Nicaragua

Capital City - Managua
Currency - Cordoba
Population - 5,891,199 (as of July 2009)
National Language - Spanish
Religion - Nicaragua has no offical religion and has made religious freedom a clear tenet of their Constitution since 1939.  Even still, it is an undeniably Catholic nation, with about 58% of its citizens considering themselves to be Roman Catholic.  Recently, the number of Catholics has started to decline; meanwhile, the number of Protestants and Mormons seems to be increasing to about 23% of the populous.  16% of the nation considers themselves to be irreligious, and the remaining 3% include Buddhists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews and Muslims.
Type of Government - Presidential Republic
Leaders - Daniel Ortega (President); Jaime Morales Carazo (Vice President)
Country's Motto - "In Dios Confiamos" which means "In God We Trust."

Geographical Highlights - The Republic of Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America. It is bordered to the north by Honduras and to the south by Costa Rica. The country is also bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by the Caribbean Sea.  Nicaragua is divided into three geographical regions: the Pacific lowlands, the north-central highlands (which includes the Amerrique Mountains), and the Atlantic lowlands (also called the "Mosquito Coast").  Protected natural areas, such as national parks and nature reserves, make up nearly one fifth of the country.  Rainforests cover a large part of the territory, particularly in the Atlantic Lowlands; and, rich biodiversity can be seen throughout the landscape.

History - Nicaragua is the point where Mesoamerican and South American native cultures met.  The land became inhabited by the Pipil tribe of central Mexico around 500 A.D. and, by the time of Columbus, was populated predominantely by the Nicarao, Chibcha and Chorotega tribes.  By 1502, when Christopher Columbus first reached Nicaragua, he claimed the land for the kingdom of Spain.  It wasn't until 1821 that Nicaragua finally broke free of this empire.

Not to have escaped troubles in the absence of Spanish colonialism, the country faced a brutal civil war from 1825 to 1838, and then again in the early 1900's, following the dictatorship of Jose Santos Zemalya.   The United States had an interest in gaining peace in Nicaragua primarily due to its stake in the transisthmian canal.  Of course, guerrilla leaders were less than thrilled with this presence and fought until the U.S. National Guard withdrew its forces in 1933. 

By 1937, Anastasio Somoza took the presidency after assassinating Augusto Cesar Sandino.  He lead the country under a dictatorial regime which created a sense of political isolation.  This role continued as his sons, Luis and Anastasio, later took power.  Anastasio, in particular, was thought of poorly in the world's community following his diversion of international aid after the 1972 Managua earthquake.

In 1979, the Sandanista National Liberation Front overthre the Somoza regime.  Lead by Daniel Ortega, the group has been known for instigating wide-ranging socialist reforms.  The United States, uncomfortable with its potential ties to other communist regimes, sought to destabilize the government by supporting the Contra rebels.  A ten year civil war ensued and lead to economic and political disaster.  The Sandanistas were eventually defeated, though corruption and hurricanes have continued to ravage the land.  Currently, Nicaragua is in the midst of rebuilding its economy by introducing free-market reforms.  Agriculture employs more than half of the work-force.

Landmarks -

• Isla de Ometepe - An island on Lake Cocibolca which as two volcanos - Concepçion is active and Maderas is inactive.  Both are breathtaking.
• Granada - Considered to be the museum city of Nicaragua, it is the oldest town built by the Spaniards (in 1524).
• Isla Del Muerto - Island of the dead; it contains some beautiful rock carvings.

Interesting Trivia -

• Nicaragua is one of the few countries named for a person - it was named after Chief Nicarao, the ruler of the Nicarao or Niquirano tribes which inhabited the region upon the arrival of Columbus.
• Lake Nicaragua is the habitat of the world's only fresh-water sharks.