Nicaragua+Country+Info+(English)

• Nicaragua • Geography • Capital - Managua • Geography - Atlantic and Pacific Plains, atlantic with mountains in the middle, pacific with volcanoes • Environmental Concerns - • Deforestation - Loss of large forests in large land with small population (75% into “crop and pasture land”) • Pesticide problems - Pesticide banned in U.S. still used in Nicaragua, causing cancer, and problems with organs, and miscarriages. 22,000 affected by it, 1,000 died in 2005, cotton boom in 1978 with 463 thousand hectares reduced to 35 thousand hectares because of pesticide costs, but it contaminated wells, killed fish, and poisoned farmers. • Climate - Tropical climate, but colder in the higher elevations • People • Total population 6 million in all of Nicaragua, 1.6 mil in Managua, 2.3 million working • Languages - Spanish (official), English, other languages spoken on the Caribbean coast • Ethnic Makeup - 69% Mestizo (Amerindian and white), 17% white, 9% black, 5% Amerindian • Religion - mainly Roman Catholic, Protestant • Health • Life Expectancy -71.5 years • Infant Mortality Rate - 25 deaths per 1,000 births • HIV rate - .115% • Number of Physicians - 3.7 per 1,000 people, • Obesity - 34% age 15 + • Education • literacy rate - 78% • Compulsory - • Attendance of primary school - 92% • 29:1 student to teacher ratio • 13% boys repeat a grade, 9% girls • 73% of teachers are trained • Communication • 55 out of 100 have cellphones • 3 out of 100 have use the internet • Transportation • 48 out of 1,000 people have motor vehicles • 18 out of 1,000 using passenger cars • Government • Type - Republic • Independence - 1821 • Head of State - Daniel Ortega • Suffrage - universal at 16 • Military • Defense Budget - 43Milllion US $ • Active Troops - 14 thousand • Economy • Currency - cordoba • Inflation rate - .93% • Unemployment rate - 5.2 % • Labor Force - 2.3 Million people • Natural Resources - Land to grow crops, clean water, fisheries, gold, hydrothermal and geothermal power potential • Agriculture - Coffee, Cotton, bananas, sugarcane, • Industry - Food Processing • Exports - $2.363 billion in coffee, shrimp/ lobster, beef sugar, industrial goods, gold and bananas • Imports - $3.47 billion in consumer goods, machines and equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products from the U.S. Central American Common Market, EU, Mexico, and Japan.