Coinage

During the era of the Spanish colonial rule-and for more than 50 years afterwards-Nicaragua used Spanish coins that were struck for use in the “New World”. The first unique coins for Nicaragua were issued in 1878 in the peso denomination. The cordoba became Nicaragua’s currency in 1912 and was initially equal in value to the U.S. dollar. The Nicaraguan unit of currency is the Córdoba (NIO) and was named after Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, its national founder. The front of each of Nicaragua’s circulating coins features the national coat of arms. The five volcanoes represent the five Central American countries at the time of Nicaragua’s independence, while the rainbow at the top symbolizes peace and the cap in the center is a symbol of freedom. The design is contained within a triangle to indicate equality. The back of each coin features the denomination, with the inscription “En Dios Confiamos” (In God We Trust).

Matagalpa

Matagalpa is a department in central Nicaragua. It covers an area of 8,523 km² and has a population of 484,900 (2005 census). The capital is the city of Matagalpa. Matagalpa is the second province of the country in population size, and the fourth in area (after North Altlantic, South Atlantic and Jinotega. Matagalpa is the most diversified province, producing coffee, cattle, milk produce, vegetables, wood, gold, flowers. Its extensive forests, rivers and geography are suited for ecotourism.

Ethnic groups

The majority of the Nicaraguan population is either Mestizo or White. Exactly 69% are Mestizos (mixed Amerindian and White) and 17% are White with the majority being of Spanish, German, Italian, or French ancestry. Mestizos and Whites mainly reside in the western region of the country and combined make up 86% of the Nicaraguan population, approximately 4.8 million people.

About 9% of Nicaragua’s population is black, or Afro-Nicaragüense, and mainly reside on the country’s sparsely populated Caribbean or Atlantic coast. The black population is mostly composed black English-speaking Creoles who are the descendents of escaped or shipwrecked slaves. To this day many Creoles from Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast still carry the name of British settlers who brought slaves with them, such as Campbell, Gordon, Downs and Hodgeson. Such names suggest the Scottish rather than the English origin of the settlers and slave owners. Although many Creoles supported Somoza because of his close association with the US, Creoles rallied to the Sandinista cause in July 1979 only to reject the revolution soon afterwards as a new phase of ‘mestizoisation’ and imposition of central rule from Managua.^[83] Nicaragua has the largest Afro Latin American population in Central America with the second largest percentage. There is also a smaller number of Garifuna, a people of mixed Carib and Arawak descent.

Geography

Nicaragua is bordered to the north by Honduras and in the south of Costa Rica; to the east lies the Caribbean and in the western Pacific. On the northern border will cover the Cordilleres Isabella, and the 148 km long and up to 55 km wide Lago de Nicaragua is located in the southwest. The Lago de Managua closes in the north to several volcanoes, including the famous Momotombo, rose northwest of the lake. The main rivers are the country of San Juan, whose lower reaches partly the border with Costa Rica forms, and the Coco River in the northern part of the largest border with Honduras forms. The Caribbean Islas del Maiz are popular holiday destinations.

The Spanish conquest

In 1502, Christopher Columbus was the first European known to have reached what is now Nicaragua as he sailed south along the Central America isthmus. On his fourth voyage Columbus sailed alongside and explored the Mosquito Coast on the east of Nicaragua. The first attempt to conquer what is now known as Nicaragua was by Spanish conquistador Gil González Dávila, whose Central American exploits began with his arrival in Panama in January 1520.

González claimed to have converted some 30,000 indigenous peoples and discovered a possible transisthmian water link. After exploring and gathering gold in the fertile western valleys González was attacked by the indigenous people, some of whom were commanded by Nicarao and an estimated 3,000 led by chief Diriangén. González later returned to Panama where governor Pedrarias Dávila attempted to arrest him and confiscate his treasure, some 90,000 pesos of gold. This resulted in González fleeing to Santo Domingo.

Pre-Columbian history

In Pre-Columbian times the Indigenous people, in what is now known as Nicaragua, were part of the Intermediate Area located between the Mesoamerican and Andean cultural regions. This has recently been updated to include the influence of the Isthmo-Colombian area. It was the point where the Mesoamerican and South American native cultures met.

Nicaragua was inhabited by Paleo-Indians as far back as 6000 years ago. This is confirmed by the ancient footprints of Acahualinca, along with other archaeological evidence, mainly in the form of ceramics and statues made of volcanic stone like the ones found on the island of Zapatera and petroglyphs found in Ometepe island. At the end of the 15th century, western Nicaragua was inhabited by several indigenous peoples related by culture and language to the Mayans.They were primarily farmers who lived in towns, organized into small kingdoms. Meanwhile, the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua was inhabited by indigenous peoples, mostly chibcha related groups, that had migrated from what is now Colombia. They lived a less sedentary life based on hunting and gathering.

The people of eastern Nicaragua appear to have traded with and been influenced by the native peoples of the Caribbean, as round thatched huts and canoes, both typical of the Caribbean, were common in eastern Nicaragua. In the west and highland areas, occupying the territory between Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific Coast, the Niquirano were governed by chief Nicarao, or Nicaragua, a rich ruler who lived in Nicaraocali, now the city of Rivas. The Chorotega lived in the central region of Nicaragua. These two groups had intimate contact with the Spanish conquerors, paving the way for the racial mix of native and European stock now known as mestizos.However, within three decades an estimated Indian population of one million plummeted to a few tens of thousands, as approximately half of the indigenous people in western Nicaragua died from the rapid spread of new diseases brought by the Spaniards, something the indigenous people of the Caribbean coast managed to escape due to the remoteness of the area.

When to Go

Nicaragua has distinct dry and rainy seasons, the timing of which varies from coast to coast. With the possible exception of the last month of the dry season (usually mid-April to mid-May) when the land is parched and the air full of dust, there really is no bad time to visit. However, the most pleasant time to visit the Pacific or central regions is early in the dry season (December and January), when temperatures are cooler and the foliage is lush.

Most Nicaraguans spend the holy week of Semana Santa (around Easter) at the beach; all available rooms will be sold out weeks or even months in advance.

Managua

Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua as well as the department and municipality by the same name. It is also the largest city in Nicaragua. It is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Managua. The city was declared the national capital in 1852.^[2] Previously, the capital had alternated between the cities of León and Granada. The city has a population of about 1,680,100; composed predominantly of Spanish-speaking criollos (unmixed Europeans), whites and mestizos.

Founded in 1819 and given the name of Leal Villa de Santiago de Managua, its original purpose was to serve as a rural fishing village.^[3] Efforts to make Managua the capital of Nicaragua began in 1824, after the Central American nations became independent from Spain. Managua’s location between the rival cities of León and Granada made it an ideal compromise site.

The city has been witness to the rise and fall of political powers throughout Nicaragua’s history, and has suffered two devastating earthquakes over the course of the 20th century. Managua is the economic, political, cultural, commercial and industrial center of Nicaragua.

In 2007, after a successful literacy campaign, Managua was declared the first capital city in Central America to be rid of illiteracy

Nicaragua

Nicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua (Spanish: República de Nicaragua (help·info), Spanish pronunciation: [reˈpuβlika ðe nikaˈɾaɣwa]), is a representative democratic republic and the largest nation in Central America. It is also the least densely populated with a demographic similar in size to its smaller neighbors. The country is bordered by Honduras to the north and by Costa Rica to the south. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west of the country, while the Caribbean Sea lies to the east. Falling within the tropics, Nicaragua sits 11 degrees north of the Equator, in the Northern Hemisphere.

The country’s name is derived from Nicarao, the name of the Nahuatl-speaking tribe which inhabited the shores of Lago de Nicaragua before the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and the Spanish word Agua, meaning water, due to the presence of the large lakes Lago de Nicaragua (Cocibolca) and Lago de Managua (Xolotlán), as well as lagoons and rivers in the region.^[1]

At the time of the Spanish conquest, Nicaragua was the name given to the narrow strip of land between Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean. Chief Nicarao ruled over the land when the first conquerors arrived. The term was eventually applied, by extension, to the Nicarao or Niquirano groups that inhabited that region.

The Nicarao tribe migrated to the area from northern regions after the fall of Teotihuacán, on the advice of their religious leaders. According to tradition, they were to travel south until they encountered a lake with two volcanoes rising out of the waters, and so they stopped when they reached Ometepe, the largest fresh-water volcanic island in the world.