"Nicaragua-Land of Lakes & Volcanoes" Nicaragua by maryellen50

Nicaragua Travel Guide: 1,674 reviews and 5,783 photos

Concepcion Volcano on Ometepe Island - Nicaragua

Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony in the early 16th century & gained Independence from Spain in 1821 and became an independent republic in 1838. It was occupied by Britain in the 19th century who gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001 saw the Sandinistas defeated, but voting in 2006 announced the return of former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by civil war, continued governmental corruption and several natural disasters including a Managua earthquake and Hurricane Mitch have resulted in the country being the second poorest in the North American hemisphere after Haiti.

Momotombo Volcano

Nicaragua has low per capita income and widespread underemployment. Distribution of income is one of the most unequal on the globe. While the country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in the past few years, GDP annual growth has been far too low to meet the country's needs, forcing the country to rely on international economic assistance to meet fiscal and debt financing obligations. Nicaragua qualified in early 2004 for foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.
Nicaragua ratified the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) to attract investment & economic development however energy shortages are a serious bottleneck to growth.

Victoria Beer - a Nicaragua specialty!

Freedom of speech is alive and well in Nicaragua & vigorously exercised by its people. There is no state censorship in Nicaragua and constitutional freedoms include peaceful assembly and association, freedom of religion, and freedom of movement within the country, as well as foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation. The government also permits domestic and international human rights monitors to operate freely in Nicaragua. All public and private sector workers, except the military and the police, are entitled to form and join unions of their own choosing, and they exercise this right extensively. Nearly half of Nicaragua's work force, including agricultural workers, is unionized.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Beautiful, unspoiled landscape with so many volcanoes
Cons:Abject poverty you can't escape
In a nutshell:Great Off The Beaten Destination in Central America

Last visit to Nicaragua: Feb 2007
Intro Written Feb 27, 2007
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Comments (3)

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Paris92 Jan 31, 2011 at 2:17 PM

Congrats on your Barney nomination! You really deserve it--such interesting information!
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Sininen Mar 5, 2007 at 11:11 AM

Hello Maryellen! Thank you for your virtual tour in Nicaragua...brought many lovely memories to my mind. Happy birthday from Finland!
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jacquisuiza Mar 5, 2007 at 12:18 AM

Thank you very much for your pictures from Nicaragua. Spent there several weeks last year and felt in love with the country.