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Nicaragua |
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Last reviewed: 13 January 2012 |
Country information
NICARAGUA TODAY
Country Facts
Area: 130,373.4 sq km
Population: 5,666,301 - 2011 est: Source: CIA World Factbook
Capital City: Managua (1.1 million)
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed European and indigenous) 69%, white 17%, black (mainly Jamaican origin) 9%, indigenous 5%
Languages: The official language is Spanish, which is spoken by 98% of the population. Other languages spoken include English, Miskito, Creole, Mayanga, Garifuna, Rama.
Religion(s): Roman Catholic 56%, Evangelical Protestants 22%
Currency: Cordoba (C$) which is divided into 100 centavos. £1 = C$ 35 (December 2011)
Major Political Parties: Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), Lets Go With Eduardo Movement, Liberal Constitutionalist Party, Conservative Party.
Government: The 1987 Sandinista-era constitution was changed in 1995 to provide for a more even distribution of power among the four branches of government. It was amended subsequently in 2000 to increase the number of members of the Supreme Court and the Controller General's Office and to make changes to the Electoral Laws and again in 2009 to allow the President to run for two concurrent terms in office.
Branches: Executive: President and Vice-President and Ministries. Legislative: National Assembly. Judicial: Supreme Court; subordinate appeals, district and local courts; separate labour and administrative tribunals. Electoral: Supreme Electoral Council (CSE), responsible for organising and holding elections. Administrative sub-divisions: 15 departments and two autonomous regions on the Atlantic coast; 145 municipalities.
Head of State: President Daniel Ortega Saavedra
Prime Minister/Premier: Not applicable
Foreign Minister: Samuel Santos Lopez
Membership of international groups/organisations:
Nicaragua belongs to the UN and to several specialized and related agencies, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organisation (WTO), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), World Health Organisation (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC). Nicaragua is also a member of the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Non-aligned Movement (NAM), International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Central American Common Market (CACM) and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). It is an active member of SICA (the Central American Regional Integration System), made up by Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic (founded in 1993), assuming the rolling Presidency of this group in July 2012; and of ALBA, the Bolivarian alternative for the Americas, spearheaded by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Other members of ALBA include Cuba, Bolivia and Ecuador. Nicaragua is also a member of the newly formed CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
HEALTH
In Nicaragua, the quality of and access to healthcare are directly tied to income levels. Although state health care is technically free of charge hospital facilities are often understaffed and lack basic medical supplies. Progress has been made in recent years in providing medical services to remote communities, particularly in the RAAN and RAAS with the support of Cuban medical brigades.
However, health-care services for the urban and rural poor remains limited.
Infectious and parasitic diseases are the leading causes of death. Gastroenteritis and tuberculosis are serious problems. Diseases such as influenza, malaria, typhoid and pneumonia, have returned because of a lack of preventive measures. Outbreaks of dengue fever and A (H1N1) influenza (swine flu) have resulted in a strengthening of preventive measures.
Life expectancy: Male: 69.82 years, Female: 74.59 years.
Infant mortality rate:
Male: 25.94 deaths / 1,000 live births
Female: 19.19 deaths / 1,000 live births
