Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, about the same size as England, and has a population of 5.3m. It is also the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, after Haiti. It main exports are coffee, cotton, tobacco, sugar and bananas. Public holidays, statistics & news from Nicaragua.

Why is Nicaragua poor?
Simply put, Nicaragua has been battered by natural disasters and a difficult political history that has left much of the infrastructure neglected and increased the levels of poverty. The UN states that 80% of the Nicaraguan families live in poverty (less than $2 per day) and 45% live in extreme poverty (less than $1 per day). In recent years, there have been three main obstacles to economic progress:

1. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch hit Central America killing approximately 4,000 people and leaving half a million homeless. It left over 1,500 miles of roads inaccessible and 80% of agricultural production was lost.

2. A collapse in world coffee prices. Three hundred thousand Nicaraguans depend on coffee exports for their livelihood. But since the mid-1990s, coffee prices have fallen by around 60 percent on international markets.

3. Debt. In January 2004, Nicaragua had a large proportion of its $8.2 billion debt forgiven and this reduced the interest payments required. To consider what this money represents in "our" terms, Europeans spend $11 billion annually on ice cream and Europeans and Americans spend $17 billion annually on pet food.

A choice quote from a recent World Bank report: “The devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch is only the most recent evidence of Nicaragua’s vulnerability to natural disaster. Managua, the capital city, still bears the scars of a catastrophic 1972 earthquake. Between 1990-2001, the country suffered three earthquakes, one tsunami, two major volcanic eruptions and several more droughts. All of these events put severe strains on the country’s emergency-response and health systems, as well as the overall economy.” [Return to top]

Sample of statistics
These are just some selected statistics from the UNDP and World Bank that illustrate the state of the country:

• Health Expenditure is $158 per capita

• 29% of the population is undernourished

• Adult literacy is 77%, which means that 23% cannot read or write

• Of the population, only 77% have access to clean water

• Only 54% of children reach Grade 5

• GDP per capita is $750

• Richest 10% of the country own 45% of income or consumption

• Given about $500m in Overseas Development Aid each year ($100 per capita)

• Imports 3 times as much as it exports

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Public holidays
January 1 - New Years Day.
March/April - Holy Saturday and Good Friday.
May 1 - Labor Day.
July 19 - Sandinist Revolution Day.
August 1 - Battle of San Jacinto.
September 15 - Independence Day (1821 from Spain).
December 8 - Virgin Mary Day.
December 25 - Christmas Day.

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