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Country in Central America From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicaragua,[lower-alpha 2] officially the Republic of Nicaragua,[lower-alpha 3] is the geographically largest country in Central America, comprising 130,370 km2 (50,340 sq mi). With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024,[13] it is the third-most populous country in Central America after Guatemala and Honduras. Nicaragua is bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean and shared maritime borders with El Salvador to the west and Colombia to the east. The country's largest city and national capital is Managua, the fourth-largest city in Central America, with a population of 1,055,247 as of 2020. Nicaragua's multiethnic population includes people of mestizo, indigenous, European, and African heritage. The country's most spoken language is Spanish, though indigenous tribes on the Mosquito Coast speak their own languages and English.
Republic of Nicaragua República de Nicaragua (Spanish) | |
|---|---|
| Motto: En Dios confiamos (Spanish) "In God We Trust"[lower-alpha 1] | |
| Anthem: Salve a ti, Nicaragua (Spanish) "Hail to Thee, Nicaragua" | |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | Managua 12°6′N 86°14′W |
| Official languages | Spanish |
| Recognised regional languages | |
| Ethnic groups (2023[2]) |
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| Religion |
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| Demonym(s) |
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| Government | Unitary presidential republic under an authoritarian dictatorship[5][6][7] |
| Daniel Ortega | |
| 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 Mexican Empire | 1 July 1823 |
• from the Federal Republic of Central America | 31 May 1838 |
• Revolution | 19 July 1979 |
• Current constitution | 9 January 1987[8] |
| Area | |
• Total | 130,375 km2 (50,338 sq mi) (96th) |
• Water (%) | 7.14 |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 6,359,689[9] (110th) |
• Density | 51/km2 (132.1/sq mi) (155th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $51.022 billion[10] (115th) |
• Per capita | $7,642[10] (129th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $17.353 billion[10] (127th) |
• Per capita | $2,599[10] (134th) |
| Gini (2014) | 46.2[11] high inequality |
| HDI (2022) | 0.669[12] medium (130th) |
| Currency | Córdoba (NIO) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| Drives on | right |
| Calling code | +505 |
| ISO 3166 code | NI |
| Internet TLD | .ni |
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[broken anchor] of the 1980s.
The mixture of cultural traditions has generated substantial diversity in folklore, cuisine, music, and literature, including contributions by Nicaraguan poets and writers such as Rubén Darío. Known as the "land of lakes and volcanoes",[14][15] Nicaragua is also home to the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve, the second-largest rainforest of the Americas.[16] The biological diversity, warm tropical climate and active volcanoes make Nicaragua an increasingly popular tourist destination.[17][18] Nicaragua co-founded the United Nations[19] and is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement,[20] Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America,[21] and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.[22]
There are two prevailing theories on how the name Nicaragua came to be. The first is that the name was coined by Spanish colonists based on the name Nicarao,[23] who was the chieftain or cacique of a powerful indigenous tribe encountered by the Spanish conquistador Gil González Dávila during his entry into southwestern Nicaragua in 1522. This theory holds that the name Nicaragua was formed from Nicarao and agua (Spanish for 'water'), to reference the fact that there are two large lakes and several other bodies of water within the country.[24] However, as of 2002, it was determined that the cacique's real name was Macuilmiquiztli, which meant "Five Deaths" in the Nahuatl language, rather than Nicarao.[25][26][27][28]
The second theory is that the country's name comes from any of the following Nahuatl words: nic-anahuac, which meant "Anahuac reached this far", or "the Nahuas came this far", or "those who come from Anahuac came this far"; nican-nahua, which meant "here are the Nahuas"; or nic-atl-nahuac, which meant "here by the water" or "surrounded by water".[23][24][29][30]
Paleo-Indians first inhabited what is now known as Nicaragua as far back as 12,000 BCE.[31] In later pre-Columbian times, Nicaragua's indigenous people were part of the Intermediate Area,[32]: 33 between the Mesoamerican and Andean cultural regions, and within the influence of the Isthmo-Colombian Area. Nicaragua's central region and its Caribbean coast were inhabited by Macro-Chibchan language ethnic groups such as the Miskito, Rama, Mayangna, and Matagalpas.[32]: 20 They had coalesced in Central America and migrated both to and from present-day northern Colombia and nearby areas.[33] Their food came primarily from hunting and gathering, but also fishing and slash-and-burn agriculture.[32]: 33 [34][35]: 65
At the end of the 15th century, western Nicaragua was inhabited by several indigenous peoples related by culture to the Mesoamerican civilizations of the Aztec and Maya, and by language to the Mesoamerican language area.[36] The Chorotegas were Mangue language ethnic groups who had arrived in Nicaragua from what is now the Mexican state of Chiapas sometime around 800 CE.[29][35]: 26–33 The Nicarao people were a branch of Nahuas who spoke the Nawat dialect and also came from Chiapas, around 1200 CE.[37] Prior to that, the Nicaraos had been associated with the Toltec civilization.[35]: 26–33 [37][38][39][40] Both Chorotegas and Nicaraos originated in Mexico's Cholula valley,[37] and migrated south.[35]: 26–33 A third group, the Subtiabas, were an Oto-Manguean people who migrated from the Mexican state of Guerrero around 1200 CE.[41]: 159 Additionally, there were trade-related colonies in Nicaragua set up by the Aztecs starting in the 14th century.[35]: 26–33
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In 1502, on his fourth voyage, Christopher Columbus became the first European known to have reached what is now Nicaragua as he sailed southeast toward the Isthmus of Panama.[32]: 193 [35]: 92 Columbus explored the Mosquito Coast on the Atlantic side of Nicaragua[42] but did not encounter any indigenous people. 20 years later, the Spaniards returned to Nicaragua, this time to its southwestern part. The first attempt to conquer Nicaragua was by the conquistador Gil González Dávila,[43] who had arrived in Panama in January 1520. In 1522, González Dávila ventured to the area that later became the Rivas Department of Nicaragua.[32]: 35
