| |||||||||
Nicaragua is a republic in Central America.
| |||||
| National motto: En Dios Confiamos (In God We Trust) | |||||
| Official language | Spanish | ||||
| Capital | Managua | ||||
| President | Enrique Bolaños | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 115th 129,494 km² 2.9% | ||||
| Population - Total - Density | Ranked 131st 5,128,517 38,80/km² | ||||
| Independence - Declared - Recognized | From Spain September 15, 1821 July 25, 1850 | ||||
| Currency | Córdoba | ||||
| Time zone | UTC -5 | ||||
| National anthem | Salve a tí | ||||
| Internet TLD | .NI | ||||
| Calling Code | 505 | ||||
Main article: History of Nicaragua
Colonized by Spain in 1524, Nicaragua achieved independence as an independent state in 1821 and joined the United Provinces of Central America. It separated from the federation in 1838, becoming a completely sovereign republic in 1854.
The nation's early history was marred by lengthy periods of military dictatorship, the most infamous being the rule of the Somoza family for much of the early 20th century. In 1979 the Somoza family was deposed, and a multi-factional coalition took control of the government. Conflicts within the coalition eventually resulted in power being consolidated by Daniel Ortega, who was elected President in 1985. Ortega and his Sandinista followers implemented a series of ambitious socialist reforms to the country, but the new president's rule was undermined by increasing civil war in which United States President Ronald Reagan illegally funded Contra mercenaries to destroy civil society and overturn the elected government.
Multi-party elections were held in 1990, and the country has retained a fairly stable democracy since then.
Main article: Politics of Nicaragua
Nicaragua is a constitutional republic with an elected president holding executive power. The unicameral legislative body is the National Assembly, which has 93 members elected for 5-year terms. The President, and the runner-up are both members of the National Assembly, as well, and the government operates according to pseudo-parliamentary rules.
Main article: Departments of Nicaragua
Main article: Geography of Nicaragua
Main article: Economy of Nicaragua
Main article: Demographics of Nicaragua
Main article: Culture of Nicaragua
See also: Lake Nicaragua
| Countries in North America |
|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Canada | Costa Rica | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | El Salvador | Grenada | Guatemala | Haiti | Honduras | Jamaica | Mexico | Nicaragua | Panama | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago | United States |
| Dependencies: Anguilla | Aruba | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | Greenland | Guadeloupe | Martinique | Montserrat | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Saint-Pierre and Miquelon | Turks and Caicos Islands | U.S. Virgin Islands | British Virgin Islands |
| Organization of American States (OAS) | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Argentina | Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Bolivia | Brazil | Canada | Chile | Colombia | Costa Rica | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Ecuador | El Salvador | Grenada | Guatemala | Guyana | Haiti | Honduras | Jamaica | Mexico | Nicaragua | Panama | Paraguay | Peru | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | St. Kitts and Nevis | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago | United States | Uruguay | Venezuela |