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{{short description|Country in Central America}}▼
{{Coord|13|8|N|85|7|W|region:NI_type:country|display=title}}▼
{{pp-pc1|small=yes}}
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▲{{short description|Country in Central America}}
▲{{Coord|13|8|N|85|7|W|region:NI_type:country|display=title}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Nicaragua
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In [[Nicaraguan general election, 2001|the 2001 elections]], the PLC again defeated the FSLN, with Alemán's Vice President [[Enrique Bolaños]] succeeding him as president. Subsequently, however, Alemán was convicted and sentenced in 2003 to 20 years in prison for [[embezzlement]], [[money laundering]], and corruption;<ref>{{cite news|title=Nicaragua: Political profile|url=http://www.alertnet.org/printable.htm?URL=/db/cp/nicaragua.htm|access-date=2007-05-09}}</ref> liberal and Sandinista parliament members subsequently combined to strip the presidential powers of President Bolaños and his ministers, calling for his resignation and threatening [[impeachment]]. The Sandinistas said they no longer supported Bolaños after U.S. Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]] told Bolaños to keep his distance from the FSLN.<ref>{{cite news|last=Thompson |first=G |title=U.S. fears comeback of an old foe in Nicaragua |date=2005-04-06 |work=International Herald Tribune |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/05/news/nica.php |page=3 |access-date=2007-05-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606080838/http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/05/news/nica.php |archive-date=June 6, 2008 }}</ref> This "slow motion ''coup d'état''" was averted partially by pressure from the Central American presidents, who vowed not to recognize any movement that removed Bolaños; the U.S., the OAS, and the [[European Union]] also opposed the action.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nicaragua 'creeping coup' warning|date=2005-09-30|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4296818.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=2007-05-09}}</ref>
Before [[Nicaraguan general election, 2006|the general elections on November 5, 2006]], the [[National Assembly of Nicaragua|National Assembly]] passed a bill further restricting [[abortion in Nicaragua]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Frazier|first=JB|title=Nicaraguan President Signs Abortion Ban|date=2006-11-18|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/18/AR2006111800351.html|work=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=2007-05-25}}</ref> As a result, Nicaragua is one of five countries in the world where abortion is illegal with no exceptions.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2010/jun/11/abortion-nicaragua |title=Nicaragua refuses to lift abortion ban|last=Boseley|first=S|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2010-06-11}}</ref> Legislative and presidential elections took place on November 5, 2006. Ortega returned to the presidency with 37.99% of the vote. This percentage was enough to win the presidency outright, because of a change in electoral law which lowered the percentage requiring a runoff election from 45% to 35% (with a 5% margin of victory).<ref>{{cite news|title=Bolaños Will Move To The National Assembly After All|year=2006|url=http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/3439|work=Envío Magazine|access-date=2007-05-09}}</ref> Nicaragua's 2011 general election resulted in re-election of Ortega, with a landslide victory and 62.46% of the vote. In 2014 the National Assembly approved changes to the constitution allowing Ortega to run for a third successive term.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nicaragua's Revolution Heads Toward Dictatorship|last=Gibney|first=James|publisher=Bloomberg|date=2014-01-30|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-30/nicaragua-s-revolution-heads-toward-dictatorship-.html|access-date=2014-02-04}}</ref>
In November 2016, [[Nicaraguan general election, 2016|Ortega was elected for his third consecutive term]] (his fourth overall). International monitoring of the elections was initially prohibited, and as a result the validity of the [[Elections in Nicaragua|elections]] has been disputed, but observation by the [[Organization of American States|OAS]] was announced in October.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Geoff|first1=Thale|title=As Nicaragua's Election Draws Near, Concerns Grow Over Abuse of Power|url=https://www.wola.org/analysis/nicaraguas-election-draws-near-concerns-grow-abuse-power/|access-date=13 January 2018|publisher=WOLA}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=OAS Mission in Nicaragua Recommends Integral Electoral Reform|url=http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-079/17|access-date=13 January 2018|agency=Organization of American States|date=November 7, 2016}}</ref> Ortega was reported by Nicaraguan election officials as having received 72% of the vote. However the [[Broad Front for Democracy]] (FAD), having promoted boycotts of the elections, claimed that 70% of voters had abstained (while election officials claimed 65.8% participation).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37892477|title=Nicaragua's Ortega re-elected president|date=2016-11-07|work=BBC News|access-date=2017-09-12|language=en-GB}}</ref>
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=== Climate change ===
Nicaragua was one of the few countries that did not enter an [[Intended Nationally Determined Contributions|INDC]] at [[COP21]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-08/after-two-decades-of-stumbles-carbon-market-pioneers-revving-up#media-2|title=Carbon Markets Are Making a Slow, But Steady, Comeback|first1=Alex |last1=Nussbaum|first2=Ewa |last2=Krukowska|first3=Mathew |last3=Carr|date=8 December 2015|work=Bloomberg.com|access-date=17 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/indc/Submission%20Pages/submissions.aspx|title=INDCs as communicated by Parties|publisher=unfccc.int}}</ref> Nicaragua initially chose not to join the Paris Climate Accord because it felt that "much more action is required" by individual countries on restricting global temperature rise.<ref name="bbc" /> However, in October 2017, Nicaragua made the decision to join the agreement.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nicaragua to join Paris climate accord, leaving US and Syria isolated|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/23/nicaragua-joins-paris-climate-accord-us-trump-syria|access-date=December 4, 2017|work=The Guardian|date=October 23, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Stack|first1=Liam|title=Only U.S. and Syria Now Oppose Paris Climate Deal, as Nicaragua Joins|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/24/world/americas/nicaragua-paris-climate-agreement-us.html|access-date=December 4, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=October 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Noack|first1=Rick|title=Being outside the Paris climate deal: Something now only the U.S. and Syria agree on|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/10/24/not-being-part-of-the-paris-climate-deal-something-only-the-u-s-and-syria-agree-on/|access-date=December 4, 2017|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=October 24, 2017}}</ref> It ratified this agreement on November 22, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=Paris Agreement – Status of Ratification|url=http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9444.php|publisher=United Nations|access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref>
== Government ==
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[[File:600x400 1329442889 170212amb-nota2,photo01.jpg|thumb| [[National Police of Nicaragua]].]]
The [[National Police of Nicaragua]] Force (in Spanish: La Policía Nacional Nicaragüense) is the national police of Nicaragua. The force is in charge of regular police functions and, at times, works in conjunction with the Nicaraguan military, making it an indirect and rather subtle version of a gendarmerie.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} However, the Nicaraguan National Police work separately and have a different established set of norms than the nation's military.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}} According to a recent US Department of State report, corruption is endemic, especially within law enforcement and the judiciary, and arbitrary arrests, torture, and harsh prison conditions are the norm.<ref name="Nicaragua">{{Cite web|title=Nicaragua|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/nicaragua/|access-date=2020-06-22|website=United States Department of State|language=en-US}}</ref>
Nicaragua is the safest country in [[Central America]] and one of the safest in Latin America, according to the [[United Nations Development Program]], with a homicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 inhabitants.<ref>Johnson, Stephen; Kareff, Samuel and Asvapromtada, Siremorn (July 10, 2012) [http://csis.org/files/publication/120710_Johnson_Nicaragua_HemFocus.pdf Nicaragua: Lessons from a Country with a Low Crime Rate]. csis.org</ref>
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Nicaragua is among the poorest countries in the Americas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/NICARAGUAEXTN/0,,contentMDK:22255024~pagePK:1497618~piPK:217854~theSitePK:258689,00.html|title=Nicaragua - Country Brief|website=web.worldbank.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Rank Order – GDP – per capita (PPP)|publisher=CIA World Factbook|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html|access-date=2007-05-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Social indicators: Per capita GDP|publisher=United Nations|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/socind/inc-eco.htm|access-date=2007-05-09}}</ref> Its gross domestic product (GDP) in [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP) in 2008 was estimated at US$17.37 billion.<ref name=cia>{{cite news|title=Nicaragua|publisher=CIA World Factbook|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nu.html|access-date=2007-05-09}}</ref> Agriculture represents 15.5% of GDP, the highest percentage in Central America.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/214.html#NU|title=Field Listing :: GDP - composition, by sector of origin — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|access-date=2019-05-05}}</ref> Remittances account for over 15% of the Nicaraguan GDP. Close to one billion dollars are sent to the country by Nicaraguans living abroad.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=393|title=Migration Information Source – Remittance Trends in Central America|publisher=Migrationinformation.org|access-date=2010-06-26|date=April 2006}}</ref> The economy grew at a rate of about 4% in 2011.<ref name=cia/> By 2019, given restrictive taxes and a civil conflict, it recorded a negative growth of - 3.9%; the International Monetary Fund forecast for 2020 is a further decline of 6% due to COVID-19.<ref>Nordea (2020). Nicaragua: Economic Outline. https://www.nordeatrade.com/en/explore-new-market/nicaragua/economy</ref>
The restrictive tax measures put in place in 2019 and a political crisis over social security negatively affected the country's weak public spending and investor confidence in sovereign debt. According to the update IMF forecasts from
According to the [[United Nations Development Programme]], 48% of the population of Nicaragua live below the poverty line,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pnud.org.ni/noticias/343 |title=Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo – Noticias – La pobreza se arraiga en el país |publisher=Pnud.org.ni |access-date=2010-06-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511101524/http://www.pnud.org.ni/noticias/343 |archive-date=May 11, 2011 }}</ref> 79.9% of the population live with less than $2 per day,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/indicators/24.html |title=Human Development Report 2009 – Countries' shares of total stock of migrants in Africa (%) |publisher=Hdrstats.undp.org |access-date=2010-06-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221190342/http://hdrstats.undp.org/indicators/24.html |archive-date=2009-02-21 }}</ref> According to UN figures, 80% of the [[indigenous peoples|indigenous people]] (who make up 5% of the population) live on less than $1 per day.<ref>{{cite news|last=Silva |first=JA |title=NICARAGUA: Name and Identity for Thousands of Indigenous Children |url=http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43760 |work=IPS |access-date=2008-09-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080911133236/http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43760 |archive-date=September 11, 2008 }}</ref>
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=== Ethnic groups ===
[[File:AfroNicoya.jpg|thumb|left|upright|An African-Nicaraguan.]]
The majority of the Nicaraguan population is composed of mestizos, roughly 69%.{{
====Black Creoles====
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Nicaragua was among the many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to ratify the [[Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women|Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women]], which aimed to promote women's rights.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.unwomen.org/en/where-we-are/americas-and-the-caribbean|title=Americas and the Caribbean|work=UN Women|access-date=2018-11-27|language=en}}</ref>
In 2009, a Special Ombudsman for Sexual Diversity position was created within its Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman. And, in 2014, the Health Ministry in 2014 banned discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-12-18|title=Nicaragua's rainbow revolutionaries|url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2018/12/18/nicaraguas-rainbow-revolutionaries/|access-date=2020-06-22|website=Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights|language=en-US}}</ref> Nevertheless, discrimination against LGBTQ individuals is common, particularly in housing, education, and the workplace.<ref
[[Human Development Report|The Human Development Report]] ranked Nicaragua 106 out of 160 countries in the [[Gender Inequality Index|Gender Inequality Index (GII)]] in 2017. It reflects gender-based inequalities in three dimensions - reproductive health, empowerment, and economic activity.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Human development indices and indicators: 2018 statistical update|date=2018-09-19|doi = 10.18356/9a42b856-en}}</ref>
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140324190742/http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/the-americas/nicaragua/business-corruption-in-nicaragua.aspx Nicaragua Corruption Profile] from the [[Business-Anti-Corruption Portal|Business Anti-Corruption Portal]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080607085335/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/nicaragua.htm Nicaragua] at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* {{
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1225218.stm Nicaragua profile] from the [[BBC News]]
* {{Wikiatlas|Nicaragua}}
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