Nicaragua
Updated: Sep 20, 2022
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Country Name
Nicaragua or officially the Republic of Nicaragua.
Location
Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, it is bordered by Honduras to the northwest, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest.
Capital
Managua.
Reason for Naming the country
The country’s name is derived from Nicarao, chief of the indigenous tribe that lived around present-day Lake Nicaragua during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Nicaragua has a unique history in that it was the only country in Latin America to be colonized by both the Spanish and the British.
Flag
The Flag of Nicaragua was adopted in 1971. The first use of the current flag design was in 1823. The last change to the current Nicaraguan flag design was in 1908. The flag of Nicaragua consists of three horizontal stripes the top and the bottom stripe are blue and the middle stripe is white. Inside the center of the white stripe, and at the center of the flag, is the country's coat of arms. The blue represents the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; the white represents peace. A modern interpretation indicates that blue represents justice and loyalty; while the white color represents virtue and purity. The coat of arms features an equilateral triangle that represents equality. Inside the triangle are five volcanoes, which represent the five members of the federation. The triangle also contains symbols of liberty and peace - represented by a red Phrygian cap, white rays, and a rainbow.
*Flag Facts:
- The flags of El Salvador, Argentina, Nicaragua, and the flag of Honduras are almost identical to one another, these flags comprise three horizontal stripes of blue and white in the middle but differ from each other because of the symbol featured in the center of the flags.
Language
Spanish is the official language of Nicaragua. The country has several Indigenous languages, many of which have become extinct, while others are spoken by small groups of Nicaraguans. Two forms of English are spoken in Nicaragua: Creole English, and Standard English. Several indigenous languages are spoken in Nicaragua such as Miskito, Sumo, Rama, and Garifuna.
Religion
Christianity is the largest religion in Nicaragua. Half of the country’s inhabitants adhere to Roman Catholicism. Evangelicalism is the next most popular Christian denomination in the country.
Currency
Córdoba (NIO).
Time Zone
-06:00 GMT.
Government Regime
It is a unitary dominant-party presidential constitutional republic.
Climate
Nicaragua, a country of Central America located just north of the Equator, has a tropical climate, hot all year round. Temperatures are quite stable; however, there is a relatively cool winter from November to January, a hot spring from March to May, and a sultry and rainy summer from May to October. In addition, there is a difference between the two sides: the west coast, facing the Pacific Ocean, is hotter and has a very pronounced dry season from December to April, while the eastern one, overlooking the Caribbean Sea, is more humid and rainy.
In fact, the latter, being exposed to the northeast trade winds, receives rainfall even in winter, so the climate here can be defined as equatorial. Consequently, rainfall is abundant on the east coast, where it even exceeds 4,000 millimeters (160 inches) per year, while it's much less abundant in the central plains (where the city of Managua and the lakes Nicaragua and Managua are located) and along the Pacific coast.