29 Interesting Facts About Nicaragua

The small Latin American country of Nicaragua is incredibly beautiful but far from the most prosperous. It is indeed dangerous here, and in all Nicaraguan cities, there are areas where even the police prefer not to go. However, this doesn’t mean that all locals are like this—on the contrary, Nicaragua has many good, kind-hearted people, who outnumber the criminal elements. Unfortunately, it is the local residents who suffer the most from the rampant crime, which is one of the country’s main problems.

Facts About Nicaragua:

1. The first European to visit Nicaragua was Christopher Columbus, who arrived during his fourth expedition.
2. About 30% of the country’s population lives in the capital city, Managua.
3. In most Nicaraguan cities, the walls of all buildings are covered with graffiti, some of which are quite picturesque. The capital’s authorities have even given street artists free rein, officially allowing them to paint the city with murals.
4. As a Spanish colony, the lands that now belong to Nicaragua were part of Guatemala for several centuries, which has long been an independent state.
5. For 17 years, Nicaragua was also part of the Mexican Empire.
6. Throughout the 1980s, the country was embroiled in a revolution and civil war. The echoes of these bloody events are still felt today.
7. Nicaragua shares borders with only two countries, Costa Rica and Honduras, and along with the latter, it is one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America.
8. Nicaragua has the lowest population density in Central America, except for Belize.
9. Lake Nicaragua, located within the country, is home to unique freshwater sharks, which can grow up to 3 meters in length.
10. About 20% of Nicaraguans are illiterate.
11. The HIV infection rate in this country is one of the lowest in the world.
12. In the Western Hemisphere, only two countries are poorer than Nicaragua—Haiti and Honduras.
13. Nicaraguan currency is called the “córdoba,” but U.S. dollars are widely accepted everywhere. However, euros are not, and you’ll need to exchange them at a bank.
14. At the time of the Soviet Union’s collapse, the Nicaraguan government owed about $3.5 billion to the USSR. However, Russia forgave this debt.
15. Nicaragua became the first country in Central America to have a female president, a milestone reached in 1991.
16. Iguana meat is a traditional part of Nicaraguan cuisine.
17. In the Nicaraguan capital, Managua, there is a museum with a unique collection of ancient animal and human footprints permanently embedded in volcanic ash.
18. From early November to late May, it almost never rains in Nicaragua.
19. Due to the confusing and illogical local address system, Nicaraguans often give directions based on the nearest landmark and describe how to reach the destination from there.
20. Fried plantains are a very popular side dish in Nicaragua.
21. The two largest cities in Nicaragua, Granada and León, both founded by the Spanish centuries ago, long competed for the status of capital. To resolve the dispute, Managua was chosen as the capital. A similar situation occurred in Australia, where the city of Canberra was built specifically to resolve the longstanding rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne for the title of capital.
22. Nicaragua is home to 18 active volcanoes.
23. Nicaragua was the second country in the world to recognize the partially recognized states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
24. Nicaragua is the largest country entirely located in Central America.
25. The bird known as the turquoise-browed motmot is the national symbol of Nicaragua. Locals respectfully refer to motmots as “guardians of the ravines.”
26. In the 1980s, inflation in Nicaragua exceeded 30,000%. The government did not have the money to print new banknotes, so they simply stamped over existing bills with black ink, increasing their denomination by tens of thousands of times. For example, a 1,000 córdoba note was transformed into a 1 million córdoba bill.
27. Every Nicaraguan city has its own patron saint, and the saint’s day is always celebrated with great fanfare. This celebration is called the “fiesta patronal.”
28. On average, there are about 30 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in Nicaragua.
29. Surprisingly, the most popular sport in the country is baseball, not soccer.