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by Michelle Fraser
 A. Introduction to the country and region Nicaragua is located in the middle of Central America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean on its western coast and the Caribbean Sea on its east side. Honduras is to its north, and Costa Rica to its south. Lago de Nicaragua (also known as Lake Cocibolca) is located in the South-West corner of the country. It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the Americas. In this lake is La Isla Ometepe, an island made up of two volcanoes, one dormant and one active. Other interesting geographical features of the country range from cloud forests at the Mombacho Volcano featuring wild orchids, to more rugged areas such as the Jinotega Highlands, known as coffee country. The Río San Juan (San Juan River) courses gently through gorgeous nature and wildlife reserves to the Caribbean Sea. Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua. The country’s population in July 2008 was approximately 5.7 million people. Most Nicaraguans are mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white), with a moderate number of whites and a small number of blacks and Amerindians. Christianity is the main religious presence in the country. This is a Spanish-speaking country, with very few English-speakers, except on the Caribbean coast. A small percentage of Nicaraguans speaks Miskito, which is the native language of several Central American countries. Nicaragua was a Spanish colony from the 16th century until 1821. September 15 is the national celebration of Independence Day. The British colonized the Caribbean coast for a few decades in the early 19th century. In the late 1970s, a short civil war occurred due to opposition to governmental corruption. Afterwards, the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas were in power until they were defeated in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2006, Daniel Ortega, the former president of the Sandinistas, was elected as the country’s president. Nicaragua has the third lowest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the highest degrees of income inequality in the world. The country relies on international assistance for financial support. Recent interest has spurred a growth in investment into tourist development, particularly in the beach-front areas, which is leading to development in areas of forest and other natural ecosystems. The life expectancy for Nicaraguans is 71 years. Safe water and sanitation is available to 93% of the urban population and approximately 65% of the rural population. In 2003, the prevalence of HIV / AIDS was estimated at 0.2% of the population, compared to 0.3% in Canada. Hepatitis and typhoid fever are present in Nicaragua, as are dengue fever, malaria and leptospirosis. |
