Nicaragua Vacations - Information and Map

Welcome to the Nicaragua Information section. Here you can find useful information on the geography, culture and people of Nicaragua. The map below shows Nicaragua, and highlights the larger cities and towns. Managua, marked with the red dot,on the Pacific side is the largest of the cities and is also the capital of this developing country.

Geography:

Nicaragua is one of the more central countries within Central America. Its borders are shard with Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. One of the great aspects of this part of the world is that countries such as Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama further south, all enjoy coastlines with both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific ocean. This gives some beautiful beaches, and a variety to choose from. On the Caribbean side the beaches are golden in color, with calm blue waters. On the other side the Pacific coast offers White sands and in many places some great breaks for surfing.

Nicaragua covers approximately 46,430 sq mi (120,254 sq km) of land, with almost 4,500 sq miles being covered by water within the countries borders. This makes Nicaragua the largest of all the Central American countries. However much of the country is sparsely populated.

Managua:
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua and has plenty of culture to keep even the most avid tourist busy for days. Located at just 50m above sea level, Managua enjoys a temperate climate all year round, making for pleasant travel at any time. The city has been plagued by natural disasters over its life time such as a devastating earthquake in 1972 which destroyed much of it. It has since been rebuilt and restored to its former glory. Located on the south bank of the Northern of 2 large lakes in NIcaragua, Managua has plenty to see and do, both in the city, with shopping, the catherderal and more, to the many beautiful lagoons and the lake itself in the area.

Granada:
Granada is a great place to visit with its cobbled streets and numerous charming churches. This colonial town is located in the South West of Nicaragua as shown by the map above. Not far from the large central lake of Nicaragua this city has plenty for all to see and do, in and around.

Leon:
Leon is another great place to visit in Nicaragua. Known for its charming nature and for having the largest Cathedral in Central America, this University town is always bustling with life. The cobbled streets are lined with lively plazas, beautiful churches and stunning colonial architecture.

Chinandega:
A strong candidate for being the hottest city in the whole of NIcaragua. Temperatures can get almost unbearable at times and and very high all year round. The area, however has alot more to offer than jut hot weather and sun. The beaches are not far away and are beautiful, there are, as in many NIcaraguan Cities, many decorative churches to visit, Volcanoes, including the highest in Nicaragua, San Cristóbal along with some great fishing not to far away.

Other than the Pacific Coast, Nicaragua is very sparsely populated, making it the least densely populated country in central america. On the Atlantic Coast there is a high tendency to receive heavy rains, and the rest of the time fierce mosquito's and enough to put off the majority of visitors. The population in this area is majorly Indian, with a strong African influence running the length of the coast. This is due to the Spanish choosing not to settle in this area, most likely due to the rains and mosquito's mentioned above. The main industries along this side of the country are much different to all the tourism and services that are found on the Pacific Side. These industries include Gold Mining, fishing and timber. The center of the country is covered in mountains, coffee plantations and forest, including both oak and pine trees.

The total population of Nicaragua was estimated at 5,570,129 in 2006, with an average growth rate approaching 2% per annum. This gives a population density of just 43 people per sq km, which is significantly lower than its neighbors, Costa Rica. The population density here is 76 per sq km, which highlights just how sparse some of Nicaragua is.

The Nicaraguan population have a life expectancy of around 71 years, which is not the highest in the world, but is by no means the worst for a country of such low development.

The capital and largest city in Nicaragua is Managua, which has a population of 1,146,000 people living in the inner city areas, and a total of 1,390,500 including the outer suburbs.

The main language is Spanish, with over 98% of the population speaking this as their first language. Other languages that make up the remaining 2% include English and indigenous languages along the Caribbean Coast.

The majority of Nicaragua is Roman Catholic, accounting for roughly 75% of the population. The other 25% is made up of Evangelists, Moravian's and non religious people.

In 2005, Nicaragua's GDP was estimated at $13.24 billion, giving a GDP per Capita of $2,400. This highlights the stark contrast between Nicaragua and its neighbors, Costa Rica, who in the same year had an estimated GDP per Capita of $7,283, almost exactly 3 times that of Nicaragua.

A large proportion of Nicaragua's economy is based on Agriculture. The main products that are both exported and used internally include: coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp and lobsters.

30.5% of the nations workforce are in the agriculture industry, with 52.2% in services and the remaining 17.3% in the industrial sector.

As of 2004, Nicaragua's major import/export trading partners were U.S., El Salvador, Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Guatemala and South Korea.