The Nicaragua Portal

Republic of Nicaragua
República de Nicaragua (Spanish)
Motto: En Dios confiamos (Spanish)
"In God We Trust"[lower-alpha 1]
Anthem: Salve a ti, Nicaragua (Spanish)
"Hail to Thee, Nicaragua"
ISO 3166 codeNI

Nicaragua (/ˌnɪkəˈrɑːɡwə, -ˈræɡ-, -ɡjuə/ ; Spanish: [nikaˈɾaɣwa] ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (ES-pe - República de Nicaragua.ogg), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the country's capital and largest city. it was estimated to be the third largest city in Central America. Nicaragua's multiethnic population of six million includes people of mestizo, Indigenous, European and African heritage. The main language is Spanish. Indigenous tribes on the Mosquito Coast speak their own languages and English.

Originally inhabited by various indigenous cultures since ancient times, the region was conquered by the Spanish Empire in the 16th century. Nicaragua gained independence from Spain in 1821. The Mosquito Coast followed a different historical path, being colonized by the English in the 17th century and later coming under British rule. It became an autonomous territory of Nicaragua in 1860 and its northernmost part was transferred to Honduras in 1960. Since its independence, Nicaragua has undergone periods of political unrest, dictatorship, occupation and fiscal crisis, including the Nicaraguan Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s and the Contra War of the 1980s. (Full article...)

Selected article -

Rama Cay, 2010

The Rama are an indigenous people living on the eastern coast of Nicaragua. Since the start of European colonization, the Rama population has declined as a result of disease, conflict, and loss of territory. In recent years, however, the Rama population has increased to around 2,000 individuals. A majority of the population lives on the island of Rama Cay, which is located in the Bluefields Lagoon. Additional small Rama communities are dispersed on the mainland from Bluefields to Greytown. The Rama are one of three main indigenous groups on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast.

Due to centuries of colonial suppression the Rama people’s native language is facing extinction. Language revitalization efforts have been made in recent years and have achieved early success in Rama communities. Rama territory is currently being threatened by the Nicaraguan government and foreign investors, who are seeking to develop a transoceanic canal and to extract resources from the region. (Full article...)

Did you know...

  • ...that the first woman to be popularly elected as President of a Latin American nation was Violeta Chamorro who served her term from 1990-1997 in Nicaragua. As of 2007 she is the only woman to have served in the role?
  • ...that in 1972, nearly 90% of the capital city of Managua was destroyed in an earthquake?
  • ...that Lake Nicaragua is the largest freshwater lake in Central America (19th largest in the world) and is home to the world's only freshwater sharks?
  • ...that Nicaragua's Bosawas Biosphere Reserve protects 1,800,000 acres (7,300 km2) of Mosquitia forest - almost seven percent of the country's area - making it the second largest Biosphere reserve in the world after the Amazon in Brazil?
  • ...that most Nicaraguans begin and end every day with Gallo pinto, a meal of rice and beans cooked separately and then fried together, and that on the Atlantic coast it is common to add coconut oil to the dish?
  • ...that one of the world's finest rums, Ron Flor de Caña, is produced in Nicaragua?
  • ...that in the 19th century the United States had plans to build a waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the country. The Nicaragua Canal concept was abandoned after the U.S. opted to back the construction of the Panama Canal instead?

WikiProjects

WikiProject Central America

Selected image -

Subcategories

Category puzzle
Category puzzle
Select [►] to view subcategories
Nicaragua
Nicaragua-related lists
Buildings and structures in Nicaragua
Nicaraguan culture
Economy of Nicaragua
Education in Nicaragua
Environment of Nicaragua
Geography of Nicaragua
Government of Nicaragua
Health in Nicaragua
History of Nicaragua
Organizations based in Nicaragua
Nicaraguan people
Politics of Nicaragua
Society of Nicaragua
Nicaragua stubs

Nicaragua news

Things you can do

Nicaragua Topics

Departments

Nicaragua is a unitary republic. For administrative purposes it is divided into 15 departments (departamentos) and two self-governing regions (autonomous regions).

(Department capitals in parentheses)

  1. Boaco (Boaco)
  2. Carazo (Jinotepe)
  3. Chinandega (Chinandega)
  4. Chontales (Juigalpa)
  5. Estelí (Estelí)
  6. Granada (Granada)
  7. Jinotega (Jinotega)
  8. León (León)
  9. Madriz (Somoto)
  10. Managua (Managua)
  11. Masaya (Masaya)
  12. Matagalpa (Matagalpa)
  13. Nueva Segovia (Ocotal)
  14. Rivas (Rivas)
  15. Río San Juan (San Carlos)
  16.  North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (Bilwi)
  17.  South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (Bluefields)
NicaraguaDepartmentsNumbered.png

Associated Wikimedia

The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:

Sources

  1. As shown on the Córdoba (bank notes and coins).[1]
Discover Wikipedia using portals

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.