About Nicaragua | Granada Real Estate Aurora

Nicaragua Geography

Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is a representative democratic republic and the largest nation in Central America.

Nicaragua measures 129,474 square kilometers of which 20% are designated as protected areas. Nicaragua is approximately the size of the state of New York.

There are approximately 5.7 million people living in Nicaragua. The capital of Nicaragua and it's most populous city is Managua. Although Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America it is the least densely populated.

Nicaragua is bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the east by the Caribbean Sea.

It shares a northern border along the Rio Coco of 530 kilometers with Honduras. Nicaragua's southern border with Costa Rica measures 313 kilometers.

Nicaragua has a tremendous Pacific coast measuring 325 kilometers from the Bay of Salinas in the south to the Gulf of Fonseca in the north to Naranjo beach on the south.

The Caribbean coast measures 509 kilometers from the cape Gracias a Dios in the north to just below the Rio San Juan in the south.

Nicaragua People and Culture

Spanish is spoken by 98% of the inhabitants of Nicaragua. Miskito and other indigenous languages are still spoken on the Atlantic coast. English is wide spoken as a second language. The most popular religion in Nicaragua is Roman Catholicism. Nicaragua has strong folklore, music and religious traditions. The Pacific Coast is strongly influenced by the Spanish colonizers of it's past. Music in Nicaragua is a mix of indigenous, folk and Spanish influenced music.

Gallo pinto is the national dish of Nicaragua and is made up of rice and red beans. It is typical for a Nicaraguan to eat gallo pinto both for breakfast and dinner.

People in Nicaragua are known for having huge smiles, being very welcoming and genuinly friendly. Tourism is a new thing for most parts of Nicaragua and its people welcome it.

Tourism in Nicaragua

Tourism in Nicaragua is booming. The last undiscovered jewel of Central America is being unearthed. Over the last 7 years tourism numbers are up 70% with an annual growth rate of 10-16%. This increase and growth in the tourism sector has lead to a 300% increase in income from tourism over the last 10 years.

Despite all this growth, Nicaragua still remains the least visited country in Central America which leaves plenty of room for improvement. Each year about 60,000 Americans visit Nicaragua, and there are currently 5,300 Americans which call Nicaragua home.

Nature in Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America and has the largest primary growth rainforest north of the Amazon. Nicaragua possesses a system of protected areas which harbor thousands of species of flora and fauna. Nicaragua has 84 National Parks, reserves and wildlife sanctuaries that protect 20% of the total land area, far more than any other country in Central America.