Nicaragua - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Nicaragua. Largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua. Mother's mean age at first birth is 19.2 years (2011/12 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 78 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Nicaragua
Location Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Geographic coordinates 13 00 N, 85 00 W
Map references Central America and the Caribbean
Tarrain extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Natural Resources gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
Natural Hazards

destructive earthquakes; volcanoes; landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes

volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Cerro Negro (728 m), which last erupted in 1999, is one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes; its lava flows and ash have been known to cause significant damage to farmland and buildings; other historically active volcanoes include Concepcion, Cosiguina, Las Pilas, Masaya, Momotombo, San Cristobal, and Telica

Irrigated Land 1,990 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 1,253 km
Border Countries Costa Rica 313 km; Honduras 940 km
Coastline 910 km
Climate tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Area
Total Area
Land Area 119,990 sq km
Water Area 10,380 sq km
comparative Area slightly larger than Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than New York state
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Continental shelf natural prolongation
Elevations
Highest point Mogoton 2,085 m
Lowest point Pacific Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 298 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 42.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 12.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 2.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 27.2% (2018 est.)
Forest 25.3% (2018 est.)
Other 32.5% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

The overwhelming majority of the population resides in the western half of the country, with much of the urban growth centered in the capital city of Managua; coastal areas also show large population clusters

People and Society

In Nicaragua, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and White) 69%, White 17%, Black 9%, Indigenous 5%

Population
Pop growth rate 0.95% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 16.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 5.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 8.6% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 0.9 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 1.83 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.89 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 80.4% (2011/12)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 56% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 4.6% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Nicaraguan | Nicaraguan(s)
Languages
Religions Roman Catholic 44.9%, Protestant 38.7% (Evangelical 38.2, Adventist 0.5%), other 1.2%, (includes Jehovah's Witness and Church of Jesus Christ), believer but not belonging to a church 1%, agnostic or atheist 0.4%, none 13.7%, unspecified 0.2% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 25.1% (male 855,256/female 818,714)
15-64 years 68.9% (male 2,240,297/female 2,360,244)
65 years and over 6% (2024 est.) (male 178,347/female 224,090)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 54.4
Youth dependency ratio 46.4
Elderly dependency ratio 8
Potential support ratio 12.6 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 29 years (2024 est.)
Male 28.1 years
Female 29.9 years
Urbanization
Urban population 59.8% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.45% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.095 million MANAGUA (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.8 male(s)/female
Total population 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 14.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 15.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 12.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 74.7 years (2024 est.)
Male 73.2 years
Female 76.4 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 97.5% of population
Improved: rural rural: 62.6% of population
Improved: total total: 83.2% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 2.5% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 37.4% of population
Unimproved: total total: 16.8% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 89.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 66.5% of population
Improved: total total: 80.3% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 10.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 33.5% of population
Unimproved: total total: 19.7% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases dengue fever and malaria
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 3.69 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 1.57 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 2.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Demographic profile

Despite being one of the poorest countries in Latin America, Nicaragua has improved its access to potable water and sanitation and has ameliorated its life expectancy, infant and child mortality, and immunization rates. However, income distribution is very uneven, and the poor, agriculturalists, and indigenous people continue to have less access to healthcare services. Nicaragua's total fertility rate has fallen from around 6 children per woman in 1980 to below replacement level today, but the high birth rate among adolescents perpetuates a cycle of poverty and low educational attainment.

Nicaraguans emigrate primarily to Costa Rica and to a lesser extent the United States. Nicaraguan men have been migrating seasonally to Costa Rica to harvest bananas and coffee since the early 20th century. Political turmoil, civil war, and natural disasters from the 1970s through the 1990s dramatically increased the flow of refugees and permanent migrants seeking jobs, higher wages, and better social and healthcare benefits. Since 2000, Nicaraguan emigration to Costa Rica has slowed and stabilized. Today roughly 300,000 Nicaraguans are permanent residents of Costa Rica - about 75% of the foreign population - and thousands more migrate seasonally for work, many illegally.

All Important Facts about Nicaragua

Want to know more about Nicaragua? Check all different factbooks for Nicaragua below.

Nicaragua is found in Central America