Nicaragua

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Coordinates:  13°8′N 85°7′W

Republic of Nicaragua

República de Nicaragua (Spanish)

Flag

Coat of arms

Motto: En Dios confiamos  (Spanish)

"In God We Trust" [1]

Anthem: Salve a ti, Nicaragua  (Spanish)

"Hail to Thee, Nicaragua"

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 Capital Managua
and largest city 12°6′N 86°14′W

Official languages Spanish
Recognised English
regional languages Miskito
Rama
Sumo
Miskito Coast Creole
Garifuna
Rama Cay Creole

Ethnic groups  69% Mestizo (mixed White and In
(2011 )[2]
digenous)
17% White
9% Black
5% Indigenous

Religion  84.4% Christianity
(2015)[3][4] —55.0% Catholic
—27.2% Protestant
—2.2% Other Christian
14.7% No religion
0.9% Other religions

Demonym(s) Nicaraguan

Government Unitary dominant-party presidential constitu
tional republic

• President Daniel Ortega

• Vice President Rosario Murillo

Legislature National Assembly

Independence from Spain, Mexico and the Federal Republic of

Central America
• Declared 15 September 1821
• Recognized 25 July 1850
• from the First 1 July 1823
Mexican Empire
• from the Federal 31 May 1838
Republic of Central
America
• Revolution 19 July 1979
• Current constitution 9 January 1987[5]

Area
• Total 130,375 km2 (50,338 sq mi) (96th)
 • Water (%) 7.14

Population
• 2019 estimate 6,486,201[6] (112th)
• 2012 census 6,071,045[7]
• Density 51/km2 (132.1/sq mi) (155th)

GDP (PPP) 2018 estimate
• Total $35.757 billion[8] (115th)
• Per capita $5,683[8] (129th)

GDP (nominal) 2018 estimate
• Total $13.380 billion[8] (127th)
• Per capita $2,126[8] (134th)

Gini (2014) 46.2[9]
high

HDI (2019)  0.660[10]
medium · 128th

Currency Córdoba (NIO)

Time zone UTC−6 (CST)

Driving side right

Calling code +505

ISO 3166 code NI

Internet TLD .ni

Nicaragua (/ˌnɪkəˈrɑːɡwə, -ˈræɡ-, -ɡjuə/ ( listen); Spanish: [nikaˈɾaɣwa] ( listen)),

officially the Republic of Nicaragua (Spanish:  República de Nicaragua (help·info)), is
the largest country in the Central American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the
northwest, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific
Ocean to the southwest. Managua is the country's capital and largest city and is also
the third-largest city in Central America, behind Tegucigalpa and Guatemala City.
The multi-ethnic population of six million includes people of indigenous, European,
African, and Asian 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.
The mixture of cultural traditions has generated substantial diversity in folklor