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Nicaragua Information and History
Natural disasters and the consequences of civil war have beset this largest Central American country. Volcanoes and earthquakes along the Pacific coast are a constant threat, and hurricanes hit the low-lying Caribbean coast. With the Sandinista's overthrow of Anastasio Somoza in 1979, ending his family's 42-year dictatorship, Nicaragua came under the control of a junta. Eight years of civil war between the Sandinista regime and the U.S.-funded rebels (contras) ended in 1988. Peace brought democracy, but poverty and corruption are major problems.
ECONOMY
Industry: food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles.
Agriculture: coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton; beef, veal.
Exports: coffee, shrimp and lobster, cotton, tobacco, bananas.
Text source: National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004
Nicaragua Flag and Fast Facts
Population
5,774,000
Capital
Managua; 1,098, 000
Area
130,000 square kilometers
(50,193 square miles)
Language
Spanish, English, indigenous languages
Religion
Roman Catholic, Protestant Currency
gold cordoba
Life Expectancy
69
GDP per Capita
U.S. $2,200
Literacy Percent
68
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