Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor-general. Prime minister : Freundel Stuart
Population
5,727,707
287,733
Life Expectancy
72.180 years
74.520 years
Capital City
Managua
Bridgetown
Largest city
Managua (population: 973,087)
Bridgetown (population: 98,511)
Human Development Index
0.699
0.889
GDP per capita
$3,200 US
$23,700 US
Literacy Rate
67.5%
99.7%
Corruption Perception Index
2.5
7
Percentage of Women in Parliament
18.5%
13.7%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
7.300%
12.000%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Legal
Political System
republic
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
30 November 1966 (from UK)
Religions
Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)
Protestant 63.4% (Anglican 28.3%, Pentecostal 18.7%, Methodist 5.1%, other 11.3%), Roman Catholic 4.2%, other Christian 7%, other 4.8%, none or unspecified 20.6% (2008 est.)
Languages
Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
English
Exports
coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
External Debt
$4,073,000,000 $
$668,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
gold cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 19.374 (2008 est.), 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004)
Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.600%
0.800%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
