Nicaragua Geography

Country Name: Republic of Nicaragua

Capital City: Managua

Population: 5,675,356 (July 2007 est.)

Population Growth: 1.855% (2007 est.)

Currency: gold cordoba (NIO)

Languages: Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%

Area:

Inflation Rate: 9.4% (2006 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 3.8% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2006)

Domain extension:

GEOGRAPHIC DETAILS OF NICARAGUA

Location:

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Geographic Co-ordinates:

13 00 N, 85 00 W

Area - total:

129,494 sq km

Area - total:

129,494 sq km

Area - land:

120,254 sq km

Area - water:

9,240 sq km

Land Boundaries:

1,231 km

Border Countries:

Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Terrain:

extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes

Elevation - highest point:

Mogoton 2,438 m

Elevation - lowest point:

Pacific Ocean 0 m

Natural Resources:

gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

Arable Land:

14.81%

Permanent Crops:

1.82%

Other Land Use:

83.37% (2005)

Natural Hazards:

destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes