The Republic of Nicaragua is a beautiful tropical country of Central America with spectacular rainforests, beautiful landscapes, huge mountains, amazing lakes, and lovely people. The country is home to freshwater sharks which are found only here the world. Lake Nicaragua located in Nicaragua is their living place. There are many interesting facts about Nicaragua.
The country is an isthmus between Costa Rica and Honduras. Nicaragua with 6.15 million people living as residents has the Pacific Ocean at its west and the Caribbean Sea borders it to the east. It has a really simple flag with two horizontal blue stripes and a single white stripe in the middle. The middle strip contains a coat of arms of the country. The country doesn’t follow any official religion as the people of Nicaragua have the freedom to follow any religion and it is an interesting fact about Nicaragua.
The official name of the country: Republic of Nicaragua
The capital city of the country: Managua
Population of the country: 6,203,441
Area of the country: 130,370 sq km
Major languages spoken in the country: Spanish, Miskito
Nationality: Nicaraguan(s)
The population of the country: 6.2 million (2017)
Ethnic groups of the country: Mestizo (mixed European and indigenous) 69%, white 17%, black (Jamaican origin) 9%, indigenous 5%.
Religion followed in the country: Predominantly Roman Catholic and with a rapid increase in Evangelical Protestants.
The currency of the country: Gold cordoba
Literacy rate of the country: 75%
Interesting Facts About Nicaragua
Following are some interesting facts about Nicaragua and Nicaragua culture which are quite unique facts about the country for which Nicaragua known for:
1. The Central American country stands at number 2 after Haiti in the poorest country of America. The US’s total GDP is estimated at around $18.5 trillion and comparing this number, the GDP of Nicaragua is only $10.5 billion, which is quite low. It is really weird to know that around 75% of the country’s population, which is about 6,000,000 people, have to live on less than $2 on an everyday basis.
2. Due to the low economy, Nicaragua people migrate to other places such as Costa Rica or Panama to earn money and run their family in Nicaragua by sending money to them. Nicaragua’s GDP depends on this money percentage too. However, with the commercial industry’s back and strong agriculture, slowly the country is expected to get on track.
3. Over the last decade, Nicaragua has witnessed an increase of about 10% tourism which is quite impressive as the country was not very popular among tourists. The tourism sector has been growing at a steady speed.
4. The places to visit in Nicaragua which draw tourists attention are Corn Islands which is famous for premium scuba diving, backpacking, and exotic beaches. The wildlife reserves and famous volcanoes like the Momotombo volcano add more beauty to Nicaragua. The tourism sector contributes to the second-largest industry to the economy of the country. Noticeably, one million tourists visited Nicaragua in 2010. It was a record-breaking number of tourists.
5. Nicaragua famous not only for beautiful beaches and volcanos but for historical importance as well. It is the oldest city in Central America with The Ruins of León Viejo which is dated about 500 years ago. It is one of the main attractions for visitors. The city is near the Momotombo volcano and it was a Spanish colonial settlement which was abandoned.
6. The famous Momotombo volcano’s eruption ruined the city in the 1500s. However, the city has been preserved and maintained its historical legacy.
Ruins of León Viejo is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
7. Nicaragua is home to the largest lake in Central America. In Spanish, it is known as Mar Dulce or the sweet sea. The lake is 8,264 square kilometres long and is one of the major attractions of the country. Freshwater sharks, tarpon, and sawfish are found in this lake. Also, freshwater sharks are found only in this lake.
8. Staring at the sky full of stars and trying to decipher the constellations are enjoyed by many people. If you visit Nicaragua and love to watch constellations, you can see at least 86 constellations out of 88 constellations in Nicaragua’s sky. The reason is the country’s equatorial location, which gives the view of both Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.
9. For travellers, finding a street is more difficult than finding a street in any other country. Navigating streets in Nicaragua is not easy as there are no official names given to the streets in the country. People use various landmarks to find a place which works only for people living in the country, not for visitors.
10. Nicaragua is one of the safest countries for tourists in Central America.
11. Rich in flora and fauna, the country has 1,800 vertebrate species, including 250 mammals and 30,000 species. The country also contains 764 bird species. Out of which 551 live there and 213 are migratory.
12. The country in Central America contains 25% of forest covering the area of 10,000 sq km. The forest is termed as virgin forest.
13. There are only two seasons in Nicaragua i.e., the Dry Season and Wet Season. The dry season starts from December and stays till May and the wet months are from June to October.
14. Baseball is the national sport of this Central American country.
15. People of Nicaragua use corn as the favourite base of their food. Their food mostly contains corn. Apart from corn, they love cassava, beans and chilli pepper in their different dishes. The favourite dish of Nicaragua is Nacatamales.
16. One of the important facts to know about the country is volcanoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes are major and constant threats to the country.
17. One of the Nicaragua fun facts and unique facts is that the country has three regions, namely the Pacific Lowlands, the Atlantic Lowlands, and the North-Central Highlands. Also, there are no states or provinces in the country. Instead, there are 15 departments.
From where did Nicaragua get its name?
The country in Central America gets its name in 1522. The name is derived from a local Indian chief named Nicarao and the Spanish word for water (agua). It is a combination of both words. A Spanish explorer Gil Gonzalez de Avila gave its name.
When did Nicaragua get independence?
Nicaragua gained complete freedom in 1860. One of the interesting facts about Nicaragua is that some parts of the country gained freedom in 1821. But, the freed parts incorporated into the empire of Mexico.
What did Nicaragua invent?
Usually, physically disabled deaf children use sign language to communicate. But, in the 1980s, deaf children of Nicaragua invented a new sign language to communicate. The invention was quite remarkable.
Which part of the country receives the most rainfall?
The Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua receives the most rainfall in the Central America region. It receives up to 250 inches of rainfall every year.