September (1821) ^M 9 January 1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000 ^N civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts ^O 16 years of age; universal ^P `6 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 `7 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 `8 Council of Ministers appointed by the president `9 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) `: 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 ^Q 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 `9 last held 4 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2006) `: 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 ^R Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) ^S 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] ^T National Workers Front or FNT is a Sandinista umbrella group of eight labor unions including - Farm Workers Association or ATC, Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of Employees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG, Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of Journalists of Nicaragua or UPN; Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT is an umbrella group of four non-Sandinista labor unions including - Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of Labor Unification or CUS, Independent General Confederation of Labor or CGT-I, and Labor Action and Unity Central or CAUS; Nicaraguan Workers' Central or CTN is an independent labor union; Superior Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP is a confederation of business groups ^U BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ^V `N Ambassador Salvador STADTHAGEN (since 5 December 2003) `O 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 `P [1] (202) 939-6570, [1] (202) 939-6573 `Q [1] (202) 939-6545 `R Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco ^W `N Ambassador Barbara Calandra MOORE `Z Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua `[ APO AA 34021 `P [505] 266-6010 `Q [505] 266-9074 ^X three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band 
]% ^Y Nicaragua, one of the hemisphere's poorest countries, faces low per capita income, massive unemployment, and huge external debt. Distribution of income is one of the most unequal on the globe. While the country has made progress toward macroeconomic stability over the past few years, GDP annual growth has been far too low to meet the country's needs. As a result of successful performance under its International Monetary Fund policy program and other efforts, Nicaragua qualified in early 2004 for some $4 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Even after this reduction, however, the government continues to bear a significant foreign and domestic debt burden. If ratified, the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) will provide an opportunity for Nicaragua to attract investment, create jobs, and deepen economic development. While President BOLANOS enjoys the support of the international financial bodies, his internal political base is meager. ^Z $12.34 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 4% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2004 est.) ^] `; 20.7% `< 24.7% `= 54.6% (2004 est.) ^^ 1.93 million (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 30.5%, industry 17.3%, services 52.2% (2003 est.) ^` 7.8% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2003 est.) ^a 50% (2001 est.) _! `> 1.2% `? 45% (2001) _d 55.1 (2001) _" 9.3% (2004 est.) _P 28% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $725.5 million `A $1.039 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) _Q 69.5% of GDP (2004 est.) _$ coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products _% food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood _& 4.4% (2000 est.) _' 2.553 billion kWh (2002) _( 2.318 billion kWh (2002) _) 6.8 million kWh (2002) _* 15.3 million kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2003 est.) _, 25,770 bbl/day (2003 est.) _- 738 bbl/day (2003) _. 27,950 bbl/day (2003) _X $-843.1 million (2004 est.) _/ $750 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts _1 US 64.8%, El Salvador 7%, Mexico 3.6% (2004) _2 $2.02 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products _4 US 22.6%, Costa Rica 8.5%, Venezuela 8.4%, Guatemala 6.8%, Mexico 5.8%, El Salvador 4.9%, South Korea 4.5% (2004) _Y $670 million (2004 est.) _5 $4.573 billion (2004 est.) _6 $541.8 million (2003) _7 gold cordoba (NIO) _8 gold cordobas per US dollar - 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002), 13.372 (2001), 12.684 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 171,600 (2002) _; 202,800 (2002) _< `B inadequate system being upgraded by foreign investment `C low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System `D country code - 505; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) _= AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998) _> 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) _? .ni _@ 7,094 (2003) _A 90,000 (2002) 
]' _e `! 6 km `c 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2004) _B `! 18,712 km `E 2,126 km `F 16,586 km (2002) _b 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (1997) _[ oil 54 km (2004) _C Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff _D 176 (2004 est.) _E `! 11 `G 3 `^ 2 `_ 3 `T 3 (2004 est.) _L `! 165 `^ 1 `_ 23 `T 141 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Army (includes Navy, Air Force) _M 17 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) _] males age 17-49: 1,309,970 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 17-49: 1,051,425 (2005 est.) _^ `` 65,170 (2005 est.) _N $32.8 million (2004) _O 0.7% (2004) 
]) _H Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; the 1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras advised a tripartite resolution to establish a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca, which considers Honduran access to the Pacific; legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border with Costa Rica _I transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing 