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COUNTRY HOPPING: Nicaragua
Official name: Republic of Nicaragua
Area: 127,849 sq km
Population: 4,807,000
Capital: Managua
Currency: Cordoba
Official language: Spanish
Major cities: Lesn, Chinandega, Masaya, Granada
Independence day: September 15, 1821
Major exports: coffee, meat, cotton, sugar, seafood, bananas, chemical products, and gold.
A country in Central America, Nicaragua lies between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, with Honduras towards the north and Costa Rica towards its south.
Physical features
The Nicaraguan highlands cross the country from the northwest to the southeast. The Isabelia Mountains (reaching 6,890 feet) is the highest of the several mountain ranges. A chain of volcanoes rise along the Pacific coast. The Caribbean coastal plain known as the Mosquito Coast extends to 72 km inland.
Climate
The climate of the coastal regions of Nicaragua is tropical with a mean average temperature of 25°C. In the higher elevations, the temperature ranges from 15° to 26°C. The rainy season begins in May and ends in October. The average annual rainfall is almost 3,800mm along the Caribbean coast. Occasional earthquakes occur due to the presence of volcanoes along the Pacific coast.
Ethnicity & religion
The majority of the people (69 per cent) are mestizo, or mixed race. Seventeen per cent are of European descent. About 9 per cent are descendants of black Africans, and 5 per cent are Native American.
Approximately 95 per cent of the population belongs to the Roman Catholic Church. Freedom of religion is guaranteed.
Language
Spanish is the official and predominant language. Indigenous ethnic languages such as Miskito, Sumo, and Rama are also commonly spoken, and Garmfuna is spoken among the black population. English is understood by some in the capital city and is spoken in the Creole form in other parts of the country.
Government
The constitution dates from 1987. The 92-member National Constituent Assembly is elected through a system of proportional representation for a six-year term. The elected president serves a non-renewable five-year term, with the assistance of a vice president and an appointed cabinet.
Wildlife
The animals found in this region are jaguar, West Indian manatee, puma, fer-de-lance, giant anteater, spotted skunk, ocelot, northern opossum, kinkajou, raccoon and spectacled caiman. The birds found here include vermilion flycatcher, crested caracara, everglade kite, osprey, magnificent frigate bird, scarlet macaw, roseate spoonbill, resplendent Quetzal, harpy eagle, burrowing owl, brown pelican, peregrine falcon and least tern.
Diet
The basic meal in Nicaragua consists of eggs or meat, beans, rice and tortillas -- a salad of cabbage and tomatoes, and seasonal fruit. This may be served as breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Another popular dish is gallo pinto, a mixture of rice and beans.
Typical dishes include tortillas, enchiladas, nacatamales (spiced meat and vegetables), mondongos (tripe and beef knuckles), and baho (meat, vegetables, and plantains). A typical vegetable dish is called vigoron.
Recreation
Dancing is quite popular. Baseball, the national sport, generates great enthusiasm. Soccer, boxing, softball, basketball, and volleyball are also enjoyed. Bullfights and cockfights are held usually on weekends or fiesta days.
Places to visit
Lake Nicaragua, a freshwater lake with its 310 beautiful islands is certainly the place to visit. This lake which is the largest in Central America is inhabited by a variety of salt-water fish including sharks and swordfish. The area is ecologically important for many rare and colourful birds. The largest island in Lake Nicaragua is Ometepe, which has two volcanoes namely Concepcisn (5282 ft), and Madera (4573 ft)
The Momotombo volcano, and the Corn Islands (Islas de Maiz) in the Caribbean, are fringed with white coral and palm trees. This place also attracts tourists from all over the world.
History
10th century AD: Indians from Mexico and Mesoamerica migrated to Nicaragua’s Pacific lowlands.
1522: Visited by Spanish explorer Gil Gonzalez de Avila, who named the area Nicaragua after local Indian chief, Nicarao.
1523-24: Colonized by the Spanish, under Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, who was attracted by the local gold deposits and founded cities of Granada and Lesn.
17th-18th centuries: Britain was the dominant force on the Caribbean side of Nicaragua, while Spain controlled the Pacific lowlands.
1821: Independence achieved from Spain; Nicaragua was initially part of the Mexican Empire.
1823: Became part of United Provinces (Federation) of Central America.
1838: Became fully independent when it seceded from the Federation. 1857-93: Ruled by succession of Conservative Party governments.
1860: The British ceded control over Caribbean (‘Mosquito4) Coast to Nicaragua.
1893: Liberal Party leader, Josi Santos Zelaya, deposed Conservative president and established dictatorship, which lasted until he was overthrown by the US marines in 1909.
1912-25: At the Nicaraguan government’s request, with the political situation deteriorating, USA established military bases and stationed marines.
1927-33: Re-stationed US marines faced opposition from an anti-American guerrilla group led by Augusto Cisar Sandino, who was assassinated in 1934 on the orders of the commander of the US-trained National Guard, Gen Anastasio Somoza Garcia.
1937: Gen Somoza elected president; start of near-dictatorial rule by the Somoza family, which amassed huge personal fortune.
1956: Gen Somoza assassinated and succeeded by his elder son, Luis Somoza Debayle.
1961: Left-wing Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) formed to fight the Somoza regime.
1967: Luis Somoza died and was succeeded by his brother Anastasio Somoza Debayle, who headed an even more oppressive regime.
1972: An earthquake destroyed much of the capital and killed 10,000 people.
1978: Nicaraguan Revolution: Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, a popular publisher and leader of the anti-Somoza Democratic Liberation Union (UDEL), was assassinated, sparking chaos that led to a general strike and a mass movement in which moderates joined the FSLN to overthrow the Somoza regime.
1979: Somoza government ousted by FSLN after a military offensive.
1980: Anastasio Somoza assassinated in Paraguay; FSLN junta took power in Managua, headed by Daniel Ortega Saavedra; land held by the Somozas were nationalized and farming cooperatives established.
1982: Subversive activity against the government by right-wing Contra guerrillas supported by the USA, attacking from bases in Honduras. A state of emergency declared.
1984: US troops mined Nicaraguan harbours. Action condemned by the World Court in 1986 and $17 billion in reparations ordered. FSLN won assembly elections.
1985: Denunciation of Sandinista government by US president Ronald Reagan, who vowed to ‘remove it and imposed US trade embargo.
1987: Central American peace agreement signed by Nicaraguan leaders.
1988: Peace agreement failed. Nicaragua held talks with Contra rebel leaders. Hurricane left 180,000 people homeless.
1989: Demobilization of rebels and release of former Somozan supporters; cease-fire ended but the economy was in ruins after the Contra war. The unemployment rate was 60 per cent.
1990: FSLN defeated by right-of-centre National Opposition Union (UNO), a US-backed coalition; Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, widow of the murdered Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, elected president. Anti-government riots.
1992: Around 16,000 made homeless by earthquake.
1994: Peace accord with remaining Contra rebels.
1996: Right-wing candidate Arnoldo Aleman won presidential elections.
1998: Daniel Ortega re-elected FSLN leader.
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