The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Nicaragua:
Nicaragua – sovereign, representative democratic republic and the most extensive nation in Central America.[1] It is also the least densely populated with a demographic similar in size to its smaller neighbors. The country is bordered by Honduras to the north and by Costa Rica to the south. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west of the country, while the Caribbean Sea lies to the east. Falling within the tropics, Nicaragua sits 11 degrees north of the Equator, in the Northern Hemisphere.
The country's name is derived from Nicarao,[citation needed] the name of the Nahuatl-speaking tribe which inhabited the shores of Lago de Nicaragua before the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and the Spanish word Agua, meaning water, due to the presence of the large lakes Lago de Nicaragua (Cocibolca) and Lago de Managua (Xolotlán), as well as lagoons and rivers in the region.[2]
At the time of the Spanish conquest, Nicaragua was the name given to the narrow strip of land between Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean. Chief Nicarao ruled over the land when the first conquerors arrived. The term was eventually applied, by extension, to the Nicarao or Niquirano groups that inhabited that region.
The Nicarao tribe migrated to the area from northern regions after the fall of Teotihuacán, on the advice of their religious leaders. According to tradition, they were to travel south until they encountered a lake with two volcanoes rising out of the waters, and so they stopped when they reached Ometepe, the largest fresh-water volcanic island in the world.
General reference
edit- Pronunciation:
- Common English country name: Nicaragua
- Official English country name: The Republic of Nicaragua
- Common endonym(s):
- Official endonym(s):
- Adjectival(s): Nicaraguan
- Demonym(s): Nicaraguan (English), Nicaragüense (Spanish), Nica (Spanish)
- International rankings of Nicaragua
- ISO country codes: NI, NIC, 558
- ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:NI
- Internet country code top-level domain: .ni
Geography of Nicaragua
edit- Nicaragua is: a country
- Location:
- Northern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere
- Time zone: Central Standard Time (UTC-06)
- Extreme points of Nicaragua
- High: Mogoton 2,107 m (6,913 ft)
- Low: North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea 0 m
- Land boundaries: 1,231 km
- Honduras 922 km
- Costa Rica 309 km
- Coastline: 910 km
- Population of Nicaragua: 5,603,000 - 107th most populous country
- Area of Nicaragua: 129,494 km2
- Atlas of Nicaragua
Environment of Nicaragua
editNatural geographic features of Nicaragua
editRegions of Nicaragua
editAdministrative divisions of Nicaragua
editAdministrative divisions of Nicaragua
Departments of Nicaragua
editMunicipalities of Nicaragua
edit- Capital of Nicaragua: Managua
- Cities of Nicaragua
Demography of Nicaragua
editGovernment and politics of Nicaragua
edit- Form of government:
- Capital of Nicaragua: Managua
- Elections in Nicaragua
- Political parties in Nicaragua
Branches of the government of Nicaragua
editExecutive branch of the government of Nicaragua
edit- Head of state: President of Nicaragua,
- Head of government: Prime Minister of Nicaragua,
- Cabinet of Nicaragua
Legislative branch of the government of dicksa
editJudicial branch of the government of Nicaragua
editForeign relations of Nicaragua
editForeign relations of Nicaragua
International organization membership
editThe Republic of Nicaragua is a member of:[1]
Law and order in Nicaragua
edit- Constitution of Nicaragua
- Human rights in Nicaragua
- Law enforcement in Nicaragua
Military of Nicaragua
edit- Command
- Forces
History of Nicaragua
editCulture of Nicaragua
edit- Cuisine of Nicaragua
- Languages of Nicaragua
- Media in Nicaragua
- National symbols of Nicaragua
- People of Nicaragua
- Prostitution in Nicaragua
- Public holidays in Nicaragua
- Religion in Nicaragua
- World Heritage Sites in Nicaragua
Art in Nicaragua
editSports in Nicaragua
editEconomy and infrastructure of Nicaragua
edit- Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 134th (one hundred and thirty fourth)
- Agriculture in Nicaragua
- Banking in Nicaragua
- Communications in Nicaragua
- Companies of Nicaragua
- Currency of Nicaragua: Córdoba
- ISO 4217: NIO
- Economic history of Nicaragua
- Nicaragua Stock Exchange
- Tourism in Nicaragua
- Transport in Nicaragua
- Water supply and sanitation in Nicaragua
Education in Nicaragua
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Nicaragua". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. July 7, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
- ^ "Origen del nombre de Nicaragua" (in Spanish). Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Nicaragua. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
External links
edit- General
- Nicaragua. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
- Country profile of Nicaragua by BBC News
- Maps