Interesting Facts about Nicaragua - Fun Facts about Nicaragua

Nicaragua is a representative democratic republic located in Central America. The country is situated between the Pacific Ocean, which lies to its west, and the Caribbean Sea, which lies towards its east. Moreover, it is located very near to Equator, just 11 degrees towards its north. The name of the county is derived from two words 'Nicarao' and 'Agua'. 'Nicarao' is the name of the Nahuatl-speaking tribe that inhabited the shores of Lago de Nicaragua before the Spanish conquest of the Americas. 'Agua' is a Spanish word meaning water, used due to the presence of the large lakes Lago de Nicaragua (Cocibolca) and Lago de Managua (Xolotlán), along with several lagoons and rivers. Initially, Nicaragua was a colony of the Spanish people during 1520s and the country gained its independence in the year 1821. If you are looking for more interesting and amazing facts about the largest country of Central America, scroll further.

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Fast Facts

Continent: North America

Area: 130,373 km²

Capital: Managua

Population: 5,891,199

Currency: Nicaraguan córdoba

Official Languages: Spanish, English

Independence Day: 15 September 1821

Calling Code: +505

Type Of Government: Presidential system, Republic, Unitary state

Interesting and Fun Facts about Nicaragua

The official name of Nicaragua is the 'Republic of Nicaragua'.
Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America and has the lowest population density.
Nicaragua is the southernmost point of North American pine lands.
The capital city of Nicaragua is Managua.
The official language of Nicaragua is Spanish.
The main religion followed in Nicaragua is Roman Catholicism.
86 of the 88 constellations can be seen in Nicaragua.
Nicaragua has three distinct geographical regions: the Pacific Lowlands, the North-Central Mountains or Highlands and the Atlantic Lowlands.
The Pacific Lowlands region is the most populous region of Nicaragua, constituting half on the nation's population.
The most populous city in Nicaragua is Managua.
Nicaragua is famous for its dance form, known as 'Palo de Mayo'.
Gallopinto is Nicaragua's national dish.
Corn is the staple food of Nicaragua.
Baseball is the most popular sport in Nicaragua.
Nicaragua has nine six-crater lakes, more than any country situated outside Africa.
Lake Nicaragua is the second largest in entire Latin America.
Lake Nicaragua is the largest freshwater lake in Central America.
Lake Nicaragua houses the world's only freshwater sharks known as Nicaraguan shark.
Lake Nicaragua is also home to a dual volcano island, which is the largest lake island in the world.
The most commonly spoken language of Nicaragua is Spanish while there are also some native languages such as Sumo and Rama, Miskito and English Creole.
Immediately after the Mexican Revolution, on 15 September 1821, Nicaragua attained its independence from Spain.
Along with corn being the staple food of Nicaragua, beans, chilli pepper and cassava are also majorly used in their dishes. One among the most popular dish is Nacatamales i.e. corn flower dumplings filled with vegetables and cooked inside plantain leaves.
There are no street names in the Nicaraguan address system. The addresses are given by using reference points to major land marks.
This country has constantly been hit by several earth quakes, volcanic activities and hurricanes. The intense heat or steam which comes from deep inside the volcanoes is exploited as geothermal energy.
The region called ‘Mosquito coast’ towards the eastern coast is the area in Nicaragua which receives maximum rainfall when considering Central America.
In Nicaragua, there are several rare species of animals found such as sea turtles, green turtles, jaguars, sloths, monkeys, toucans, boa constrictors, manatees etc.
The country is home to about 70 protected regions which is a noteworthy move to safeguard the endangered species of animals.
The major threats that the country faces are related to the environment issues such as soil erosion, deforestation and water pollution.
The people of Nicaragua are mostly happy, satisfied, contented and family oriented.

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