There are many common misconceptions surrounding Nicaragua. What people often expect is an unstable country with guerrillas running around in the jungles. This could not be further from the truth. There was a Sandinistan Revolution beginning in 1979. The US intervened with the revolution, sponsoring many anti-Sandinistan contra guerrillas through much of the 1980's. Free elections in '90, '96 and in 2001 have seen the Sandinistas defeated in a democratic manner. During these years the country has stabilized. The economy is now growing at a rapid pace. Nicaragua is learning from its neighbor Costa Rica and is encouraging tourism as a main form of income for many of its lesser fortunate people.

Our guide to Nicaragua

We are making an effort to present to you information to help you to find Nicaragua as a viable and friendly travel destination that is worthy of coming and taking a look at in person.

An Introduction to the Republic of Nicaragua

Nicaragua was settled as a colony of Spain in the 1520s and gained its independence in 1821. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990, 1996, and again in 2001 saw the Sandinistas defeated. The country has slowly rebuilt its economy during the 1990s, but was hard hit by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

Geography

Nicaragua is located in the heart of Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras, 13 degrees North of the equator. With nearly 130 thousand sq. km. of land, Nicaragua is just smaller than the state of New York. Nicaragua boasts an astounding 910 km of coastline as it touches both the Carribean Sea to the east and Pacific Ocean to the west. To the North, Nicaragua borders Honduras for 922 km and to the South, borders Costa Rica for 309 km.

The terrain varies from the Atlantic costal plains to an interior mountain range with a narrow Pacific coastal plain mixed with the occasional volcanoes. Nicaragua is bless with a variety of natural resources including precious metals and some of the strongest hardwoods in the world. Nicaragua also boasts the largest freshwater body of water in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua.

The People

The popoulation is just over 5 million (July 2002 est.) and is primarily Roman Catholic. Historically, Nicaragua is one of the hemisphere's poorest countries. However, Nicaragua is building a new tourism based economy. By offering similar initiatives to foriegn investment as Costa Rica did in the 1980's, Nicaragua has seen a huge increase in foriegn investment. This investment has in turn, brought a tremendous number of jobs to the country.

US embassy in Managua

Apartado Postal 327, Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua
mailing address: APO AA 34021 | telephone: [505] 266 - 2298